In my view the cover of the first (1968) cover is the best one. It is historically inaccurate- Thompson doesn’t discuss Yorkshire mining which the cover depicts.
Thompson’s discussion of Peterloo is central to the book so the 1963 hardback cover plus the second paperback cover are truer to his perspective in that sense.
For reference reading from the top left, the 1963 hardback cover is first, then the 1968 (Pelican) paperback. The remaining four covers are when reprints took place, often with new introductions, although not of course from Thompson himself who died in 1993.
The 1968 cover is by far the best known
Your comments assume that the reader knows which illustration is of which edition… I’d assumed that the top left was the earliest and the bottom right the latest, but your comments show that assumption to be false. My copy is top middle, but I’d have to go down to the library to check which edition it is, and my leg hurts. Any chance of some labels?
Ive added some detail. Essentially in date order (I hope) from top left
Thanks!