I have complained several times here at RCN about the lack of basic publication and other information about the covers, spot illustrations, and other materials featured in the books that have been published to date about the work of Jeffrey Jones.
Today, however, I am delighted to highlight a book that promises to fill in some of the blanks in our knowledge of Jones’s career and perhaps bring to light a few forgotten gems in Jones’s vast back-catalogue of published work:
[CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]
Here’s the publisher’s description:
Vanguard follows Frazetta: The Definitive Reference with Jeffrey Jones: The Definitive Reference. Frazetta called Hugo and World Fantasy Award winner, Jones, the greatest living painter. This book catalogues all published Jones work: book covers, National Lampoon, Idyl, comics, The Studio (with Wrightson, Winsdor-Smith and Kaluta), prints, portfolios, and more.
The regular hardcover edition runs 176 pages, the deluxe slip-cased edition is 192 pages and features a 16 page bonus folio section not part of the regular hardcover edition.
With a career as poorly documented as Jones’s has been, the task of compiling a catalogue of all of the artist’s published work must have involved countless hours of scholarly detective work. That being said, however, one doesn’t have to be Nostradamus to predict that an online errata sheet will be posted by someone or other shortly after the book is published. Because the fact is, generally speaking, very few scholarly reference works make it to press without some errors and/or omissions, and even fewer do so when the area of research is an obscure corner of popular culture. But don’t pass up the first edition of Jeffrey Jones: The Definitive Reference in hope that an updated/corrected/perfect edition will appear at some future date. If the first edition is not successful in the first place, an updated/corrected edition won’t even be a possibility.
P.S. Needless to say, Jones fan that I am, I have already pre-ordered the slip-cased edition.
Ragged Claws Network 
Nice little post. This book looks great. It is only recently that I’ve been turned onto how good some of the sci-fi and fantasy cover art from the 60s and early 70s is. Indeed, I’m so impressed, I’ve started posting some of my favourite covers of that genre onto Pinterest. You can check them out here: http://pinterest.com/pulpcurry/pulp-sci-fi-fantasy/
Keep up the good work.
Andrew
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I appreciate the feedback, Andrew. I will definitely check out your Pinterest gallery.
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When will you do a review of this Jones volume?
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Why me?
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As you have noted, you are a fan of Jones’ art. Here at RCN there have so far been over 130 posts dedicated to showcasing the talent of Jeffrey Catherine Jones. Therefore, your considered assessment of this reference volume would be worth reading. Thanks for listening and thanks for RCN & TRANSISTORADIO.
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I appreciate the vote of confidence, Paul, but I have a feeling that I would quickly get bogged down if I were to attempt a thoroughgoing review of Jeffrey Jones: The Definitive Reference. I’m not entirely sure what it is that causes or enables me to write — in a limited, convoluted fashion — about some things and not about others, but in this instance, I can honestly say, I’m just not feeling it. Sorry.
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