# Science Fiction Book covers



## Rodders (Oct 23, 2021)

I've always loved the art featured on Science Fiction books and figured that it'd be nice to start a thread to discuss book covers. It's a great subject, i think as new covers for old books are released all the time.

I especially enjoy the work of artists such as Chris Foss, Roger Dean, Boris Vallejo, Rodney Matthews and more recently, Jon Sullivan. I also have a soft spot for the art of the 70's and 80's and the weirder the better.

My favourite book covers are those tableaux style covers that run across several volumes. My first experience of this style was the dune books released in the early 90's.

Anyway, I thought i'd start the thread with the Dune Panorama covers that i found online. 




Please post your favourite or weirdest book covers.


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## hitmouse (Oct 23, 2021)

The editions of Michael Moorcock from the 1970-80s with covers by Bob Haberfield. Relics of my childhood.


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## dask (Oct 23, 2021)

One of my favorites:




Not a book cover you say? Okay:


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## Rodders (Oct 23, 2021)

One of my favourite early SF memories is reading Edmund Cooper books. The Coronet covers I had were all Chris Foss art, I think.

I can't find many of the ones that I had, but A Far Sunset was one of my favourites. The cover I had was the one on the left. The other two are covers that I found on line, but still look like they're classic covers. Perhaps US. 

  

The Overman Culture


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## Rodders (Oct 23, 2021)

My first foray into the mind of Iain M. Banks was a book club purchase of Use of Weapons. I know it's shallow, but I like space ships and I was drawn to it by the cover art. 



The ISFDB has an interesting page where they showcase all the covers. Of them all, this one is the most interesting to me because i like the "alien" look of the writing above and below the images.


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## hitmouse (Oct 23, 2021)

Penguin SF has had great cover design over the years, some of which are iconic:


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## AE35Unit (Oct 23, 2021)

One of my favourite SF reads, a paperback I picked up in a little shop in Wales years ago, and the only Saberhagen book I've read. Cover by Dean Ellis.


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## AE35Unit (Oct 23, 2021)

I have a board on Pinterest for classic SF books and I have gathered quite a few cool images! 
I've yet to read this one.


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## Rodders (Oct 23, 2021)

What’s the Instagram, AE35UnitUnit?


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## .matthew. (Oct 23, 2021)

I'll throw a few more modern ones in there. Way too many to go through so these are in no particular order and not even my favourites.


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## AE35Unit (Oct 23, 2021)

Rodders said:


> What’s the Instagram, AE35UnitUnit?


Not Instagram, its Pinterest








						Larry (cameraman1966) - Profile | Pinterest
					

See what Larry (cameraman1966) has discovered on Pinterest, the world's biggest collection of ideas.




					pin.it


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## dask (Oct 23, 2021)

Rodders said:


> One of my favourite early SF memories is reading Edmund Cooper books. The Coronet covers I had were all Chris Foss art, I think.
> 
> I can't find many of the ones that I had, but A Far Sunset was one of my favourites. The cover I had was the one on the left. The other two are covers that I found on line, but still look like they're classic covers. Perhaps US.
> 
> ...


The one on the right is the one I have. The artist is David Bergen, a name I was unfamiliar with but bought the book based on cover art alone.


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## JunkMonkey (Oct 23, 2021)

hitmouse said:


> View attachment 83203Penguin SF has had great cover design over the years, some of which are iconic:
> View attachment 83202



So much so that there is a very well thumbed website devoted to nothing but:





						The Art of Penguin Science Fiction
					

The history and cover art of science fiction published by Penguin Books from 1935 to the present day.



					www.penguinsciencefiction.org


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## AE35Unit (Oct 23, 2021)

Love the colours in this one


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## Alex The G and T (Oct 23, 2021)




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## JunkMonkey (Oct 23, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> Love the colours in this one
> 
> View attachment 83217




Bruce Pennington has a real way with colour -  crap at faces mind you, but the colours in his stuff are gorgeous at times.


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## dask (Oct 23, 2021)




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## Vince W (Oct 24, 2021)

Rodders said:


> I've always loved the art featured on Science Fiction books and figured that it'd be nice to start a thread to discuss book covers. It's a great subject, i think as new covers for old books are released all the time.
> 
> I especially enjoy the work of artists such as Chris Foss, Roger Dean, Boris Vallejo, Rodney Matthews and more recently, Jon Sullivan. I also have a soft spot for the art of the 70's and 80's and the weirder the better.
> 
> ...


The Berkley trade covers of the Dune series do the same thing. I had found an image of all the covers open online but I can't seem to find it now.


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## AE35Unit (Oct 24, 2021)

The set of 3 Foundation paperbacks I had did that. They had Chris Foss covers and when placed side by side , front covers upwards, they formed one larger image.


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## dask (Oct 24, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> The set of 3 Foundation paperbacks I had did that. They had Chris Foss covers and when placed side by side , front covers upwards, they formed one larger image.


This it?


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## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> One of my favourite SF reads, a paperback I picked up in a little shop in Wales years ago, and the only Saberhagen book I've read. Cover by Dean Ellis.
> View attachment 83204



I have that exact edition.


