Category: Ace Books

The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction – Sixth Series, Edited by Anthony Boucher – 1955 (1956, 1957) [Unknown Artist – Edmund A. Emshwiller]

Rather than presenting a general “science-fictiony” scene, the cover presents an illustration inspired by Poul Anderson’s “The Man Who Came Early” from appeared in the June, 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and anthologized in this sixth series of stories from the magazine.   

Like the great majority of Anderson’s work – at least, what I’ve read of Anderson! – The Man Who Came Early is excellently written, and of greater import, tackles with profound social, psychological, and philosophical questions, all the more impressive in that these are manifested in the form of a short story, rather than a book or novelette.  Though ostensibly a tale of science-fiction, themes of technology and science, whether real or conjectural are not really the tale’s focus – this is emphatically not “hard” science fiction! – and only serve as a brief and opening springboard to set the plot in motion.  An air of inevitability emerges as the story progresses, and it concludes on a note of pathos, which perhaps makes it all the more effective, and, memorable.

(The copy originally serving as this post’s image – see at bottom; rather bent and worn; I purchased it at a flea market in the 1970s! – has now been supplanted by a scan of a copy in far better condition.)  

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The Cosmic Expense Account, by Cyril M. Kornbluth

Mr. Sakrison’s Halt, by Mildred Clingerman

The Asa Rule, by Jay Williams

King’s End, by Avram Davidson

The Census Takers, by Frederik Pohl

The Man Who Came Early, by Poul Anderson

Final Clearance, by Rachel Maddux

The Silk and The Song, by Charles L. Fontenay

The Shoddy Lands, by C.S. Lewis

The Last Present, by Will Stanton

No Man Pursueth, by Ward Moore

I Don’t Mind, by Ron Smith

The Barbarian, by Poul Anderson

And Now The News…, by Theodore Sturgeon

Icarus Montgolfier Wright, by Ray Bradbury

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6/19

World’s Best Science Fiction 1970 – Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr – 1970 [John Schoenherr] [Revised post – yet again…!]

Here’s another John Schoenherr illustration encompassing both front and rear covers, presented as a composite image.

Like Star Science Fiction Stories Number 2, the art of World’s Best Science Fiction 1969, encompasses the book’s front and rear covers – just as did the cover art for World’s Best for 1970.  Schoenherr’s art has echoes of that of Richard Powers, in terms of diminutive human figures, a kind of fusion of biology and technology, and above all, mystery and ambiguity.    

I’ve also included the book’s title page art, which was a staple of every Ace “World’s Best” anthology published between 1965 and 1971.  I think this particular composition was created by Jack Gaughan, for it’s very (very!) similar to Gaughan’s cover art for E.E. Smith’s Children of the Lens, as published by Pyramid in April of 1970 (Pyramid Book T-2195). 

(Oh, yeah… This post has been revised from its original version (which appeared in the former world of January, 2018), the original, simplified cover scan appearing at bottom.)  

Contents

A Man Speakith, by Richard Wilson, from Galaxy Science Fiction

After the Myths Went Home, by Robert Silverberg, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Death by Ecstasy, by Larry Niven, from Galaxy Science Fiction

One Sunday In Neptune, by Alexei Panshin, from Tomorrow’s Worlds

For the Sake of Grace, by Suzette Hardin Elgin, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Your Haploid Heart, by James Tiptree, Jr., from Analog Science Fiction – Science Fact

Therapy 2000, by Keith Roberts, from New Writings in SF 15

Sixth Sense, by Michael G Coney, from Vision of Tomorrow

A Boy and His Dog, by Harlan Ellison, from New Worlds, and, The Beast That Shouted Love at The Heart of The World

And So Say All of Us, by Bruce McAllister, from Galaxy Science Fiction

Ship of Shadows, by Fritz Leiber, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Nine Lives, by Ursual K. LeGuin, from Playboy

The Big Flash, by Norman Spinrad, from Orbit 5

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January 1, 2018 – 129

World’s Best Science Fiction 1969 – Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr – 1969 [John Schoenherr] [Revised post – yet again…!]

