What with the inauguration this week it seems awfully quiet on the publishing front right now. Maybe that’s just relative to the economic blitzkrieg that happened before Christmas or my twitchy unease about what horrible surprises 2009 might hold!
In any case, I’m going to use the lull as an excuse to post a link to Kyle Katz’s incredible, overwhelming, (possibly obsessive?) Flickr collection of vintage paperback covers, which I’ve had bookmarked gathering dust for about year… The collection has been loving arranged into various categories — including by the cover illustrator (!) — and, it is, in Katz’s words, “mostly pulp fiction, vintage sleaze, almost all mass market, and usually between 1940 and 1980, with a few exceptions.” But it so much more than that. It’s terrifying. And brilliant.
(via Leif Peng’s marvellous Today’s Inspiration)
Did you ever see http://www.alvinlustig.org ? It’s a pretty extensive site, lots of examples of Lustig’s work (the quality of which is demoralizingly, consistently excellent).
Thanks for the link Derek. I’d forgotten how many amazing covers Lustig designed! They’re so distinctive too… Anyway, I’ve tracked down a cool photo of the cover he designed for Kafka’s Amerika. I’ll post it ASAP.
Funny how The Day of the Locust actually appears quite modern :)
I know. Some of these illustrators did incredible work – without computers needless to say – that still looks really fresh. The Sanford Kossin looks like it should be the cover of a new graphic novel. And looking at Lustig’s work – some of it is still really jolting and electrifying. It’s crazy these covers are from half a century ago. :-)
Great to see you bringing mid-century illustration to the attention of your readers. Sandy Kossin is still alive and going strong. He has a big article about his career in the soon-to-be-released latest issue of Illustration magazine.
Cheers – L ;^)
Leif: Thanks for stopping by! Today’s Inspiration is one of my favourite websites. Sandy Kossin’s work is fantastic. I’m also a huge fan of Bob Peak. But did he do any book covers?
Nice post. I’m a fan these quirky illustrators and have been documenting, as best I can, some of the known and forgotten artists who produced “vintage sleaze” covers of a similar nature. Check the site http://vintagesleaze.blogspot.com/
As the introduction reads “Artists, Art and Illustrators who excelled at exploitation and enticement. Victor Minx Profiles Eugene Bilbrew, Bill Alexander, Eric Stanton and Bill Ward. Four remarkable illustrators who produced work for Eddie Mishkin and his line of sleaze paperbacks in the 1960’s. Also examples of vintage sleaze illustration produced by anonymous or forgotten inkers of the 1950s. Related vintage sleaze ephemera. Brief essays, history and tidbits. Low Art goes High Art!”