33 of the Weirdest Philip K. Dick Covers We Could Find
Eyes, Brains, Babies, and Marilyn Monroe
After landing his first story in the July 1952 edition of Planet Stories, Philip K. Dick published over 121 pieces of short fiction in science fiction journals. He went on to publish 44 novels, which were translated into over 30 languages, as well as 14 short story collections. Much of his work focused on the nature of reality, identity, drug abuse, and mental health. These subjects, paired with other planets and beings, invited surreal and bizarre visual interpretations of his work. Here are 33 of them, sourced from all over the world, and ranked from weird to weirdest.
The Game Players of Titan, Greek edition, Medusa, 1993
33.
At first glance it looks like we may be embarking on a beautiful sunset stroll, but with a second look that trail looks a little strange. A little . . . brain-like?
Ace, 1957
32.
A bit literal, but very eye-catching.
Timescape, 1982
31.
Not that strange in terms of science-fiction cover composition. But a baby in space is always a little concerning.
Pocket, 1987
30.
A surreal interpretation of two nouns in the title. But a pretty one at that.
Time Out of Joint, French edition, Pocket, 1987
29.
The slightest manipulation makes this cover more beautiful than strange.
The Man in the High Castle, Bulgarian edition, Bard, 1993
28.
Many of the covers for The Man in the High Castle feature a map of the US and/or flags of Japan and Nazi Germany. But the Bard publishers decided to go with something a little different: a goblin.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Japanese edition, Hayakawa, 1977
27.
A little role-swap happening here. What do the sheep dream of?
Valis, Polish edition, Rebis, 2005
26.
Many of the covers from the Polish publisher Rebis feature strangely photographed objects; but only one has an eyeball with toothpicks sticking out of it.
Panther, 1973
25.
A spray can emerging from an exposed brain, sure. But it’s those thoughtful eyes that get you.
Valis, German edition, Moewig, 1984
24.
You could treat this cover like an “I Spy” game: how many faces are hidden in this cover of Valis?
Granada, 1977
23.
A beautiful pastoral scene, with an amputated robot coming at you.
Ace, 1972
22.
This might be a shocking reveal, except it’s a science-fiction novel.
Panther, 1984
21.
A fairly conservative guess at what aliens from another planet might look like, but with a mohawk.
Triad Grafton, 1987
20.
Imagine if this were in your backyard.
Galactic Pot-Healer, Swedish edition, Nova SF, 1983
19.
What else would you expect a man who repairs broken pottery to look like?
The Simulacra, French edition, J’ai Lu, 1975
18.
A surreal interpretation of a visit to the dentist office.
A Maze of Death, German edition, Heyne, 1974
17.
It must be hard trying to sleep with faces staring up at you from the floorboards.
Best of Philip K. Dick: The Days of Perky Pat, Japanese edition, Hayakawa, 1991
16.
Nothing creepier than a smashed up doll in the face of earth’s destruction.
Daw, 1984
15.
And here’s Weird Al Yankovic coming up with one of his hilarious satirical songs. What will he skewer next?!
Underwood Books, 1997
14.
A perfect blend of surreal and strange for a collection of the author’s letters.
Dr. Futurity, Italian edition, Fanucci, 2011
13.
An oddly compelling spin on the sci-fi collage cover.
Dell, 1978
12.
If only fashion had gotten us this far in 2004.
Daw, 1983
11.
Beetle-eyes? Almond-eyes? Not quite sure what’s happening here, but that golden halo is doing something for me.
Dell, 1970
10.
There was so much weird, it couldn’t be contained on the front cover.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, French edition, Chute Libre, 1976
9.
Mind blown.
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, French edition, Librairie des Champs Elysées, 1975
8.
A classic, hand-painted cover.
Penguin, 1976
7.
Gumm thought he lost his soda and that society had forgotten Marilyn Monroe, but they were really one in the same.
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, Serbian edition, Bata Znak Sagite, 1991
6.
A natural response to waking up and finding out that you now live in a police state.
The Father-Thing, Polish edition
5.
TFW your dad is pulled from the sky with a fork. Is he the chosen one? Is he someone’s dinner? Will he need that shoe?
A Scanner Darkly, German edition, Bastei Lubbe, 1980
4.
This probably is what it would look like if you had to work as a narcotics agent while tripping.
Triad Grafton, 1984
3.
Playing with a sense of space (foreground, middle ground, background) in space.
Daw, 1983
2.
I’m not sure what that television face is trying to do with a spray can, but she’s doing it convincingly.
Little Black Box, Polish Edition, Proszynski, 2000
1.
This cover encapsulates so much of what makes the others bizarre: floating subject matter, aliens, disfigured figures, anthropomorphized objects. But the contrasting orange and blue make it pop in a garish way that separates it from the rest.