Like Star Science Fiction Stories Number 2, the cover art of World’s Best Science Fiction 1969, encompasses both the book’s front and rear.  This composite scan, which includes a dinged-up spine (ohhh, wellll!) shows the entirety of a desert landscape imagined by John Schoenherr. 

I’ve also included Schoenherr’s title page art, such interior art having appeared in every Ace “World’s Best” anthology published between 1965 and 1971.  I’m certain this example was created by Jack Gaughan.  

Since this post has been revised from its original version (which appeared in the ancient time of 2018), the original, simplified cover scan appears at bottom.  

Contents

Street of Dreams, Feet of Clay, by Robert Sheckley, from Galaxy Science Fiction

BackTracked, by Bert Filer, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

Kyrie, by Poul Anderson, from the Farthest Reaches

Going Down Smooth, by Robert Silverberg, from Galaxy Science Fiction

The Worm that Flies, by Brian W. Aldiss, from The Farthest Reaches

Masks, by Damon Knight, from Playboy

Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones, by Samuel R. Delaney, from New Worlds

Hemeac, by E.G. Von Wald, from Galaxy Science Fiction

The Cloudbuilders, by Colin Kapp, from New Writings in SF 12

This Grand Carcass, by R.A. Lafferty, from Amazing Stories

A Visit to Cleveland General, by Sydney van Scyoc, from Galaxy Science Fiction

The Selchey Kids, by Laurence Yep, from If

Welcome to the Monkey House, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., from Playboy

The Dance of The Changer and The Three, by Colin Kapp, from The Farthest Reaches

 Sword Game, by H.H. Hollis, from Galaxy Science Fiction

Total Environment, by Brian W. Aldiss, from Galaxy Science Fiction

The Square Root of Brain, by Fritz Leiber, from New Worlds

Starsong, by Fred Saberhagen, from If

Fear Hound, by Katherine MacLean, from Analog Science Fiction – Science Fact

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October 1, 2018 -141

The Past Through Tomorrow, by Robert A. Heinlein – January, 1975 and July, 1987 [“Unknown”, and James Warhola]

[[Updated yet again…  Writer John C. Wright’s blog, SciFiWright, now features a fascinating post, “Wright on Asimov on Orwell“, which is a discussion of a book review by Asimov of George Orwell’s 1984 (review linked within the post), dating from approximately 1980, which appeared in the The New Worker.  The review is also mentioned at RedSails.org, where a footnote is linked to Ernie Trory Books, at which website the review is listed under the (appropriate) heading “George Orwell — a critique”.  You can read Mr. Trory’s bio here…

Well.  As substantive and insightful as is Mr. Wright’s post, so are many of the thus-far – 12/14/21 – 330 (gad – 330!) comments in reply, many of which focus on Asimov’s body of work from standpoints literary and historic.

A full list of Mr. Wright’s own works can be found here.]]

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[Update August 16, 2021: Here’s an interesting essay by Thomas Parker at the Black Gate, My Robert A. Heinlein Problem, strongly recommended for your consideration…]

Given his influence upon science fiction and popular culture, Robert Heinlein will need little in the way of an introduction for this post, which focuses on Berkley Books’ and Ace Books’ editions of Heinlein’s “future history” stories, The Past Through Tomorrow.  But…  For those so interested, let alone readers already (?!) familiar with Heinlein and the history of science-fiction, I strongly recommend Alec Nevala-Lee’s 2019 Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, as well as his blog, NevalaLee.  Where, to quote a blog post of August 3, 2016, Astounding Stories #14: “The Heinlein Juveniles”:

As well as being a cult figure, the first science fiction writer to break through to the mainstream, and an object of veneration for countless fans, he [Heinlein] was also the best writer the genre ever produced.  And believe me, I know how boring this sounds.  Frankly, I’d love to come up with a contrarian stance – that Heinlein is interesting primarily for his historical significance, that he’s revered mostly out of nostalgia, or that a handful of masterpieces allow us to overlook the fact that much of what he wrote was routine.  But none of this is true.  Of all the science fiction writers I’ve read, Heinlein is consistently the most compelling author, the most interesting thinker, and the most versatile artist.  He’s the one writer of his era who could seemingly do anything, and who actually did it over an extended period of time for a big popular audience: great ideas, meticulously developed science and technology, worldbuilding, plot, action, character, philosophy, style.  Heinlein was given what the sports writer Bill Simmons likes to call the “everything” package at the car wash, and he more than lived up to it.  To a very real extent, Heinlein was the golden age of science fiction, and it’s hard to imagine John W. Campbell doing any of it without him.

