Pulp/Sf/Fantasy Paperback Covers

[Tulpa Girl]

Some Frank Kelly Freas work from the 1950s. Some of his covers for Astounding were iconic--I really like these two:
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His covers for Planet Stories were in a very different style:
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I posted a Frank Kelly Freas cover earlier in the thread, but I'm going to double-dip and show off a larger version of the cover minus the logo and trade dress.



('Omnilingual', the basis for this cover, is my favorite H. Beam Piper story)

 

[Lofgeornost]

Jack Vance's Languages of Pao has been reprinted many times, with some strikingly different covers. Here are:

The 1958 1st book edition cover, by Ric Binkley and the first Ace cover (1966) by Gray Morrow, the Ace re-issue from 1974 by Larry Kresek, and the 1980 DAW by H.R. van Dongen.


The 1983 DeNoel version by Jean-Yves Kervaren, the 1989 Tor edition by Maeolo Cintron, the 1989 New English Library version by Steve Crisp, the 2004 I-books edition by Scott Grimando, and the 2008 DeNoel by Philippe Rojas

 

[Tulpa Girl]

 

[Tulpa Girl]

This one is for Gringnr because we all know how much he loves the furry stuff.

 

[Voros]

Jack Vance's Languages of Pao has been reprinted many times, with some strikingly different covers. Here are:

The 1958 1st book edition cover, by Ric Binkley and the first Ace cover (1966) by Gray Morrow, the Ace re-issue from 1974 by Larry Kresek, and the 1980 DAW by H.R. van Dongen.
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The 1983 DeNoel version by Jean-Yves Kervaren, the 1989 Tor edition by Maeolo Cintron, the 1989 New English Library version by Steve Crisp, the 2004 I-books edition by Scott Grimando, and the 2008 DeNoel by Philippe Rojas
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I have the DAW edition.

 

[Gringnr]

This one is for Gringnr because we all know how much he loves the furry stuff.

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Y U DO DIS

 

[Lofgeornost]

That cover from Fantastic is, well, fantastic!

 

[Lofgeornost]

If we really want to get old-school, how about some covers from Hugo Gernsback's Amazing Stories? All of these are from 1927 and were done by Frank R. Paul:

 

[Lofgeornost]

Some other Philippe Caza covers for translated works:



The last is not how I imagine Cordelia Naismith, personally.

 

[Nobby-W]

Some other Philippe Caza covers for translated works:

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The last is not how I imagine Cordelia Naismith, personally.

I love the translation of "Stainless Steel Rat."

 

[Tom B]

The first SF books I can recall reading from my elementary school library:

From the county bookmobile:

 

[Lofgeornost]

I have very fond memories of The Runaway Robot, though my copy disappeared years ago. I meant to pick up one of the reprints by Wildside Press a few years back, but they rapidly went out of print.

 

[Lofgeornost]

I've recently started Tanith Lee's Companions on the Road, so I thought I would post some covers for it:

The MacMillan 1975 first edition, cover by Julia Stanwell Smith, and the 1979 Dutch translation, cover by Henk Asmussen


The 1979 Bantam cover by Lou Feck and the 2018 DAW cover by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme:


The 1988 Beaver Books jacket by Melvyn Grant:

 

[Tom B]

I have very fond memories of The Runaway Robot, though my copy disappeared years ago. I meant to pick up one of the reprints by Wildside Press a few years back, but they rapidly went out of print.

I picked up an e-book copy awhile back while on a nostalgia binge. I've managed to re-buy the earliest books I remember, with the exception of 'Stranger from the Depths' by Gerry Turner. Partially because it's always bugged me that the Scholastic version was "abridged", but I could never find an unabridged version...

 

[Lofgeornost]

I picked up an e-book copy awhile back while on a nostalgia binge. I've managed to re-buy the earliest books I remember, with the exception of 'Stranger from the Depths' by Gerry Turner. Partially because it's always bugged me that the Scholastic version was "abridged", but I could never find an unabridged version...

I remember that one too! Used paperback copies seem to be pretty pricey and the used hardback (which I assume is the unabridged) insanely so. Here's the Scholastic Books cover for it, by Emanuel Schongut:

 

[Tom B]

I remember that one too! Used paperback copies seem to be pretty pricey and the used hardback (which I assume is the unabridged) insanely so. Here's the Scholastic Books cover for it, by Emanuel Schongut:

Yep. That's the one. I found the same thing you did. And no electronic copies or scans anywhere.

 

[Lofgeornost]

Tanith Lee's The Birthgrave has had some interesting covers over the years.

Two DAW editions, 1975 by George Barr and 2015 by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme, and 2 Orbit covers, 1977 by Gino d'Achille and 1979 by Peter Jones:


Covers from some translations: Heyne (1979) by Esteban Maroto, three J'ai Lu editions--1984 by Michel Gourdon, 1993 by Hubert de Lartigue, and a 2004 omnibus by Vincent Gaigneux--finally a 2019 Spatterlight edition, cover by Dogan Otzel.

