Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This original oil painting on canvasboard was created as the paperback cover for the 1953 Popular Library publication of Afraid In The Dark by Mark Derby. A lurid page turner with tag line that reads “Vengeance and Passion in Exotic Malaya.” Our research leads us to believe this was painted by Raymond Johnson, painting is […]
Artist: Raymond Johnson
A lurid and genre defining erotic paperback book cover for the 1950 Quarter Books Publishing Company title “Illicit Pleasure” written by Peggy Gaddis. The artwork is unsigned with verso information by our colleague Fred Taraba with affirmation that this work was done by Rudy Nappi. This is an inspired subversive image with our cover girl Linda Blaine showing her “body that could make even the most confirmed woman-hater sit up and beg…” enticing an enlisted man to take notice down at the pier.
Artist: Rudy Nappi
A classic bad girl paperback cover illustration by the gifted and prolific Rafael DeSoto for the 1951 Signet Book release of Frances Clippinger’s Elinda (The Satellite). Text reads “She Knew All The Tricks – And Used Them”. There has been a recent interest in this era of paperbacks by historians and savvy art collectors, previous auction records by the leading cover artists such as Rudy Nappi, Raymond Pease and James Avati have been recently obliterated as selections from the Charles Martignette collection have found their way to auction.
Artist: Rafael DeSoto
A well rendered 1970s time capsule painting by Don Ivan Punchatz, for the paperback cover of the 1970 Avon title “Hawksbill Station”. This work is reminiscent of the album cover art from this remarkable time, and speaks to the psychedelic youth culture popular at the time, which moved from the buttoned-up consumerist graphics of the previous generation towards hyper realist imagery thought to heighten the sensations of LSD and marijuana. Work is unframed and mounted on a masonite panel, a copy of the book is included in the sale.
Artist: Don Ivan Punchatz
A well executed and conceived oil on illustration board created as cover art for an as of yet unidentified Romance paperback. Scene features a Gone With The Wind inspired Civil War era southern plantation interior scene with the requisite pretty maiden. Artwork is by the illustrator Ray Pease, and comes nicely framed and in a fine state of preservation.
Artist: Raymond Pease
A well rendered other-wordly original illustration painting for the 1974 First printing of a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft stories for Signet Paperbacks titled ” Night’s Yawning Peal. Work is initialed lower right and is by the well listed science fiction artist Don Ivan Punchatz.
Artist: Don Ivan Punchatz