While I fully agree with Mr. Nevala-Lee’s opinion concerning the magnitude of Heinlein’s impact upon the genre, I’ve never felt (really, I’ve not!) Heinlein to be the field’s most compelling writer or innovative thinker, albeit he could unquestionably craft riveting prose; I readily grant that.  Yet, in a sense far wider, given the immense scope of science-fiction, and, the subjectivity inherent to such judgements, I don’t know if the appellation of “best” can even be accorded to any one author. 

But…!  Were I to chose, I believe that the genre’s best writers – at least, of the 40s, 50s, and 60s (I suppose this “dates” me – but then again, are we not in time all eventually “dated”?!) are, randomly listed: Cordwainer Smith (Paul M. A. Linebarger), Catherine L. Moore, Philip K. Dick, Jack Williamson, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Fritz Leiber, Jr.  And, Ray Bradbury.  And (and) Poul Anderson.  I could easily be persuaded to include in this august group A.E. van Vogt (okay, to be specific, generally the early van Vogt), Ward Moore (resting largely upon the strength of his brilliantly crafted novel, Bring the Jubilee – that’d be one hell of a mini-series, if pulled off correctly!), and, Theodore Sturgeon. 

Isaac Asimov?  Ironically, in light of my many posts displaying illustrations from books and pulp magazines featuring his work…  No, not so much.  No, not really.  No, not at all.  No.  Not ever.  And, that “never” definitely includes The Foundation Trilogy.

But.  Back to the book at hand…

Comprising twenty-one stories, the cover of Berkeley’s 1975 The Past Through Tomorrow features very generic “space art”, depicting four planets – one with an obligatory Saturn-ring – set against a starry background. 

My copy, purchased in mid-1975 and still holding up fairly well across the decades, is shown below.  On examining the table of contents, I notice that I “checked off” the stories “If This Goes On -” and “Coventry”.  At the time, those two tales must have left a particular impression!

Artist?  Unknown.  Perhaps a member of Berkeley’s in-house art department?

Rather than a continuation of art from the front cover, the rear cover simply lists the book’s content, and features Robert Heinlein’s portrait, though the photographer is uncredited.  

Contents

Introduction, by Damon Knight

Life-Line, from Astounding Science Fiction, August, 1939

The Roads Must Roll, from Astounding Science Fiction, June, 1940

Blowups Happen, from Astounding Science Fiction, September, 1940

The Man Who Sold the Moon, Shasta Publishers (book), February, 1950

Delilah and the Space Rigger, The Blue Book Magazine, December, 1949

Space Jockey, from The Saturday Evening Post, April 26, 1947

Requiem, from Astounding Science Fiction, January, 1940

The Long Watch, from Beyond Time and Space (book), May, 1950

Gentlemen, Be Seated, from The Green Hills of Earth: Rhysling and the Adventure of the Entire Solar System!, Shasta Publishers, 1952 (book)

The Black Pits of Luna, from The Saturday Evening Post, January 10, 1948

“It’s Great to be Back!”, from The Saturday Evening Post, July 26, 1947

“-We Also Walk Dogs”, from Astounding Science Fiction, July, 1947

Searchlight, from The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein (book), 1966

Ordeal in Space, from The Green Hills of Earth, Shasta Publishers, June 25, 1951 (book)

The Green Hills of Earth, from The Saturday Evening Post, February 8, 1947

Logic of Empire, from Astounding Science Fiction, March, 1941

The Menace from Earth, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August, 1957

“If This Goes On -”, from Astounding Science Fiction, February, 1940

Coventry, from Astounding Science Fiction, July, 1940

Misfit, from Astounding Science Fiction, November, 1939

Methuselah’s Children, from Astounding Science Fiction, July, 1941

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The contents of Ace’s 1987 edition are identical to Berkeley’s 1975 imprint.  Thus, the book’s table of contents will not be repeated.  

