At this point, the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling are widely accepted to be children's classics, but you can't exactly say the same for the books' physical designs. The covers are serviceable, but only just. Hungarian graphic designer Kincső Nagy has re-imagined the Harry Potter books as a series of beautiful volumes, each one of which looks as if it just sprung from some Folio Society reprint yet to come.
The volumes, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, are bound in black canvas, with the title printed vertically on the cover in raised black ink. Each cover features a unique cut-out cipher, representing a major object, symbol, or artifact from that particular book. Eerily, these ciphers glow-in-the-dark, thanks to the phosphorescent flyleafs bound directly behind the covers.
Just as much attention to detail has been paid to the inside of each Harry Potter volume too. Nagy imagines each book to feature tasteful tri-color illustrations. Stylistically resembling woodcuts, the illustrations are actually interactive: they either pop-up into three dimensions (like Hogwart's Castle), or open up to allow you to look inside (like the Vanishing Cabinet).
It's beautiful work. These aren't the Harry Potter books you hand to your kids to keep them quiet in their car; they're the ones you keep for yourself, and pass down to your children when you die. Regrettably, though, they are only a concept for now. Perhaps it's time for Harry Potter's publishers to reach out and give Nagy a call.
You can see more of Nagy's work on Behance here.