I loved the paperback covers of the 1970s. And I loved the artwork of Frank Frazetta, Vincent Di Fate, Chris Foss, Richard Powers, Kelly Freas, Jack Gaughan, and Virgil Finlay, too!
Worlds Beyond Time is a browser’s delight! There are dozens of great paperback covers from the 1970s. Adam Rowe has some of the artwork organized by themes. Looking at these wonderful covers is a walk down Memory Lane!
Do you have a favorite 1970s paperback cover artist? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Foreword / Vincent Di Fate — 6
- Introduction — 9
- The Abstract, Surreal, and Otherworldly — 10
- Richard M. Powers, Surrealist Prankster — 19
- The Unsettling Don Ivan Punchatz — 20
- Chess in Sci-fi — 22
- Paul Kirchner’s Dope Rider — 24
- Douglas Chaffee — 26
- The Swift Rise and Swifter Fall of Galileo Magazine — 28
- Gary Viskupic — 30
- Gary Viskupic’s TV Guide Art — 32
- Leo and Diane Dillon and the “Third Artist” — 34
- Spaceships, Vehicles, and Megastructures — 36
- Chris Foss: The Biggest Brand in Retro Sci-fi Covers — 42
- Stewart Cowley’s Terran Trade Authority Series — 44
- Syd Mead: Visual Futurist — 48
- Ringworld — 50
- Rendezvous With Rama — 52
- Bob Eggleton — 54
- UFOs — 56
- John Berkey — 62
- Space Elevators — 64
- John Harris’s Meditations — 66
- Spaceships and Planets — 68
- Vincent Di Fate — 70
- Sci-fi Cities and Landscapes — 72
- Canals on Mars: The Trope Born of a Misunderstanding — 76
- Underwater Sci-fi — 79
- John Schoenherr’s Compositions — 80
- Skull Planets — 82
- Asimov’s Foundation Series — 84
- Dean Ellis: The Ideal Paperback Artist — 86
- Angus McKie — 88
- Planets, Explorers, and Space Travel — 90
- David A. Hardy — 96
- Robert McCall — 98
- NASA’s Space Colonies — 102
- Explorers and the Unknown — 104
- Jeffrey Catherine Jones — 106
- Cryosleep — 108
- Skeletons in Spacesuits — 110
- Gunfights in Space — 114
- Space Helmet Reflections — 116
- Life in the Future(s) — 118
- Domed Cities — 122
- Paul Lehr — 124
- Peter Elson — 126
- Robots — 129
- Mike Hinge — 130
- Queen and Frank Kelly Freas — 132
- Postapocalypse — 134
- Robert Tinney’s Byte Magazine Covers — 138
- Chris Moore — 140
- Plants, Animals, and Alien Life — 142
- Space Cats — 146
- Wayne Barlowe: Unnatural History Artist — 150
- Giant Worms — 152
- Dinosaurs of the Retro-past — 156
- Birds — 160
- The Eyes Have It — 162
- Close Encounters — 164
- The War of the Worlds — 166
- A Single Flower on An Alien Planet — 168
- Mushrooms — 170
- Forests and Trees — 172
- Fantasy Realms — 174
- Fran Frazetta — 178
- Boris Vallejo — 180
- Rodney Matthews — 182
- Wizards — 184
- Michael Whelan’s Hidden Messages — 184
- Richard Hescox — 188
- Sailing Ships in Space — 190
- Don Maitz — 192
- Star Wars Before Star Wars — 194
- Clyde Caldwell — 196
- Cryptozoology and the Paranormal — 198
- America’s 1970s Bigfoot Obsession — 202
- Monsters — 204
- Ancient Astronaut “theory” — 208
- Creepy and Eerie — 210
- Zombies — 212
- Ghosts — 214
- Bruce Pennington — 216
- Alien Ceremonies — 218
- Cloaked Figures — 220
- Epilogue — 222
- INDEX — 224
- Acknowledgements — 224
So many great artists, and so many great illustrations!
On the morning of the first day at my first science fiction convention, i had the honor of using a urinal next to John Schoenherr and had the very erratic thought, “I’m next to greatness.” I’m not sure what it says about me that I still remember that moment.