But here, James Warhola’s cover art is completely different in style and subject matter from the 1975 edition.  Along with a reproduction of Heinlein’s signature, the cover art is directly inspired by Heinlein’s 1947 tale “The Green Hills of Earth”, depicting blind spaceship engineer “Noisy” Rhysling and his squeeze-box, set against the symbolic backdrop of a spiral galaxy.  

The story was first published in the February 8, 1947, issue of The Saturday Evening Post:    

From the Norman Rockwell Museum, here’s Fred Ludekens‘ interior illustration (oil on canvas) that accompanied Heinlein’s tale in the Post.  The image below is the illustration “as is”, as it appears at the Museum’s website…

…while here’s the same illustration, enhanced via Photoshop Elements.    

Stylistically, Ludeken’s composition has a visual vibe somewhat (… s o m e w h a t …) akin to that of Frank McCarthy’s absolutely wonderful cover illustration for Bleiler and Dikty’s The Best Science Fiction Stories * 1949.  [In the “original” version of this post, from August of 2021, I assumed that the cover was by Edd Cartier.  A quick referral to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database revealed I was in error about that.  Veritably, “oops”!]

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Partial lyrics for “The Green Hills of Earth” – presented below – can be found in “Quest of the Starstone”, by Henry Kuttner and Catherine L. Moore, from the November, 1937 issue of Weird Tales (pp. 559-560).

Across the seas of darkness
The good green Earth is bright –
Oh, star that was my homeland
Shine down on me tonight….

My heart turns home in longing
Across the voids between,
To know beyond the spaceways
The hills of Earth are green….

– and count the losses worth
To see across the darkness
The green hills of Earth….

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References

Robert A. Heinlein

Wikipedia

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Internet Movie Database

The Heinlein Society

The Heinlein Archives

Site RAH: The Home Page for Science Fiction’s Grand Master

“The Past Through Tomorrow”

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

“The Green Hills of Earth”

Wikipedia

Norman Rockwell Museum

The Saturday Evening Post (Issue of February 8, 1947)

StuffNobodyCaresAbout

Artist James Warhola

Wikipedia

Artist Fred Ludekens

Wikipedia

The Worlds of A.E. van Vogt – 1974 [Bart Forbes] [Updated post!… February 6, 2021]

[This post, created on October 26, 2017 and updated October 31, 2019, is updated once more!  (Again, you say?!)  When created in October of 2017, it showed only the front and rear covers of the anthology The Worlds of A.E. van Vogt.  In October, 2019 it was updated to show the cover art as a “full”, continuous image, via Photoshopification: Front cover, rear cover, and – spine!  I’ve now updated the post to include an image of Bart Forbes’ original cover art, which image – without title, logo, or explanatory blurb on the back – naturally gives a much better visual “feel” for his composition, which seem to liquid-like flow from left to right.] 

[Here are some comments about this anthology from 2014 (I overlooked this the first time!) at John O’Neill’s Black Gate – Adventures in Fantasy Literature blog.]

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Bart Forbes’ 1974 cover for The Worlds of A.E. van Vogt has something of a Peter-Max-air to it … well, seems to me!

…Bart Forbes’ original art, from Heritage Auctions.  The original is described as “watercolor on board,” 19 by 27 inches, signed lower right; from the Estate of Charles Martignette”.