 

[Picaroon Jack]

I used this site to make a cover of a campaign of Warbirds called "Last flight of the Narwhal."

 

[Lofgeornost]

I used this site to make a cover of a campaign of Warbirds called "Last flight of the Narwhal."
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Very cool.

The magazine Science Fiction Adventures had some interesting covers in the 1950s. Though they used different artists, there seems to have been a kind of house style. Here are Feb. 1953 by Earle Bergey and March 1953 by Ed Emshwiller:


July and December 1953 by Alex Schomburg; I like the Jetsons' element of the latter.

 

[Tulpa Girl]

 

[Voros]

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Huh don't think I've read that Sturgeon, unless it was republished under a different name.

That Galaxy cover is a canny move to attract the punters.

 

[James Gillen]

This one is for Gringnr because we all know how much he loves the furry stuff.

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Veni, Vidi, Veni

 

[Atelerix]

I remember that one too! Used paperback copies seem to be pretty pricey and the used hardback (which I assume is the unabridged) insanely so. Here's the Scholastic Books cover for it, by Emanuel Schongut:
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Ah, THANK YOU! That was one of my favourite books when I was a wee Jockling back in primary school in the 70s. I've been trying to remember the title and author for years. Internet searches have turned up very little.

 

[Tulpa Girl]

I loves me some Margaret Brundage.

 

[Lofgeornost]

Those are really striking! Now I want to read "The Lamia in the Penthouse." Here are some other Weird Tales covers:

October 1933 and June 1936, by Margaret Brundage. These Brundage covers are deliciously over-the-top. I like the fact that the editors assume their readers will know what they mean when they say the golden image is "instinct with evil life."


January 1933, by J. Allen St. John, and July, 1938, by Virgil Finley:


Harold S. Delay's cover for January 1944, and Matt Fox's for July, 1949. Some elements in the Fox cover are oddly stylized and, I'll admit, the cover makes me want to read the Frederic Brown story just to find out what is going on:

 

[Tulpa Girl]

90 years ago today - no foolin' - the character of The Shadow made his print debut (he had appeared a year earlier on the radio).

 

[Lofgeornost]

Can somebody identify the source of the image on this cover?


So, obviously, this use of it is for an e-reprint of the short story "Dragon Queen of Jupiter," by Leigh Bracket, by Wilder Press. But I very much doubt that it was created for that purpose. Most e-reprints of stories have minimal covers or none at all. My guess is that Wilder Press got it from somewhere else and re-used it for this publication.

So where did it come from, originally? Anybody recognize the artist?

 

[Voros]

I've got this one by Bruce McAllister, he's an underrated, ambitious sf writer worth checking out if you like New Wave and more literary sf.

 

[Voros]

I'm a bit of a fan of Koontz's early sf, it crosses into horror and is often enjoyably trashy and 'sexy' in that 70s paperback exploitation style.

The best known is Demon Seed which was made into a memorable sf/horror cult film by Donald Cammell with the incomparable Julie Christie. I remember watching it on afternoon TV (!) as a kid, which considering it is about a computer raping a housewife is surprising in retrospect.

 

[Voros]

This is also the copy I have, Leiber's first class, slow-burn horror novel.

 

[Voros]

The great James Blish didn't write much that could be considered fantasy but Black Easter qualifies, distinctly Blishian with its theological themes and finely crafted prose.

 

[Voros]

The Lin Carter edited Adult Fantasy line had the best psychedelic/pastoral covers.

 

[Voros]

Never seen this cover for one of Silverberg's best from his ultra-dark 70s peak.

 

[David Johansen]

I'm loving the Shadow's expression while the gypsy's reading his palm. It says, "I am so done with this new age bullshit. From now on I only will only date plucky newspaper reporters."

 

[Simon Hogwood]

I'm loving the Shadow's expression while the gypsy's reading his palm. It says, "I am so done with this new age bullshit. From now on I only will only date plucky newspaper reporters."

Wrong Lane - you're thinking of Lois, while the Shadow usually hangs out with Margo. Mind you, I've read at least one story where they were sisters . . .

 

[Tulpa Girl]

Michael Moorcock's Mars pastiche trilogy.

 

[Klibbix!]

The great James Blish didn't write much that could be considered fantasy but Black Easter qualifies, distinctly Blishian with its theological themes and finely crafted prose.

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This cover is fantastic and practically compelled me to buy it.

 

[Klibbix!]

Has anyone read the Imaro books? Pretty enjoyable, but expensive these days I believe.

.

 

[Tulpa Girl]

Has anyone read the Imaro books? Pretty enjoyable, but expensive these days I believe.

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I have some of the short stories as they originally appeared in the Swords Against Darkness anthologies.

 

[Klibbix!]

I have some of the short stories as they originally appeared in the Swords Against Darkness anthologies.

I'm ashamed to say how much I paid for the books but I enjoyed them immensely! Lots of fodder for S&S games.