Incidentally, it had slipped my notice (and evidently everyone else’s) until I read his obit in this month’s LOCUS that the great artist Stephen Fabian passed away back in early May. He was 96, and certainly one of my favs in the 70s.
A man who wielded an airbrush distinctly, Fabian. Hope his later years were good.
I was chewed out yesterday for noting how Skiffy was thrust upon SF back in the day. Apparently, knowing the history of something makes one a would-be gatekeeper.
Who would’ve guessed I would be at TV GUIDE a lot longer than Viskupic? (Very good work.)
I should go look, but thinking of Fabian reminds me of the his airbrushing colleague Richard Olsen…wonder what his status might be.
I have been a Gaughan fan since first encounter.
Todd, at one time in the late 1960s, Jack Gaughan’s work seemed to be everywhere: cover artwork for SF magazines, cover artwork for ACE Doubles, etc.
Richard Olsen the illustrator (and Georia academic and visual arts professor) had a relative short career in fantastica art, though he was in a fair amount of the FANTASTICs and AMAZINGs I bought new and as recentish back issues (once we moved to Hawaii, and I had access to Froggies Books and Records)…interesting academic career. https://www.tumblr.com/robotnik-mun/611870237386752000/70sscifiart-richard-olsen-1978-for-heavy-metal
from FictionMags Index: Olsen, Richard (fl. 1970s) (chron.)
* [illustration(s)], (il) Amazing Science Fiction Stories Aug 1974, Jan 1976, Oct 1977, May, Nov 1978
* [illustration(s)], (il) Fantastic Stories Dec 1975, Nov 1976
* [illustration(s)], (il) Heavy Metal May 1978: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM0P6rp3b1o
https://www.themorris.org/news/the-morris-museum-releases-new-book-on-the-art-of-richard-j-olsen/
Richard Olsen video interview in his studio in 2000
That Robert J. Olsen video interview (cat feeding time intruded): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM0P6rp3b1o
I had some sort of nervous tick, in my exhaustion, that wanted me to refer to Richard Olsen as “Robert”…still exhausted, but perhaps done with that nonsense.
Jerry, John Schoenherr and Stephen Fabian are two of my favorite artists! Great artists whose work was distinctive!
Favorite? I was a Leo & Diane Dillon fan before I even knew who they were, because of their wonderful covers for many classics of literature.
I have always enjoyed the fact that the 6th issue of my fanzine Phantasmicom, which contained my interview of James Tiptree Jr., sported a Fabian cover. I have to work to remember what some of those covers were, but not that one. It was wonderful.
Jeff, Leo & Diane Dillon were wonderful artists! I bought many of the books with their covers simply for the artwork! Harlan Ellison insisted that the Dillons do his covers for awhile. Fabian had a distinctive style. You always knew his identity when you looked at one of his covers!
Frazetta, Krenkel, Schoenherr, Freas, Gaughan, Boris, Whelan, all great. Plus Ken Kelly and Jeff Jones from the ’70s Robert E. Howard paperback boom.
Fred, you have exquisite taste in cover artists! I love them all, too!
I’ll steal Fred’s list and add Wally Wood! I’m just a tad confused why they’d publish a book about art and not have any art on the cover! Couldn’t they decide on one piece, or a collage?
Bob, I wondered about that myself…
Extra royalties these days, perhaps.
This is a wonderful book, George, and someday I would like to own a copy. There are many cover artists that I admire, but I know less about science fiction artists.
Tracy, WORLD BEYOND TIME would make a great Holiday Gift! Maybe you should drop a hint to your husband…
I am on the same page with Tracy. Love the art but have little idea of artists.
Neeru, I’ve been a fan of SF and Fantasy artists since I was a teenager. I own a couple dozen art books devoted to SF and Fantasy artists. WORLD BEYOND TIME contains great artwork from a number of artists who were active in the 1970s.
I like Vallejo and Frazetta. I didn’t see Scott Shaw on the list. Since being on the board of my high school alumni foundation, I’ve go to know Scott Shaw. He along withe the late Greg Bear was one of the founders of the San Diego Comic Con. He posts quite a bit on Facebook. His are more comic bookish.
Maggie, I’ll have to checkout Scot Shaw’s work.