Contents

“The Replicators”, from if – Worlds of Science Fiction, February, 1965

“The First Martian”, from Marvel Science Fiction, August, 1951

“The Purpose”, from Astounding Science Fiction, May, 1945

“The Earth Killers”, from Super Science Stories, April, 1949

“The Cataaaaa”, from Fantasy Book, Volume 1, Number 1, July, 1947

“Automaton”, from Other Worlds Science Stories, September, 1950

“Itself!”, from Gamma 1, July, 1963

“Process”, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December, 1950

“Not The First”, from Astounding Science Fiction, April, 1941

“Fulfillment”, from New Tales of Space and Time, November, 1951

“Ship of Darkness”, from Fantasy Book, Volume 1, Number 2, February, 1948

“The Ultra Man“, from Worlds of Tomorrow, May, 1966

“The Storm”, from Astounding Science Fiction, October, 1943

“The Expendables”, from if – Worlds of Science Fiction, September, 1963

“The Reflected Men”, from Galaxy Science Fiction, February, 197

References

The Worlds of A.E. van Vogt, at The Internet Speculative Fiction Database

“The Worlds of A. E. van Vogt, paperback cover”, 1974, at Heritage Auctions

Bart Forbes – Contemporary American Painter, at Bart Forbes Gallery

October 26, 2017 and October 31, 2019

Dune, by Frank Herbert – 1965 (1969) [John Schoenherr] [Updated post!…  February 6, 2021]

[This post, created on October 8, 2018, is very simple:  It shows the cover of Ace Books’ 1969 edition of Frank Hebert’s Dune.  I’ve updated it to include an image of artist John Schoenherr’s original cover art, which – naturally sans text and Ace Books logo – naturally gives a vivid impression of how Schoenherr’s use of diminutive, near-featureless figures (stylistically akin to Richard Powers) in a barren landscape of tans, blues, and dark grays, conveys the idea of “the desert” as being both a setting to and quiet protagonist of Herbert’s tale.]

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The cover as published…

…John Schoenherr’s original art, from Heritage Auctions.  The original is described as “gouache and watercolor on board; 15.25 by 11 inches”.

References

Dune (publication history), at Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Dune (Ace Catalog Number 17620), at Internet Speculative Fiction Database

“Dune, paperback cover, 1965”, at Heritage Auctions

October 8, 2018

The Return of the King (Ace Books Title A-6), by J.R.R. Tolkien – 1965 (1955) [Jack Gaughan]

You never quite know what you’ll find…

Case in point: During a recent walk through a (for now) anonymous suburb, I chanced upon a copy of Ace Science Fiction Classics 1965 edition (Ace book number “A-6”) of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King.  “Hmmm…,” I pondered, “Eh.  Neat, but, it’s not science fiction.  I just don’t know….  Meh.”  Then, I took a closer look at the cover art, and immediately realized that – though his name is absent from the illustration itself – the cover art was by Jack Gaughan, which was confirmed by a look at the title page.  “Okay, that’s interesting.  A find most worthy for the blog!”

So, you can see the book below.  Bedraggled; showing the full weight of its 55 years and probably having passed before the eyes of more than a few readers; bearing several age lines on its cover, it still’s passable:  In the center, Sauron (one eye barely visible) stands behind Barad-dûr (well, it sure ain’t Za’ha’dum, though I don’t know which would be worse), while five knights in green – members of the Fellowship, I suppose – approach from the foreground.

Yet, only upon putting together this post did I realize the unusual nature of this particular edition of The Return of the King.  As fully discussed in Clarence Petersen’s 1965 Chicago Tribune article (below), the publication of Ace’s edition of The Return of the King, along with the company’s The Fellowship of the Ring (Ace book number A-4), and The Two Towers (Ace A-5), was done with neither authorization from J.R.R. Tolkien nor payment of royalties to him, based on a (then?) loophole in copyright laws.  The cover illustrations of all three books were created by Jack Gaughan, and are distinguished by background color as well as title:  While the The Return of the King is in blue, The Fellowship of the Ring, with Gandalf surrounded by members of the Fellowship, is in red, and The Two Towers, showing a Nazgûl (ringwraith) is in yellow.  Each book cover has a different line of Celtic runes in the background.

The unusual nature of these Ace editions is indicated by the selling price – at both EBay and ABE books – of complete good-quality sets, with the trio going for between $200 and $500.  (No plug.  Just an observation!)

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Another Battle of Editions Is Joined

Clarence Petersen
Chicago Tribune
August 15, 1965

COPYRIGHT laws, especially those involving reprint rights to books first published abroad, seem to be one of the biggest flies in the book industry ointment this season.

About half a dozen lawsuits have been filed in recent months in which one publisher has charged another – or two or three others – with getting out “unauthorized editions” of books to which the first publisher claimed exclusive rights.

