Curating Your L. M. Montgomery Collection: The Best and Most Beautiful Book Covers for Anne, Emily, and more

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Want to build your L. M. Montgomery collection with the most beautiful book editions and cover art? I scoured the internet for the best copies of Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, The Blue Castle, and every other Montgomery novel. Happy shopping! Best Covers of Pat of Silver Bush, Emily of New Moon, and Anne of Green Gables

Finding the Best L. M. Montgomery Book Editions

I had fun laughing over the hilariously awful book covers that exist for L. M. Montgomery’s novels. If Lucy Maud were alive today, I’m sure she’d have some deliciously snarky remarks regarding them!

But at the end of that post, I promised to deliver one which features the best Montgomery book covers, covers that are lovely and strive accurately to portray the soul of Montgomery’s stories. If you are looking to buy shelf-worthy copies of these novels to read, treasure, and pass down to the next generation of fans, then browse this catalogue and see which ones best capture your conception of Montgomery’s world.  I’ve included the ISBN numbers of each book to help you track them down more precisely.

Let’s start with the Anne of Green Gables books, since these were some of her first novels and the ones that made her famous. There are eight novels in the Anne of Green Gables series.

Best Anne of Green Gables Book Covers and Editions

If you’re just looking for the first book in the Anne of Green Gables series, there are several nice editions of the first Anne book as a standalone collectible:

Pink clouthbound edition of Anne of Green Gables

Puffin Classics Hardcover

This Puffin Clothbound edition makes me think of Anne’s tea parties with Diana or Mrs. Allan. (ISBN: 9780141334905)

Folio Society

The Folio Society offers a clothbound edition, which includes interior illustrations by Anna C. Leplar. (Folio has an Anne of Avonlea edition as well.) Your best bet to get your hands on one of these is to seek out a nice used copy on eBay or Abebooks. I had trouble finding the correct ISBN for this, so if you own this copy perhaps you could check the ISBN for me!

Puffin in Bloom

This hardcover Puffin in Bloom edition is a fan favourite, and affordably priced at $10.59. (Here’s the full Puffin in Bloom set, which features four girlhood classics.) ISBN: 9780147514004

Barnes & Noble Leatherbound

Barnes & Noble offers this sweet bonded leather edition, with gilt edges and a ribbon bookmark. This would be a nice pick for a baby shower or a little girl’s birthday party. (ISBN: 9781435162099)

Wordsworth Collector’s Edition

Good job, Wordsworth! This clothbound hardback features gold lettering, a lovely cover illustration, and matching colored endpapers. (ISBN: 9781840227840)

Puffin Paperback

This Puffin classic is a good paperback option for the first novel. (ISBN: 9780141323749)

Puffin Classics V&A Collector’s Edition

This beautiful hardback is part of Puffin’s V&A series of classic children’s literature, which incorporates William Morris artwork from the Victoria and Albert Museum into each cover design. As a Morris fan and an Anne fan, this gives me a thrill! (ISBN: 9780141385662)

Grosset & Dunlap Illustrated Junior Library

I love the folksy illustration on this lovely hardcover. It has interior illustrations by Jody Lee. I’d love to get my hands on one of these! It would probably be my top pick for a standalone edition of Anne of Green Gables. (ISBN: 9780448060309)

Arcturus Publishing

Another favourite standalone Anne edition I’ve seen is this slip-cased hardcover, with interior illustrations by Colombian artist Luisa Uribe. (ISBN: 9781788883832)

Complete Anne of Green Gables Book Sets

Although all of the above versions are lovely, it’s always nice to have a matching set when it comes to series you love. For complete sets of all eight Anne novels, have a look at the following beautiful options.

8-book paperback Anne of Green Gables series from Tundra books

Tundra Paperback

If I didn’t already own a set of Anne books, this paperback collection from Tundra Books  would be my top choice. I love the movement conveyed in the cover art, and how each scene is so different (and I love that Rainbow Valley depicts a winterscape; most Montgomery covers ignore this season!) Elly MacKay is the Canadian artist behind this set, and it’s fascinating to read about her creation process, which combines both illustration and photography.

Hardcover Anne of Green Gables series: "Anne" in large floral letters on a solid-color background.

Tundra Hardcover – Anne of Green Gables 8-Book Set Hardcover

Tundra also offers the complete Anne series in a gorgeous hardback set. Each book includes a ribbon bookmark and a bonus Montgomery short story.

8-book Anne Shirley series with illustrated covers

Virago Modern Classics

Virago Modern Classics has put together this beautiful paperback set, with cover art by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. As if we didn’t already have enough lovely options, right?

