I’ve always been a fan of George Salter’s artwork on magazine covers and paperback covers. Just by chance, I discovered a copy of Classic Book Jackets: The Deign Legacy of George Salter and I had to have it. This volume was published by the Princeton Architectural Press in 2005 but it complete evaded my Book Radar. Milton Glaser’s informative FOREWORD provides a fascinating history of Salter’s career from his work in Germany and his later work in the United States. Thomas S. Hansen made some great choices in the artwork he includes in this book. Obviously not all of Salter’s work could be included in this book, but there are plenty of great color reproductions of his artwork here. If you’re a fan of magazine and paperback artwork, you’ll want to check out a copy of Classic Book Jackets. Marvelous collection of great George Salter artwork! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword by Milton Glaser
Introduction
Salter’s Berlin Years
From Berlin to New York: The 1930s and 1940s
Designs of the 1950s and 1960s
Appendix A: George Salter’s German Designs for the German Book Market, 1922-1934
Appendix B: George Salter’s Designs for the American Book Market, 1934-1967
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Love looking at old book jackets and old movie posters.
Patti, I was a huge fan of George Salter’s cover artwork when I was kid. His covers were so different!
His covers did a lot to set the tone for F&SF and EQMM.
Jerry, like you I really loved George Salter’s work with F&SF and EQMM. He gave them a distinctive look!
These covers are very nostalgic for me. Great stuff.
Bill, I remember seeing a lot of these Salter covers back in the Sixties. Seeing them again in CLASSIC BOOK JACKETS brought back a lot of memories to me, too.
Love this. One thing I had to get rid of was all the pb’s I bought for the Edw. Gorey covers. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve bought for the covers. I wasn’t specifically aware of George Salter, but love the examples shown
Maggie, Salter had his own unique style. I love his work from the Sixties!
I was going to mention the EQMM covers too. I like them.
Jeff, with just one look, you could tell George Salter did the cover of EQMM. His style was unique.
I’m not as fond of his style as your other commenters. I like good design, but I prefer book covers in a more pictorial style.
Rick, George Salter did pictorial book covers as well as the abstract designs he’s most known for. Salter was a versatile artist.
Those F&SF covers were really something!
Btw Salter was another one of those who had to flee Germany after the Nazis came to power – he was Jewish …
He lived in Berlin in the roaring twenties, those fabulous times, as a graphic designer and also a stage designer for the modern theater and lost his job in 1933 after which he had the good idea to emigrate to the USA.
So many people we lost – the art (and science) scene in Germany just hasn’t been the same since 1933 …
Wolf, half of CLASSIC BOOK COVERS include the artwork and book covers George Salter produced in Berlin. Eye-popping artwork!
I love art deco.
Jeff, I love the art deco style, too. I love the way George Salter adapted it to mysteries and SF.
Why do you include the striking image of the E.Phillips Oppenheim cover in this context? Salter did not design it. The artist’s initials “F M” give that away.
Thomas, just to see if anyone would notice. You’re the first!