At times the situation has become unbelievably confusing, even to the publishers themselves.  One Monday afternoon I received by mail a news release from New York in which Putnam announced its suit against Lancer over rights to Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg’s “Candy.”  Earlier the same day I had discovered another version of the book, published by Greenleaf, which had arrived in Chicago bookstores over the weekend.  There was no mention of the Greenleaf edition in the news release. Putnam had not yet heard about it.

THE latest battle, however, is not expected to reach the courts at all.  The public will decide the outcome.  It centers on the fantasies of British author J.R.R. Tolkien and involves Houghton Mifflin, Ballantine Books, and the author on one hand, and Ace Books on the other.  The drama will begin to unfold tomorrow morning.

At that time, if distribution schedules are met, Ballantine’s 95 cent edition of “The Hobbit” will go on sale in Chicago.  “The Hobbit” is the prelude to Tolkien’s imaginative trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” which has been one of those underground best sellers.  Since 1937, when Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition in hard cover, a persistent if never spectacular demand has put “The Hobbit” thru 19 hard cover printings.  Houghton Mifflin never sold the reprint rights until a few weeks ago.

What broke the ice was publication of “The Lord of the Rings” by Ace Books in three 75-cent paperback volumes [“The Fellowship of the Rings,” “The Two Towers,” and “The Return of the King”].  Although Ace paid nothing for reprint rights, either to Houghton Mifflin or to Tolkien, there is nothing illegal about the Ace editions, due to technicalities in the copyright laws during the early years of World War II.

Having no legal recourse, Houghton Mifflin did the next best thing by selling rights to an “authorized edition” to Ballantine Books, which will publish the trilogy in 95-cent editions in October.  The difference of 20 cents a copy, of course, pays Houghton Mifflin and Tolkien.

THE new Ballantine editions will offer some additional enticements for potential buyers.  The covers are a sort of squared-off jigsaw puzzle, so that when you stand them in line face out, they form a miniature mural of the landscape on which “The Fellowship of the Rings” takes place.  Inside, there is some additional material by Prof. Tolkien which should be of interest especially to those for whom “The Hobbitt” and the trilogy have formed the basis of a cult.

But the clincher is Prof. Tolkien’s pungent paragraph that will appear on the back covers of all four volumes: “This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and co-operation.  Those who approve of courtesy – at least to living authors – will purchase it, and no other.”

In a letter to booksellers, Houghton Mifflin, Ballantine, and Tolkien join in the statement that “tho there is no legal weapon to prevent exploitation of an author’s property, we believe that booksellers will prefer to sell authorized, royalty-paying editions if they exist.”

However, the Ace trilogy has been in the bookstores since May, and there is little indication that anyone plans to send copies back.  “In this case, where the issues aren’t clear, where there is no legal issue at all, I suppose we will wind up selling both versions,” said Paul Horowitz, paperback manager of Charles Levy Circulating company, which supplies paperbacks to most Chicagoland outlets.  “The public will have to decide which version they like best.”

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One ring to rule them all,
one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them.

Ash nazg durbatulûk,
ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk
agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

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LORD OF THE RINGS # 3

The Return of the King

The unforgettable series of fantasy adventures known as the saga of the Lord of the Rings is completed in this magnificently climactic volume, THE RETURN OF THE KING.  Here, in its marvel-packed pages, is the culmination of the fabulous events of Middle-earth that began with the expedition of Frodo the Hobbit to challenge all the forces of Darkness that a world steeped in wizardry could command.

The Spectator, outstanding British literary journal, wrote:

“THE RETURN OF THE KING does not fail to sustain the standard set by the first two volumes: the siege of Gondor and the last stages of the quest are as good as anything that has gone before.  It is a unique work, like the hobbits themselves a new genus. … It is hard to believe that it will not eventually find a permanent place in literature.”

References

One Ring, at Wikipedia

Barad-dûr, at Wikipedia

Za’ha’dum, at Babylon 5 Fandom

World’s Best Science Fiction 1971 – Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr – 1971 [Davis Meltzer] [Updated post…!]