Complete 8-book Anne of Green Gables series, Mass Market Paperback edition

Mass Market Paperback

There have been lots of different Mass Market Paperback editions over the years. This is the set you’ll most commonly find these days. I have the boxed set, and it’s special to me because of good reading hours spent with these volumes. But, I am not a huge fan of the cover art (except for the first two volumes). I think Anne looks rather severe as a grownup!

Honourable Mentions (Incomplete Anne series that are still lovely!)

A few publishers have put out partial sets of the Anne novels. Sometimes they’re not able to print the whole series due to copyright issues, and in some cases they have plans to release the full series but haven’t yet. I list three options here, because although they’re incomplete, they’re still pretty!

Die-cut inspired Anne of Green Gables covers

Aladdin Publishing

I adore the details on these books from Aladdin Publishing, which come in both hardback and paperback. Sadly, these editions don’t include Anne of Windy Poplars or Anne of Ingleside, so you can’t get a complete Anne set with them. Here are the listings for the hardback books in the series:

Covers of Vintage Children's Classics Anne of Green Gables series

Vintage Children’s Classics

This paperback set from Random House UK doesn’t include the last two books in the series, but I like the cover art for the ones they’ve done so far.

Sourcebooks Anne of Green Gables paperbacks, books 1-6

Sourcebooks Fire

The paperbacks from Sourcebooks include introductions by Montgomgery’s granddaughter, Kate MacDonald Butler. The cover art is by Canadian artist Jacqui Oakley. While I love the flowers, animals, and buildings featured on each cover, to me these books all look too similar. Anne doesn’t look that different from cover to cover, or that much older. However, they’re still lovely, and I hope Sourcebooks will someday publish Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside to complete the series. (And P.S., do I love Jacqui Oakley’s art on other Montgomery covers, as you’ll see later in this post!)

Best Emily of New Moon Book Covers and Editions

I was surprised by how many excellent covers there are for Montgomery’s Emily trilogy!

Mass Market Paperback

The Mass Market Paperback set is an oldie but goodie. I’m very partial to it because these are the editions I grew up with…and they depict Emily just as I pictured her, even after re-reading the series as an adult. Emily of New Moon (ISBN: 978-0553233704) | Emily Climbs (ISBN: 9780553262148) | Emily’s Quest (ISBN: 9780553264937) Here’s an older Mass Market set that’s still nice, but not as crisp.

 

Virago Modern Classics

This gorgeous set from Virago Modern Classics is one of my favourite editions of the Emily series. Sometimes they’re hard to find on Amazon (if you’re shopping from the U. S.), but a Google search will pull them up from used booksellers or sites like Barnes & Noble. Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini did the cover illustrations for these, as well as the Virago Anne series. Emily of New Moon (ISBN: 9781844089888) | Emily Climbs (ISBN: 9781844089895) | Emily’s Quest (ISBN: 9781844089871)

Tundra Paperback

Like they did with the Anne series, Tundra books commissioned Elly MacKay to create gorgeous cover art for the Emily books, too. Emily of New Moon (ISBN: 9781770497474) | Emily Climbs (ISBN: 9781770497498) | Emily’s Quest (ISBN: 9781770497511)

Tundra Hardcover

For a keepsake hardcover set, seek out these lovely books, also from Tundra. Like Tundra’s Anne series, each contains a bonus short story by L. M. Montgomery. Emily of New Moon (ISBN: 9781770497467) | Emily Climbs (ISBN: 9781770497481) | Emily’s Quest (ISBN: 9781770497504)

Sourcebooks

Jacqui Oakley’s cover art for the Emily series is just dreamy! Emily of New Moon (ISBN: 9781402289125) | Emily Climbs (ISBN: 9781402289156) | Emily’s Quest (ISBN: 9781402289187)

Best Book Covers and Editions of The Blue Castle

After the Anne and Emily series, you get far less good cover options for Montgomery’s other books. Thankfully, there are still some gems!

