Invisible Man (Random House, 1952)

E. McKnight Kauffer, the American designer best known for his London Underground posters, made this jacket for the 1952 Random House first edition. A face in profile half dissolves into the black ground, crossed by two thin white lines like a target, so the cover acts out the title before you open it. The back panel carries a portrait of Ralph Ellison by Gordon Parks. The novel won the National Book Award the following year.