Like John Schoenherr’s work, this Douglas Meltzer cover includes both front and rear panels of World’s Best Science Fiction 1971.  It is rather inventive: A human face forms the center of a radio telescope which is aimed at a galaxy.  The dark blue of the sky contrasts nicely with the deep yellow below.

Update – January, 2020

Originally posted in June of 2017, this image of the cover of World’s Best Science Fiction 1971 has been updated to include the volume’s spine, thus given a complete representation of Metlzer’s cover art. 

Contents

Slow Sculpture, by Theodore Sturgeon, from Galaxy Science Fiction, February, 1970

Bird in The Hand, by Larry Niven, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October, 1970

Ishmael In Love, by Robert Silverberg, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July, 1970

Invasion of Privacy, by Bob Shaw, from Amazing Stories, July, 1970

Waterclap, by Isaac Asimov, from If, April, 1970

Continued on Next Rock, by R.A. Lafferty, from Orbit 7

The Thing in The Stone, by Clifford D. Simak, from If, March, 1970

Nobody Lives on Burton Street, by Gregory Benford, from Amazing Stories, May, 1970

Whatever Became of The McGowans, by Michael G. Coney, from Galaxy Science Fiction, May, 1970

The Last Time Around, by Arthur Sellings, from If, November-December, 1970

Greyspun’s Gift, by Neal Barret, Jr., from Worlds of Tomorrow, Winter, 1970

The Shaker Revival, by Gerald Jonas, from Galaxy Science Fiction, February, 1970

Dear Aunt Annie, by Gordon Eklund, from Fantastic Stories, April, 1970

Confessions, by Ron Goulart, from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August, 1970

Gone are The Lupo, by H.B. Hickey, from Quark / 1

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Image originally posted…

Reference

World’s Best Science Fiction 1971, at Internet Speculative Fiction Database

The Macabre Reader, edited by Donald A. Wollheim – 1959 [Edmund Emshwiller]

Though his art is typically associated with science fiction, such as covers for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction, and (but of course…!) Ace Books, and other publications, Edmund Emshwiller’s creativity found a different outlet in Ace Books’ 1959 The Macabre Reader: horror.

Note that all the spaces in the composition that might otherwise be “blank” and “empty” are instead cleverly occupied by elements denoting horror, terror, and fear, such as a spider, a ghost, the figure of a woman-in-peril, and three menacing ghoul-like figures, all within or surrounding a sickly-green skull.  And, as per his works of science fiction, Emshwiller signed the composition with his trademark “EMSH” (visible in the lower right).

It’s notable that five of the volume’s thirteen (hmm…was it intentionally thirteen?!) works are either solely by, or by authors in collaboration with, H.P. Lovecraft. 

Contents

The Phantom-Wooer, poem from Death’s Jest Book, 1850, poem Thomas Lovell Beddoes

The Crawling Horror, from Weird Tales, November, 1936, by Thorp McClusky

The Opener of the Way, from Weird Tales, October, 1936, by Robert Bloch

Night Gaunts (variant of “Night-Gaunts”, alternative title “Fungi from Yuggoth”), poem from The Phantagraph, Spring, 1936, by H.P. Lovecraft

In Amundsen’s Tent, from Weird Tales, January, 1928, by John Martin Leahy

The Thing on the Doorstep, from Weird Tales, January, 1937, by H.P. Lovecraft

The Hollow Man, from The Evening Standard Book of Strange Stories, 1934, by Thomas Burke

It Will Grow On You, from Esquire, April, 1942, by Donald Wandrei

The Hunters from Beyond, from Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, October, 1932, by Clark Ashton Smith

The Curse of Yig, poem by Zealia Bishop and H.P. Lovecraft (as by Zealia Brown Bishop)

The Cairn on the Headland, from Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, January, 1933, by Robert E. Howard

The Trap, from Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror, March, 1932, by H.P. Lovecraft and Henry S. Whitehead (as Henry S. Whitehead)

The Dweller, poem from Weird Tales, March, 1940, by H.P. Lovecraft

Reference

The Macabre Reader, at The Internet Speculative Fiction Database