A couple foreign editions of Microcosm have arrived. They got me thinking about book design across the globe. The Chinese edition takes my world-within-a-microbe metaphor to cosmic extremes.

All of my Japanese editions have covers that are both cute and relevant. Their edition of Microcosm is no exception. Who thought E. coli could have the delicacy of a crane?

The Front:

And one more for the back:

Originally published February 12, 2010. Copyright 2010 Carl Zimmer.