| Vintage Pulp | Apr 1 2023 |
Mid-century paperback artists were in tune with the times.
There are numerous jazz themed mid-century paperback covers. The jazz milieu—with its smoky clubs, passionate personalities, and idiosyncratic ways—fascinated readers. Above you see a small collection of fronts that visually reference the uniquely American (black American) art of jazz. We've also added a couple of the many torch singer and crooner covers out there that seem jazzy enough to fit. The artists are Barye Phillips, Stanley Zuckerberg, Harry Barton, Mitchell Hooks, Julian Paul, and others. We've previously posted quite a few jazz covers, and we have a few jazz themed books still to read, so in both cases you won't see those pieces here. We don't keyword for jazz, which means a search for those we've already posted would bring up a welter of books, movies, tabloids, and album covers. Therefore, in order to save you the trouble of wading through all that, here are some links. We'll limit ourselves to ten: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Louis ArmstrongGrady JohnsonCarson KaninWilliam GwinnMarguerite SteenJack BairdRobert NovakDouglass WallopR. C. DicksonDorothy BakerAndrew ShawKeith ViningBruce CassidayEvan HunterCarter BrownWilliam ArnoldPat BunyanEric WestKenneth Millarcover artliteraturecover collection
| Vintage Pulp | Oct 12 2015 |
We don’t know art but we know what we like.
What do you do when money is tight? In mid-century fiction, you work that body. You find an artist, present your bona fides as a figure model, then peel down for a fee. Or room and board. Or notice from those who guard the doorway to success. Just remember that however much you generate in cash, barter, or recognition, it all inevitably leads to a romp in the sack, often with several participants, and always with disastrous complications because in pulp there’s no such thing as consequence-free sex. Now that you know the rules make that booty work. Above and below you see an assortment of mid-century bookcovers featuring artists and their models. Thanks to all the original uploaders on these, and don’t forget this awesome example and this one.
Jerry M. Goff Jr.William ArnoldTiffany ThayerClement WoodHoward SpringMarjorie WorthingtonEdward S. AaronsCecil BarrJohn DexterMarco PageKimberly KempEdgar A. MartinLorelei SextonTom ForanJoyce CareyEric DavidsonJames RoweWard GreeneJoan ShermanClifton CuthbertBen WestIrving StoneCarl BranchJory ShermanVictoria LincolnDean HudsonCharles KeatsGladys SloanDon ElliottPierre La MureLouis RichardLynn Martincover artcover collectionliterature
| Vintage Pulp | May 26 2015 |
Oh, Mom! Hi! I was just getting help with my biology homework. Did you know both men and women have a coccyx?
Above, uncredited cover art for William Arnold’s Sheila’s Daughter, 1952, for Original Novels. Arnold wrote several of these sleaze romps as Arnold and H. M. Appel, including Harlem Woman, Brutal Kisses, Illicit Desires, et al. All are highly collectible today.