Sourcebooks

I own this beautiful Sourcebooks edition of The Blue Castle, with cover art and lettering by Jacqui Oakley. (ISBN: 9781402289361)

Elly MacKay’s artwork for The Blue Castle is so serene and luminous. I think it perfectly captures how Valancy felt when she escaped to Lake Mistawis. This is probably my favourite edition, although the Jacqui Oakley edition I already own is right up there, too. (ISBN: 9780735265233)

Mass Market Paperback

I rather like this old paperback edition of The Blue Castle for the lettering and the lush woodland scene. Plus, the characters are too indistinct to be objectionable. (ISBN: 9780770422349)

Best Book Covers and Editions of Jane of Lantern Hill

Virago Modern Classics

As we’ve seen before, Virago Modern Classics makes some beautiful paperbacks. I love their take on Jane of Lantern Hill, which features an illustration directly from the book: “The cherry-tree, with the moon hanging over it like a great pearl, was so beautiful that Jane felt a queer lump in her throat when she looked at it . . . almost as if she wanted to cry.” (ISBN: 9780349004440)

Tundra

Once again, Elly MacKay has designed a winner with this lovely copy of Jane. (ISBN: 9781101919484)

Sourcebooks

Here’s the Jacqui Oakley art version of Jane. (ISBN: 9781402289309)

Mass Market Paperback

It’s simple, but does the job nicely. Jane of Lantern Hill (ISBN: 9780770423148)

Best Book Covers and Editions of Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat

Sourcebooks

To me, Jacqui Oakley’s editions of Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat perfectly capture Pat’s personality and world. These books are sitting pretty on my shelf! (ISBNs: 9781402289248 and 9781402289279)

Tundra

I’m not sure why Tundra Books only offers Mistress Pat and not Pat of Silver Bush, too! I love that artist Elly MacKay features Pat’s beloved home on this cover; I hope she’ll get to create a cover for the first Pat book soon. (ISBN: 9781101919460)

Mass Market Paperback

Pat of Silver Bush (ISBN: 0770422470) | Mistress Pat (ISBN: 9780553280487)

Best Book Covers and Editions of The Story Girl/ King family books

Tundra

Here’s Elly MacKay’s cover art for Tundra Books. The Story Girl (ISBN: 9781101919491) | The Golden Road (ISBN: 9781101919477)

Mass Market Paperback

I like how these old Mass Market Paperback editions feature the same scene in different seasons. Also, how the covers reflect the fact that they’re not just about one main character, but about a group of children growing up together. The Story Girl (ISBN: 0770422853) | The Golden Road (ISBN: 0553213679)

Best Book Covers and Editions of A Tangled Web

Sourcebooks

This Sourcebooks paperback will match nicely if you’re collecting Jacqui Oakley for your bookshelf! (ISBN: 9781402289330)

Mass Market Paperback

Admittedly, this cover makes it seem like the novel is about one main heroine, when in fact many characters take turns in the spotlight! But it’s not awful as covers go. A Tangled Web (ISBN: 0770422454)

Best Book Covers and Editions of Magic for Marigold

Sourcebooks

With Sourcebooks and Jacqui Oakley making editions even of Montgomery’s more obscure novels, I have hopes they’ll eventually offer every LMM novel! Magic for Marigold (ISBN: 9781402289217)

Mass Market Paperback

This is a sweet cover, and worth keeping an eye out for if you like the uniformity of Mass Markets lined up on your bookshelves. (ISBN: 0553280465)

Best Book Covers and Editions of Kilmeny of the Orchard

Mass Market Paperback

Kilmeny of the Orchard has probably gotten the least attention when it comes to cover updates. The only good one that’s readily available is the Mass Market Paperback edition (ISBN: 0553213776). Of all the artists who have done covers for Montgomery’s books, I think Jacqui Oakley would be best suited to do Kilmeny, as the novel is very flowery and fairytale-esque.

Tundra paperback editions of Anne of Green Gables series, on a Prince Edward Island landscape background

There you have it! I do believe that’s enough L. M. Montgomery editions to keep your Christmas wish list stocked for a few years to come(: What are your favourites of the ones shown above? And if you’ve found something pretty that’s not included, please share in the comments below so I can seek it out! I’d be happy to add to this list if you find other good editions that fans should know about.

More L. M. Montgomery posts from the Tea and Ink Society archives:

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28 Comments

  1. I love so many Montgomery book covers. Of the pics in this post, maybe my favorites are the Rilla and Windy Poplar books from Tundra Books.

    My personal favorites are the Anne and Emily sets from Bantam Starfire in the 80s.

    And from the same illustrator I believe, I really love the first two Emily books here:
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/608281280/3-l-m-montgomery-softcover-books-emily?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

    The illustrator is uncredited, but that person is so talented. The covers show such beautiful and elegant Annes and Emilys, with a dreamy and romantic vibe. They look like the real style of post-Victorians from that era. Those were the ones that I owned and re-read many times as a tween and teen, so I like them for nostalgic reasons, too.

    Reply

    1. I wish they would credit the illustrators on books…so often they don’t, or they didn’t use to. Those copies are lovely! I think I read some of the Annes with those covers.

