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Bastian is a lonely, bullied kid who likes to lose himself in tales of fantasy and adventure. One day, while browsing the shelves of a strange bookshop, his eye is drawn to a mysterious leather-bound tome intricately inset with mother of pearl. On an impulse, he steals it. When Bastian begins reading the book, something extraordinary happens: he ends up in the story!
If you grew up in the eighties, you’ve probably already guessed which book we’re talking about: The Neverending Story, the kids’ classic written by German author Michael Ende. Shortly after publication, the novel was turned into a blockbuster film, helping it become one of the world’s most popular children’s books, with translations into over 40 languages and millions of copies sold.
The Neverending Story is also a metabook: in other words, a book about a book. Today we explore the history of this bestseller through its finest covers.
Ready to ride Falkor to the rescue of Fantastica?
The first cover of The Neverending Story
Michael Ende’s novel was originally published by K. Thienemanns Verlag in German in the autumn of 1979. But Ende actually wrote the story in Italy, at his villa in the country just outside Rome. The house stood in the evocatively named Valle degli Spiriti Beati (Valley of the Blessed Spirits). Could these spirits have helped Ende write his book?
The publisher immediately understood that this was no ordinary tome: it needed a cover worthy of a magic book. Ende had initially envisaged a leather cover with mother-of-pearl inserts, just like the book that transports Bastian into the realm of Fantastica in the novel.
Alas, practical and financial considerations put paid to that idea. But the first edition did have a striking hardback cover bound in red silk. This was protected by a dust jacket designed by Roswitha Quadflieg, who also provided the sumptuous illustrations for the opening of each chapter.
Another curious feature of the first edition was the use of two text colours: red for what happens in the real world and green what takes place in Fantastica.
The cover for the first edition in English
Michael Ende’s masterpiece originally appeared in translation in 1983, when the first English edition was published simultaneously in London and New York.
The cover was bound in red cloth with golden lettering, while and the dust jacket featured a medieval-esque illustration of Fantastica by American artist Richard Mantel.
Another classic English-language version of The Neverending Story published by Dutton Children’s Books in 1997. It features incredibly intricate cover art by Dan Craig, which has been used on many subsequent editions.
The Neverending Story covers featuring Falkor the luck dragon
If you were a kid in the eighties, The Neverending Story probably brings to mind Falkor, the luck dragon who saves Atreyu from the Swamps of Sadness and becomes his trusty travel companion along the way.
Falkor’s popularity with fans owes much to the endearing portrayal of the character in the big-screen adaptation. Released in 1984, the film version of The Neverending Story found colossal box office success in Europe.
Michael Ende was not happy with the film adaptation of his novel, which he considered too cheesy. He took particular issue with the portrayal of Falkor, who in the book is described as a cross between a dachshund and a crocodile. But as is so often the case, cinema exerts a powerful influence over our imagination: on the many covers of The Neverending Story featuring Falkor, his depiction is much closer to the film version than the character originally imagined by Michael Ende.
A perfect example is this cover drawn by Chris Riddell for the Puffin Books 2014 edition. Riddell is one Britain’s greatest living illustrators, famous for both his political cartoons and children’s book illustrations.
The 40th anniversary edition of The Neverending Story, released in 2019 by Thienemann, the original publisher of the book, features a majestic depiction of Falkor on its superb dreamlike cover designed by Sebastian Meschenmoser. To illustrate the novel, the Berlin-based artist so completely immersed himself in the world within that, as he told one interviewer, he’s still not sure if he’s fully returned to reality.
A truly brilliant cover to The Neverending Story
Of particular note is the cover to the deluxe edition of The Neverending Story published by The Folio Society.
Published in 2022 to mark the publishing house’s 75th anniversary, this volume is presented in an illustrated case designed, like the rest of the book, by Marie-Alice Harel, a renowned French illustrator now based in Scotland. In the centre of the case is a quote from Michael Ende: “What you don’t wish for will be always beyond your reach”.
The cover and endpapers are printed using opulent metallic effects. There are also nods to the first edition, including two-colour text and elaborately illustrated initial letters at the beginnings of chapters.
The Neverending Story: the most interesting international covers
We wrap up with some intriguing international covers for The Neverending Story, a book that has become a modern children’s classic.
Just as he wished, Michael Ende’s tale has been translated into dozens of different languages and continues to enchant young readers around the world. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful international covers out there – these are our favourites.
Here is the cover to a splendid illustrated edition released to mark the book’s 45th anniversary in 2024. It was published by Alfaguara and illustrated by Ayesha L. Rubio.
Another cover to a Spanish-language edition that we loved is this one published by Debolsillo in 2016. At its centre stands the Ivory Tower, home of the Childlike Empress who begs Bastian to save the world of Fantastica.
An extremely “eighties” cover for a French edition carrying a still from the film. It was published in 1984 – the year that the big-screen adaptation hit cinemas.
The cover to an Arabic edition of The Neverending Story published by the Goethe Institut.
This gem is a stunning modern cover to a Farsi edition of The Neverending Story.
Another cover for a Farsi edition.
Next up, three curious covers in Chinese: the first uses well-worn tropes from the book, the second features images from the film and the third offers an original and abstract take on the novel.
The minimalist cover to a Brazilian edition published in 2009 by Martins Fontes.
Another cover to The Neverending Story that caught our eye encloses this Dutch edition from 1985. It’s packed with magical little details.
More minimalist and type-heavy is this cover to a Dutch edition from 2003.
Did you find yourself sucked into The Neverending Story when you were a kid? Is there a cover to the book that sticks in your mind? Which cover do you think works best for the novel?