Book Covers

[GOLLUM]

Many years ago, I scanned the cover of The Shadow Of The Torturer, created one big image, then painstakingly removed all the text in PhotoShop! That picture is on my study wall right now...

Wow! You're almost as obsessive as I am when it comes to Wolfe......

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Yup!

I checked out my Bruce Pennington book over the weekend. It's called Ultraterranium:

Ultraterraneum: Paintings of Bruce Pennington: Amazon.co.uk: Bruce Pennington, Nigel Suckling: Books

There are covers by Van Vogt, Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Aldiss, Frank Herbert, Heinlein, Chris Priest ("Indoctrinaire"), Malzberg, Kingsley Amis, Silverberg, various New Worlds anthologies, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dickson, Card, PJ Farmer, M John Harrison (the classic cover for "The Pastel City"), van Lustbader & Clark Ashton Smith.

Also - horror covers, and alot of stuff for the book "Eschatus" (which I haven't got), plus various private works.

There are three covers for TBOTN is all their glory - volumes 1,2 & 4 (no Sword Of The Lictor, alas...)

A highly recommended book!

 

[dask]

Art by Edward Valigursky

 

[Rodders]

Dask, you have an incredible collection of books. I'd love to see some photos of your library.

 

[dask]

Dask, you have an incredible collection of books. I'd love to see some photos of your library.

I'll work on it. My book room, once neat and orderly, in now a mess. Will have to clean up and figure out how to work with my wife's digital camera.

 

[Diggler]

Here's some more that I procured from the net, I have these covers in my collection. Some are a bit crappy, I'm still working on getting some scanning going, then I'll post up a pile.

 

[dask]

Really like the Van Vogt and Aldiss.

 

[dask]

Terra SF artist: Segrelles; Terra 2 artist: Les Edwards.

 

[Diggler]

Really like the Van Vogt and Aldiss.

Yeah the Van Vogt one is fantastic. This aldiss cover has that 50's charm to it. I really like the last 2 you posted. I got the scanner going, so 56k'ers beware! Now I just need to work out the right sizes.

 

[Connavar]

A gorgous looking women in a cool pulpish cover. A library book.

One of best Hard Case Crime covers so far. Proud owner of it,the book.

 

[GOLLUM]

HMMM....given those latest 2 covers Conn, I begin to see why you spend so much time at the library.....

Post a cover of the excellent Black Lizard antholgoy we've chatted about once you obtain a copy OK?

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Kurodohan Press has some excellent covers for their volumes of Japanese Mythos fiction. Here's one that I own a copy of (picture snagged off the net, though):

Here's the cover painting in its entirety:

 

[GOLLUM]

Indeed Knivesout!

When I was in Japan for WorldCon I picked up a series of theirs at the Dealer's Room. It specifically features the Cthulhu Mythos and is entitled Lairs Of The Hidden Gods Vol I-IV and those covers are really attractive like that one!

When I showed them to Nesa, she went and bought a copy as well but from what she's told me, she wasn't overly impressed, albeit there was some nice pieces. I'm yet to read them, so I don't really know how strong their contributions are in terms of actual content??

Q): What does that book cover relate to (indeed does it extend beyond the 4 volume collection from '07) AND do you have the 4 volume set I'm referring to??

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Well, if the translation quality of the Lairs Of The Hidden Gods books is anything like the translation of this book, that would be part of the problem. Queen Of K'n-Yan takes a cue from a Lovecraft revision story, The Mound, and features the miraculously preserved body of an ages-old princess, found in China, and upon analysis, revealed to contain reptilian DNA. That's probably what the cover refers to.

It actually seems like a well put-together novel with some really creepy moments and horrific imagery, but the language is very drab and pedestrian. It may well be that Asamatsu Ken's natural style is drab and pedestrian, but I suspect the translation is to blame.

I don't have the 4-volume set. I was curious to read Ken's novel because The Mound is such an amazing story and I wanted to see what he would do with that influence, but I have a lot of other Mythos-related fiction I want to read before plunging further into the Japanese variant.

 

[GOLLUM]

Yes, that's the overall impression I gleaned from the Cat. I also gathered there were several typos encountered, which didn't exactly add to the overall ambiance of her reading experience

So, the old adage "Never Judge A Book By Its Cover" may never have been more apt?...

Do you own any other books by this small press publisher?

EDIT: Oops...from your final comment you may have already been indicating to me perhaps not. Sorry...

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

No, but I may at some point. I enjoyed the content of the novel I read, and I am aware that top-quality translators are an expensive proposition. As with CINEBOOKS' rather workmanlike translations of Franco-Belgian comic titles that are otherwise not available to me in English, I am willing to accept a mediocre translation if the material is of interest to me and there is no other translation available.

Or I could just learn French. And Japanese. But that might take some time...

 

[GOLLUM]

Or I could just learn French. And Japanese. But that might take some time...

Off-topic: Well perhaps I could help you there? HMM....well my father's first language is French and I so happen to be currently assisting him in proofreading 3 books he's translated into English. I also speak some Japanese as my sister-in-law is Japanese, my brother having spent over 20 years there. As you know, I also speak, read and write German and am currently learning Spanish in an attempt, perhaps vainly, to read more Latin American works.

So....does that help to qualify me as your tutor?

Payment may be made in full pints if necessary.....

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Well, I have several favourite writers in all those languages! A few pints might well be to the point.

What sort of works does your father translate?

 

[GOLLUM]

What sort of works does your father translate?

Off-topic: ER...UM...Well.. excuse me for the assumption, but they're probably not going to be at the top of your reading list. They're actually theological books in collaboration with the author, a Professor of Theology in France. They're actually fairly heavy stuff, so I'm glad I'm only having to proofread rather than perform the translations. Due to his interest in theological works, he speaks 6-7 languages but not all of them fluently.

Prior to his retirement, my father was Assoc. Professor in Engineering at the University here, so he did a lot of technical translations when traveling on sabbatical to Switzerland. I was fortunate to accompany him on more than one occasion.

Of course, I always enjoy discussing French/Belgian authors with him e.g Balzac, Jean De La Fontaine, Simenon, Hugo, Dumas, Huysmans, Herge etc.. as he read a lot of those in his younger years. Some interesting insights actually! e.g. I showed him my recent copy of Bruges-La-Morte and whilst not being familiar with the work, he was able to tell me some things about the town of Bruges as Roddebach's book features several black and white photos of its streets and landmarks.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

It sounds like quite the labour of love.

My own father has a great interest in French literature - actually it's interesting as the years go by how many of the seeds of our own reading choices seem to have been sown by our parents, even if we take certain things in different directions than they did (I really don't like Stephen King as much as my father does, on the other hand I first read Blackwood and other classic horror authors in volumes belonging to my father).