by Bert Lannon
Love is a surprise! Especially when you’re all dressed up and in jail.
This book was originally published in 1940 as Letty and the Law. When Bantam republished the book in 1948, the title got changed to Love is a Surprise!
I couldn’t find much info on cover artist Bert Lannon, beyond the fact that he appears to be one of the few artists from the pulp and paperback era to regularly signed his name to his work.
by Robert E. Lee
I picked today’s cover because spring training has started and I’m excited! Go Rangers! I like that the baseball player in the background looks like he’s really thinking about whether or not he’d rather be playing softball than baseball. Sure, the baseball players may make more money but the softball players get better uniforms! I’m worried, though, because I have played enough softball to know that’s not the best way to try to field a ground ball. She’s going to have a lot of back pain unless she starts bending her knees.
This cover is from June of 1939. The artist was Robert E. Lee, who shared a famous name but, as far as I can tell, was not related to the Confederate general.
Artist Unknown
I’m not sure how you “revolt against innocence” but I’m guessing you have to wear an off the shoulder top do it. This book was originally published in 1954, when nothing was more decadent than a peasant’s blouse. I don’t know much about the plot but the cover says that the book is about a woman who “was faithful only to her desires.”
The book was written by Elleston Trevor, a British writer who wrote over a 100 novels and who used a variety of different pseudonyms, including Warwick Scott. The majority of Trevor’s book were adventure, spy, and mystery stories.
The identity of the artist responsible for this cover is unknown.
by Earle Bergey
This Earle Bergey-illustrated cover features classic sci-fi imagery and action. The Big Eye was originally published in 1949. This cover was for the 1950 edition.
Artist Unknown
They found Atlantis … and then they immediately got into a fight over it! I swear, men!
This book was originally in 1936. The Arrow edition is from 1953. I love this cover. It’s too bad that the identity of the artist is not known.
by Erin Nicole
I took this picture a week and a half ago, at the tail end of the winter storm. The power had just come back on after being off for for several hours. I stepped outside and stood in the backyard, surrounded by snow and feeling frustrated and angry. Then I looked up and I saw the sun reflecting off of these icicles that were hanging from our roof. After getting my camera, I snapped this picture.
To me, this picture is a reminder that there’s beauty to be found during even the darkest of times. Sometimes, it’s right above you.
The day after I took this picture, the temperature finally rose above freezing, the snow started to disappear, and these icicles fell from the roof, landed in the grass, and quickly melted.
by Charles Wood
Unless this is a reprint, this is from 1931. Gold was written by Clarence Budington Kelland, who was a very popular writer of the time. His most popular novel was Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, which has been filmed at least twice. Gold was a novel about international finance. It told the story of Anneke Van Horn, who knew how to make money but not how to land a man and have the family that she desired. Remember, it was written in 1931.
The artwork was done by Charles Wood, who also did a lot of covers for western pulp magazines. The red dress is exquisite and worth however much gold it cost.
by Robert Stanley
This book was originally published in 1948 but I’m not sure what year this Dell edition was published. Though the cover may suggest that something unsavory is happening here, that’s just Sheriff Roden and his dog keeping Kentucky safe. Sheriff Roden appeared in several books written by A.B. Cunningham.
The cover was done by Robert Stanley, whose work has been featured many times on the site.
by George Gross
This is from 1953. As you can tell from reading the cover’s blurb, this is a novel about the “The Guys, The Dames, The Joints, The Creeps Who Surround Our Army Camps And Prey On Our Soldiers.” On the cover, you can see one of “the dames” distracting two soldiers on a street corner. There’s no way that those men are going to be able to win their shooting game with a woman standing ten feet away from them.
(I showed this cover to Lisa and she said, “He’s probably just surprised to see his mom in the city.”)
This cover was done by George Gross. Gross’s work has been featured many times on this site and will probably be featured many more times in the future.
Artist Unknown
Is she shocked by what she’s read in the diary or by the man emerging from behind the dressing screen? Either way, I’m more shocked by the quill pen.
Though the novel was first published in 1930, this cover is from a much later edition. Unfortunately, the artist’s identity is unknown.
