Look Here: Four more splendid SF covers with art by Kelly Freas

26 September 201310 August 2016 RCLeave a comment

As promised almost two weeks ago, here are four more covers with art by Kelly Freas, freshly scanned from the collection of yours truly:

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**ABOVE:** Harry Harrison, ed., *Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology* (NY: Ballantine Books, 1974), with cover art by Kelly Freas).

**ABOVE:** Kenneth Bulmer, *The Wizards of Senchuria* (NY: Ace, ©1969), with cover art by Kelly Freas.

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *Dread Companion* (NY: Ace, ©1970), with cover art by Kelly Freas.

**ABOVE:** Barrington J. Bayley, *The Zen Gun* (NY: DAW Books, 1983), with cover art by Kelly Freas.

Older SF fans will no doubt recognize the illustration on the cover of Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology as a reprint of the famous cover of the October 1953 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, which, apparently, was Kelly Freas’s debut as an SF illustrator. Campbell commissioned the cover from Freas as an accompaniment to Tom Godwin’s short story “The Gulf Between” — not included in the memorial anthology — and twenty-four years later, the rock band, Queen, commissioned Freas to created a pastiche of the image for their 1977 album, News of the World.

Book/Magazine Covers (All) · Davis Meltzer · Illustration Art · Kelly Freas · Look Here

Look Here: Five more SF paperbacks with cover art by Davis Melzer

13 September 201310 August 2016 RC2 Comments

More cover scans this morning, which I know will come as a big relief to those of you for whom it comes as a big relief:

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**ABOVE:** Bruce McAllister, *Humanity Prime* (NY: Ace, 1971), 34900, with cover art by Davis Meltzer.

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *Web of the Witch World* (NY: Ace, nd), 87871, with cover art by Davis Meltzer.

**ABOVE:** Clifford D. Simak, *Time and Again* (NY: Ace, nd), 81001, with cover art by Davis Meltzer.

**ABOVE:** Theodore Sturgeon, *The Worlds of Theodore Sturgeon* (NY: Ace, 1972), 91060, with cover art by Davis Meltzer.

**ABOVE:** Margaret St. Clair, *The Dancers of Noyo* (NY: Ace, 1973), 13600, with cover art by Davis Meltzer.

The most obvious influence on Melzer’s art in the early 1970s was Kelly Freas. I have more Freas covers to post, so stay tuned for that, if that’s that sort of thing that’s your sort of thing.

Dean Ellis · Look Here

Look Here: Three SF covers with art by Dean Ellis

19 April 201311 August 2016 RCLeave a comment

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The art on the covers of Judgment on Janus and Eye of the Monster is uncredited, and no signatures are visible, but as luck would have it, Judgment on Janus is identified as a painting by Dean Ellis on this page at The Illustration Exchange: Science Fiction and Fantasy Art Collectors’ Site, and Eye of the Monster is clearly by the same hand, though if you had told me that the Norton covers were painted by Paul Lehr circa 1980, I likely would have struggled to provide stylistic or technical reasons to reject the attribution. If Ellis in such paintings was actually trying to copy Lehr’s style circa 1970 — which, given Lehr’s reputation and success in SF circles, is by no means out of the question — he erred on the side of a type of over-simplification that Lehr himself often flirted with but did not fully embrace until a decade later.

Truth be told, I don’t really like Ellis’s technique here — or Lehr’s technique circa 1980. It’s too stripped down. The paint is boring. Yes, it’s precisely and decisively applied, but it lacks subtlety, depth… mystery…

Book/Magazine Covers (All) · Illustration Art · Ken Barr · Look Here

Look Here: Three Andre Norton paperbacks with cover art by Ken Barr

4 April 201311 August 2016 RCLeave a comment

None of these paperbacks includes a formal cover credit, but the paintings are all signed; I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the art of Ken Barr, but I like the images here well enough to scan and post them.

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Book/Magazine Covers (All) · Book/Magazine Covers (Jones) · Illustration Art · Jeffrey "Jeff" Catherine Jones · Look Here

Look Here: Four first-rate covers by Jeffrey Jones

23 July 20109 February 2020 RCLeave a comment

I purchased the following Andre Norton paperbacks with covers by Jeffrey Jones on Monday from a small shop in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. I found the shop totally by accident. My wife, our son, and I were en route to Dauphin, Manitoba, but since we were ahead of schedule and had some time to kill before lunch in Yorkton, we decided to drive around a bit and see what stores were open in the downtown area. We went up and down a couple of streets, and then we noticed a shop called “Thrifty Mama’s” that had a display of books in the window. Being a trio of bibliophiles, we couldn’t resist checking it out — and discovered that at least half of the floorspace in “Thrifty Mama’s” is dedicated to used books, mostly paperbacks. Score!

Now, I know I’ve posted the cover of Uncharted Stars before, but the book this time around is in much better condition. In fact, all four are really glossy and tight. And they all sport excellent Jones covers. Enjoy!

BONUS IMAGE (added 04 October 2013):

A more recent acquisition:

Keywords: Postmarked to the Stars, Sea Siege, Uncharted Stars, Sargasso of Space.

Book/Magazine Covers (All) · Book/Magazine Covers (Jones) · Illustration Art · Jeffrey "Jeff" Catherine Jones · Look Here

Look Here: Six more early paperback covers by Jeffrey Jones

18 November 200911 August 2016 RCLeave a comment

Yes, there are some serious creases and wear marks on some of the covers, but it is difficult to find pristine copies of thirty-nine-year-old-plus paperbacks, especially when one limits one’s search to local bookstores:

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *Star Hunter And Voodoo Planet* (New York: Ace, n.d.), with cover by Jeffrey Jones.

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *Sorceress of the Witch World* (New York: Ace, 1968/1978), with cover by Jeffrey Jones (mis-credited to John Pound).

**ABOVE:** John Jakes, *The Planet Wizard* (New York: Ace, 1969), with cover by Jeffrey Jones.

**ABOVE:** Lin Carter, *Thongor Fights The Pirates Of Tarakus* (N.p.: Berkley Medallion, 1970), with cover by Jeffrey Jones.

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *The Zero Stone* (New York: Ace, n.d.), with cover by Jeffrey Jones.

**ABOVE:** Andre Norton, *Uncharted Stars* (New York: Ace, n.d.), with cover by Jeffrey Jones.

I don’t really like any of the above covers, with the exception, perhaps, of the Uncharted Stars cover, which I feel is a step up from the others in terms of draftsmanship, composition, technique, originality, and wit.