They Also Served: Robert E. McGinnis

Illustrator (1926--) "I wish I looked half as good as his painting of me!” — Raquel Welch One of the all-time greats and one of the most influential illustrators of the last century, and a relatively late starter (he was born in 1926), Ohio born-and-bred ROBERT E.MCGINNIS has painted well over 1,500 paperback covers since the … Continue reading They Also Served: Robert E. McGinnis

Art for Art’s Sake

Artists Inspired by Noir Noir is everywhere these days, used to flog everything from over-priced coffee and cheap lingerie to high-end make-up and mediocre crime films that mistake ill-fitting fedoras and second-hand cigarette smoke for style. But real fans know that noir is more than just a few visual effects and a cool marketing tool. … Continue reading Art for Art’s Sake

My Scrapbook: “I’ll Be Waiting”

My Scrapbook Chandler Cracks The Saturday Evening Post Illustrations by Hy Rubin Chandler's short story “I’ll Be Waiting” marked the first—and only—appearance of pudgy house dick Tony Reseck. It appeared in the October 14, 1939 issue, and was Chandler's first—and only—sale to the “slicks.” Afterward, Chandler claimed he did it for the money, and at his agent's insistence, … Continue reading My Scrapbook: “I’ll Be Waiting”

They Also Served: Harry Bennett

Illustrator (1919-2012)    It's a bit of a mystery, at least to me, why HARRY BENNETT isn't better known among fans of vintage crime and detective paperbacks. His distinctive cover work has appeared on works by Dashiell Hammett, Frank Kane, Dolores Hitchens, Talmage Powell, Don Tracy, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Roy Huggins, Thomas B. … Continue reading They Also Served: Harry Bennett

They Also Served: Mitchell Hooks

Illustrator (1923-2013)      One of my favorite artists, MITCHELL HOOKS' covers for Bantam's late-seventies reissues of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer novels acted as the visual counterpoint to my descent into this literary obsession of mine. Imagine my glee to discover that, years later, Hooks illustrated (in a completely different style) another of my favorite … Continue reading They Also Served: Mitchell Hooks