The Janet Evanovich editions aren't the only examples of superior cover art to be found in Europe. I am only on day ten of this trip, and I've already lusted after a girly, funky paperback copy of E. M. Forster's A Room With a View and a set of Sherlock Holmes stories with boldly stylized covers. I was unable to resist this edition of The Highest Tide, the debut novel of Jim Lynch:

I found it in a Florence bookshop, and grabbed it immediately (crappy exchange rate be damned). I have been meaning to read this book for awhile--it's set in my hometown, and all the local bookstores have been pushing it like crazy, but the sombre, tasteful American cover has never tempted me in the slightest. This stylish British edition, on the other hand, speaks to my very soul.