Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This oil on board painting by Samson Pollen was created as cover art for the 1955 paperback Mambo To Murder, one half of the double sided Ace Double Novel D-109. Private eye Joe Moran, who had his license revoked for extracting “two fisted justice” is shown in a bleak urban hotel room lit by an outside […]
Artist: Samson Pollen
A remarkable and early oil on illustration board painting by the well listed east coast artist Charles Fracé, likely created in the 1950s as a paperback book cover. A desperate, love-struck couple steal an impassioned last moment together as a blizzard rages around them in this tense dramatic and inventive early offering. This is unsigned […]
Artist: Charles Fracé
An action packed 1965 oil and tempura painting by Harry Schaare, that appeared as the cover of the Pyramid paperback Harlem Underground written by the author known as Ed Lacy. Lacy was a pseudonym for Leonard S. Zinberg who explored themes of racial prejudices and injustices throughout his fiction. In this work, Lee Hayes, a rookie policeman with youthful looks and […]
Artist: Harry Schaare
In this large, dramatic and darkly twisted oil on canvas, Fred Pfeiffer perfectly captures the menace and seduction associated with the post-hippie /post Manson family druggie scene, as depicted in counter-culture books and films which proliferated in the 1970s. The work appeared as the cover for the 1975 Bantam paperback The Fear Dealers, written by Jack W. Thomas, who specialized in these […]
Artist: Fred Pfeiffer
This tawdry and seductive original artwork was illustrated for use as the cover of the 1951 Cameo Books title The Loves of Alice Brandt, part of the publisher’s “love fiction” line. Cameo was an imprint of Detective House Publishers in New York which was a major producer of digest sized pulp novels during the period when this first appeared […]
Artist: Unidentified American Illustrator
Painter John Berkey was unquestionably one of the leading figures working during the golden era of science fiction. Most identified with his posters for the original Star Wars film, Berkey’s work was instrumental creating the image we have in our minds eye when we picture “outer space.” A prolific illustrator of sci-fi book covers, the technically adept artist also was employed […]
Artist: John Berkey
John Berkey is remembered today as one of the leading figures of the golden era of science fiction. Most identified with his posters for the original Star Wars film, Berkey was a technically brilliant commercial illustrator and his vision is what we see in our minds eye when we picture “outer space.” A prolific illustrator of […]
Artist: John Berkey
On offer is a lurid and provocative paperback book cover painting by Paul Rader for The Path Between. Dating to 1961, this Midwood Books title was a defining example of the highly popular, lesbian pulp genre. The 1st edition played up the taboo subject with the slug line “The Bizarre World Of The Outcast Sex – Women Who Seek […]
Artist: Paul Rader
A blazing and risqué paperback cover painting by Mort Engel for the Avon paperback, Death Of A Hooker by Henry Kane. Featured is the alluring albeit misguided Kiki Kalmer, adorned only in ostrich plums in man-eater mode, prior to her joining the ranks of the infamous dead blonde club. Title slug reads… Here’s Peter Chambers, hip-deep […]
Artist: Mort Engel
A spectacular, large format, science fiction painting by Dean Ellis which was first used as the paperback cover for the 1970 Corgi published compilation of science fiction writing, SF-5 New Writings in Science Fiction, one of a series of 30 British science fiction anthologies released from 1964 to 1977 under the successive editorships of […]
Artist: Dean Ellis