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## BAYLOR (Oct 24, 2021)

dask said:


> This it?
> 
> View attachment 83242



Magnificent covers !


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## Rodders (Oct 25, 2021)

It was seeing that Foundation trilogy set of covers that made me start this thread. So many wonderful and weird covers, i knew that many of you guys would have more than a passing interest too.


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## Toby Frost (Oct 25, 2021)

Is that cover of _The October Country_ by Charles Addams?


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## AE35Unit (Oct 25, 2021)

dask said:


> This it?
> 
> View attachment 83242


Yea that's the set. I should have kept them if only for those covers!


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## AE35Unit (Oct 25, 2021)

Do you all remember an artist called SMS? Used to provide the line drawings for Interzone magazine. Did he ever do any book covers?


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## Stephen Palmer (Oct 25, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> Do you all remember an artist called SMS? Used to provide the line drawings for Interzone magazine. Did he ever do any book covers?


Yes! Ace artwork.


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## Stephen Palmer (Oct 25, 2021)

My absolute favourite cover artist is Bruce Pennington. He could paint no wrong.


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## dask (Oct 25, 2021)

Toby Frost said:


> Is that cover of _The October Country_ by Charles Addams?


Fairly certain it is.


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## AE35Unit (Oct 25, 2021)

Stephen Palmer said:


> My absolute favourite cover artist is Bruce Pennington. He could paint no wrong.


I had a few Stainless Steel Rat books with his covers


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## Vince W (Oct 25, 2021)

Stephen Palmer said:


> My absolute favourite cover artist is Bruce Pennington. He could paint no wrong.


I'll see your Pennington and raise you a John Berkey. His covers were science fiction for me.


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## JunkMonkey (Oct 26, 2021)

I've always liked the dynamic covers that Ron Turner used to do back in the day.




 



His art took the 1930s pulp covers , turned down the sex (he was working for UK publishers in the 1950s here) and turned up everything else to eleven - or sometimes twelve.  I only have a few  books with his covers and they are all pretty terrible.  But who wouldn't want to read something written by someone called 'Volsted Gridban'?  (A pseudonym used by John Russell Fearn and  E C Tubb).


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## Vince W (Oct 26, 2021)

I'd happily put any of those covers in a frame to hang.


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## Ray Zdybrow (Oct 26, 2021)




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## Ray Zdybrow (Oct 26, 2021)




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## AE35Unit (Oct 26, 2021)

A cover for Asimov's Foundation. From Pinterest.


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## AE35Unit (Oct 27, 2021)

The cover of the book I'm reading, a Penguin classic. Its a saucer of milk that's turned apart from one area.


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## JunkMonkey (Oct 27, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> The cover of the book I'm reading, a Penguin classic. Its a saucer of milk that's turned apart from one area.
> View attachment 83348



Pedantic collector of pre ISBN Penguins that I am (546 main series and a couple of hundred others from their ancillary imprints like Puffin, Pelican and Peacock - including the much overlooked masterwork _ Sale of Goods and Hire-Purchases _by R Lowe - Penguin Education X19) I just want to point out that that's not a Penguin Classic.  It's a classic Penguin right enough but Penguin Classics had a very different cover style and a different numbering series (prefixed with L)  - what you've got there is the August 1963 Penguin first publication No 1985 with cover illustration by John Griffiths.... (And I need to get out more, don't I?)


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## AE35Unit (Oct 27, 2021)

JunkMonkey said:


> what you've got there is the August 1963 Penguin first publication No 1985 with cover illustration by John Griffiths.... (And I need to get out more, don't I?)


the number on the spine is 1986. Close enough. And yea you need to get out more. Me too...


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## Rodders (Oct 28, 2021)

I must confess that i am a shallow person and will judge a book by it's cover. Artifact Space was one that i bought because i liked the cover. (Well, that and the fact that Vince also enjoyed it.) 


The ship on the cover (the Athens) reminded me of a Lighthugger from Alistair Reynolds Revelation Space books.


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## Vince W (Oct 28, 2021)

The ships in Artifact Space are clearly Lighthugger inspired.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Oct 29, 2021)

Toby Frost said:


> Is that cover of _The October Country_ by Charles Addams?




It is actually by Joseph Mugnaini, who did a lot of work with Bradbury.

Examples:


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## Toby Frost (Oct 29, 2021)

Thanks - I wondered because Addams did the cover of a Bradbury book - From the Dust Returned, I think. Those are very good covers.


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## Rodders (Oct 29, 2021)

Agreed. The 451 cover is especially good.


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## hitmouse (Oct 31, 2021)

JunkMonkey said:


> I've always liked the dynamic covers that Ron Turner used to do back in the day.
> View attachment 83292View attachment 83293 View attachment 83294
> 
> His art took the 1930s pulp covers , turned down the sex (he was working for UK publishers in the 1950s here) and turned up everything else to eleven - or sometimes twelve.  I only have a few  books with his covers and they are all pretty terrible.  But who wouldn't want to read something written by someone called 'Volsted Gridban'?  (A pseudonym used by John Russell Fearn and  E C Tubb).


