Artist Unknown
This is from October of 1938. The artist is not known but the message is pretty clear. Don’t mess with the G-Men.
Artwork of the Day: G-Men (Artist Unknown)
Category Archives: Art
Artwork of the Day: Johnny Come Deadly (by Ernest “Darcy” Chiriacka)
by Ernest “Darcy” Chiriacka
Phillip Race was the pen name for Elmer Parsons. Born in 1926, Parsons spent much his early life in and out of prison. When he was 23, he stole a car and was arrested after a lengthy police chase. He served three years for that. Three years later, he was arrested a second time and charged with writing 22 bad checks. He was sentenced to five years, which he served in San Quentin. While imprisoned, he edited the prison newspaper and he wrote and published his first three novels, including Johnny Come Deadly. After he was released in 1960, he wrote westerns under his own name and was a prolific television writer.
Johnny Come Deadly was about a card shark named Johnny Berlin, who cops hated and women loved. The cover above, which done by Ernest “Darcy” Chiriacka, is from 1960.
Artwork of the Day: Real Detective (Artist Unknown)
Artist Unknown
I wrote about the lengthy history of Real Detective here. This cover is from June of 1936. Though the cover artist is unknown, I like the way the man on the cover is grabbing that money. It looks like he either just won it in a card game or maybe he lost it and he’s trying to keep the winner from taking it away from him. Either way, something big is about to happen.
Artwork of the Day: Detective World (Artist Unknown)
Artist Unknown
I’m worried she’s going to drop that cigarette.
This cover is from April of 1948. Unfortunately, the artist is not known. I wrote about the history of Detective World in 2019.
Artwork of the Day: Murder! (by Oliver Brabbins)
by Oliver Brabbins
At first glance, I thought this was a novel but it turns out that Murder! was a pulp magazine from the 50s. I’ll give you three guesses what most of the magazine’s stories were about. This issue came out in 1957 and I especially like the way the gun has been casually packed in the suitcase. Hopefully, it’s not loaded.
Artwork of the Day: Big-Town Hellcat (Artist Unknown)
Artist Unknown
This was published in 1957. One thing that always amuses me about covers like this one is how surprised we’re supposed to be that a woman can have a job. It’s not enough that this is a book about the love life of a disc jockey. The cover makes sure that we know it’s about a “girl disc jockey.”
She’s also a “Big-Town Hellcat,” which I guess is better than being a “small town hellcat’ but not up to the level of being a “city hellcat.” I can’t help but notice the man on the cover is offering her a cigarette but not a light. Maybe that’s why they’ve got that fire roaring in the fireplace.
Unfortunately, the identity of the artist of this cover is unknown.
Artwork of the Day: Other Worlds (by Harold W. McCauley)
by Harold W. McCauley
“I flew in a flying saucer and all I got was a new pair of boots!”
They are pretty nice boots, though. They go with the cape, the gun, and Santa’s elves. If I was looking through a store’s magazine racks in 1951 and I saw this cover, I’d probably buy this edition of Other Worlds. I’d want to know who the woman is and who her servants were. I’d really want to know about Captain A.V.G. and his flying saucer trip.
This cover was done by Harold W. McCauley, who did a lot of pulp covers. I’ve always felt that McCauley and his work deserves more attention from collectors than it seems to get.
Artwork of the Day: Mercy Island (by Verne Tossey)
by Verne Tossey
Mercy Island was originally published in 1941. Theodore Pratt was a Florida-based writer and all of his books, including this one, took place in the Sunshine State. The edition above came out in 1953. The cover was by Verne Tossey, who has been featured on the site in the past and who will be featured in the future.
The thing I like about this cover is the facial expressions of the three people involved. The man throwing the punch looks like he doesn’t even know where he is anymore. That shirt is about to get ripped.
Artwork of the Day: The Thin Line (Artist Unknown)
Artist Unknown
The Thin Line was first published in 1951. The cover is from the Avon edition of the book, which came out in 1957. Unfortunately, the artist of this cover is unknown so their work will have to speak for itself.
Artwork of the Day: The Absence of a Cello (by Victor Kalin)
by Victor Kalin
The Absence of a Cello was originally written in 1960. It’s a satire about a scientist who needs a job but who isn’t sure that he’ll be able to fit in with corporate America. A representative of a company that wants to hire him come to visit him and, with the help of his sister and neighbors, the scientist tries to come across as being the perfect company man.
This book proved popular enough to be adapted into a play, which opened on Broadway in 1964. The same year that the play opened, the book was reissued by Avon Books. Artist Victor Kalin provided the cover for the reissue. Kalin has been featured on this site many times in the past and will undoubtedly be featured again in the future.
Through the Shattered Lens