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  3. Elsie,

    I’m so happy I stumbled upon your wonderful blog today! I originally came to this post in my search to find an adorable Anne of Green Gables set. Knew I’d be staying around and favoriting this site after seeing your flowchart included, one of my favorites of all time, “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith.

    Thank you thank you thank you for creating such a lovely space for us kindred spirits. So excited to continue exploring Tea and Ink Society. Wishing you the best. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you for saying hello! I’m so glad you found your way here! It’s always nice to meet other fans of I Capture the Castle. Isn’t that a special gem of a book? I wish Dodie Smith’s other books were more widely available (besides Dalmations, which is probably easier to get). I’d like to read what else she wrote!

      Reply

  4. Folio Society books don’t have ISBNs. I was looking for one the other day and apparently private publishers who don’t intend to sell their books outside of themselves aren’t required to have ISBNs. Which is frustrating.

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  6. Ah, this post is BRILLIANT! I’ve been scouring the internet for info on Anne of Green Gables sets so I could pick one to collect and it’s been hard trying to figure out which series have all of the books available, thank you so MUCH! I’m really torn between Tundra and Virago, but I think I might go with the former. Your point about the movement in those illustrations is true. Really love and varied scenes. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Yay!! I am so glad you found this post helpful and will be adding beautiful books to your shelves! (By the way, I love your name!)

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  7. Ah, thank you for saying so, I really didn’t like it when I was kid, but I can appreciate now that it’s a somewhat unique name without being strange.

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    1. I’m partial to that type of name myself, as I feel Elsie falls into that category!(: Tolkien, one of my favourite authors, had a daughter named Priscilla. That might’ve been where I first heard and liked the name!

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  8. …And one year later… These are all at least 75% better than your previous post! I own the Mass market versions, which I really love but I really like Puffin, Wordsworth, Arcturus and Virago. My absolute favorite of these and would purchase if it was practical is Tundra’s Elly Mackay just captures that certain feeling you get from L.M. Montgomery’s work.

    Reply
  9. Pingback: Anne Shirley’s World of Octobers - Rachel Dodge

  10. Was fortunate to purchase Virago Modern Classics Anne of Green Gables paperback set at a local Barnes and Noble (long before Amazon) I think. Reasons for getting the set was there was all 8 Anne books in the set and the cover art of Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. I believe Terrazzini’s art convened the essence of Anne Shirley in my opinion. My favorite Terrazzini cover art was Anne of Avonlea which shows Anne holding a flower in a flowerbed.

    Reply

    1. What a great find! Was it a different Virago set than the one pictured here? I would be curious to know what an older set looked like…I’ll have to look that up! I agree that Terrazzini’s portrayal of Anne and her world is gorgeous and very apt!

      Reply

  11. My favourite editions of L.M. Montgomery’s books are from the paperback Canadian Favourites series published in the 1970s by McLelland and Stewart. The cover art has a striking Art Nouveau look to it. The cover for Magic for Marigold is particularly beautiful, with Marigold and Old Grandmother sitting in the garden at midnight like characters from a fairy tale. I have tried to track down the artist, but without success so far.

    Reply

    1. I just looked those up and they are really neat! Agree, the Magic for Marigold cover is especially lovely. I also like the Emily ones! I will keep my eye out for those at used bookstores!

      Reply

  12. Or rather I’ve tried to track down the name of the artist. It is not included in any of the Canadian Favourites editions I own.

    Reply

  13. Wow! I never knew all these books existed. I’m so excited! When I was a young girl I read the whole Anne of Green Gables series, but I did not know that the author wrote so many other books. I am glad I stumbled upon your site. So many good suggestions. Lastly, are there audio book suggestions and recommendations? I’ve been doing a lot of my “reading” thru audio lately because I have been having trouble with my eyes. I’ve been listening to the Anne of Green Gables collection on Audible narrated by Susie Berneis and Tara Ward. Its very good.

    Reply

    1. I have not listened to any of Montgomery’s books on audio, so I asked our knowledgeable Tea and Ink members in our Facebook group! Here are their recommendations:
      – The Susie Berneis editions you mentioned
      – Megan Follows (who acted in the Sullivan miniseries)
      – Anne series narrated by Arielle Lipshaw, which you can listen to on Librivox for free.
      – Anne series narrated by Karen Savage, also on Librivox

      Reply

  14. Thank you! This is very timely! I actually had to stop listening to the Anne collection I was listening to, because the 2nd book (Anne of Avonlea), which I assume was read by Tara Ward was absolutely awful. The characters were so over exaggerated that they all sounded snooty and obnoxious. It totally killed the book for me.

    Reply

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