I have one of these. Picked up years ago in a school jumble sale. The story is absolute tosh but I love the cover.


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## AE35Unit (Nov 1, 2021)

The last SF book I read. The cover a lot better than the contents therein.


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## JunkMonkey (Nov 1, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> The last SF book I read. The cover a lot better than the contents therein.
> 
> View attachment 83496




They get worse...


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## AE35Unit (Nov 1, 2021)

JunkMonkey said:


> They get worse...


Well I only have the one and its now on bookmooch


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## Rodders (Nov 2, 2021)

I've always admired Jon Sullivan's covers for Neal Asher's books. I think that Dark Intelligence (with the huge Prador Dreanought) was a brilliant cover.


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## Fiberglass Cyborg (Nov 2, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> The cover of the book I'm reading, a Penguin classic. Its a saucer of milk that's turned apart from one area.
> View attachment 83348



That's no saucer. It's a space station!


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## AE35Unit (Nov 6, 2021)

Starswarm by Aldiss, cover by Vincent di Fate (1985)


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## Rodders (Nov 7, 2021)

Forgive me, but I have always been a Star Wars collector and I collect the books, especially the hardbacks, (although it is some time since I last read one of them), I always had quite a soft spot for the the earlier book covers.





The cover art had a wonderful feel to it. (It is, ort course, entirely possible that it's nostalgia). One of the books that I'm looking to track down is a paperback copy of "Heart of the Jedi" by Kenneth C. Flint.



Apparently, it was written in the Heir to the Empire era but Lucasfilm decided that they wanted to move in another direction and it was never published. The author had some printed but was quickly hit with a Cease and Desist order.


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## Rodders (Nov 12, 2021)

Arthur C. Clark's 2010: Odyssey 2 was another great cover by Michael Whelan. (Admittedly, it was heavily inspired by the movie.)


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## AE35Unit (Nov 13, 2021)

The cover of the book I'm currently reading, Iceworld by Hal Clement, cover by H. R. Van Dongen


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## Rodders (Nov 23, 2021)

When in my early twenties, I went through a phase of reading the Pocket Books Star Trek titles. (A period in my reading history that I look back on fondly.) Some pretty great covers in among that lot, including artists such as Boris Vallejo.



Great likenesses that captured the character personality somewhat.

Of the books, I preferred the TOS ones but TMP Enterprise was my favourite cover art.


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## AE35Unit (Nov 23, 2021)

Those attachments aren't working


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## dask (Nov 23, 2021)

AE35Unit said:


> Those attachments aren't working


Same here.


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## Rodders (Nov 24, 2021)

Sorry. I have reloaded some more examples. The books at the time had a similar feel to them and the covers tended to be similar. I liked it. As I say, I remember reading them fondly.


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## AE35Unit (Nov 24, 2021)

I have a star trek book like that, written by somebody Reeves


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## Lew Rockwell Fan (Nov 25, 2021)

This is actually the original painting from which the cover was made apparently. I can't find a good enough image of the actual book cover to do it justice The book is _The Flying Sorcerers_ by David Gerold & Larry Niven. To explain why this is hilarious would be a terrible spoiler. Those who understand, laugh. Those who don't, put it away on your mental shelf of puzzles and one day it may hit you.


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## worldofmutes (Nov 25, 2021)

I am contemplating.


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## Rodders (Nov 25, 2021)

Love the scale on the Tides of Light cover. I feel tiny.


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## Foxbat (Nov 27, 2021)

Loving looking at all these covers. Great stuff folks


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## psikeyhackr (Nov 27, 2021)

The variations for the same book can be shocking.


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## Pyan (Dec 21, 2021)

I wonder if the person that chose this has actually read the book?...


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## Starbeast (Dec 21, 2021)

My first sci-fi novel that I discovered and read from my old grade school library.







My copy below.


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## dask (Dec 21, 2021)

Both look good but my preference tends toward the Airmont. The intro by Donald Wollheim could be a big bonus.


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## AltThinking (Mar 5, 2022)

Starbeast said:


> View attachment 84906
> ​


My first thought was Wallace & Gromit on the moon !


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## Rodders (Nov 9, 2022)

Iain M. Banks's cover for Surface Detail was especially good, in my opinion. 



I found the eyes of the "intagliated" to be very captivating.


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## SilentRoamer (Nov 9, 2022)

Rodders said:


> I've always loved the art featured on Science Fiction books and figured that it'd be nice to start a thread to discuss book covers. It's a great subject, i think as new covers for old books are released all the time.
> 
> I especially enjoy the work of artists such as Chris Foss, Roger Dean, Boris Vallejo, Rodney Matthews and more recently, Jon Sullivan. I also have a soft spot for the art of the 70's and 80's and the weirder the better.
> 
> ...



I have the entire series in that particular cover but I never knew they were a panorama cover if opened and placed side by side. Thats really awesome!


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## AE35Unit (Nov 9, 2022)

Rodders said:


> Iain M. Banks's cover for Surface Detail was especially good, in my opinion.
> 
> View attachment 95131
> 
> I found the eyes of the "intagliated" to be very captivating.


Ooh fractals


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