Sci Fi encyclopedia or artbook with this Boris Valejo artwork

[DigitalRain]

I remember seeing a full-page picture (as attached, titled Tarnsman of Gor, by Boris Valejo) in a Sci-Fi encylopedia or Fantasy artbook, round about 1970-1980.

The plate had an accompanying paragraph along the lines of:

"On the planet Gor, a wealthy merchant has paid handsomely to ogle an Earth slavegirl being beheaded..." etc.

Anyone knows which book it came from, and the full text? (Any photo of the text would be appreciated).

Thanks!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Presumably from the John Norman Gor books but have no idea which edition. There are 30 of them and I've never read them. But there's loads on the internet about them if you do a google search.

A couple of suggestions - search Abe books for John Norman and see what comes up? Or, see if there's a society for his stuff?

Also, this link:

http://landoflegendslv.com/50gorean/index.html

Has some stuff about the art.

For the full text Tarnsman of Gor is available on kindle for £2.48 on Amazon.

 

[HareBrain]

I remember the picture and the text, though it must have lain undisturbed in my memory for about thirty years.

It comes from a sci-fi reference book owned by a friend of mine. I've just phoned him and he still has it, but can't find it right at the moment. Hopefully I'll be able to give you the title soon.

The book I'm thinking of had quite a few spaceship pictures by Chris Foss, and was divided into sections about different aspects of space travel, etc. Does that sound like the one?

 

[DigitalRain]

@springs

No the book I came across was is a reference book of some sort (roughly 8" x 11" or close) with color plates whereas Norman's Gor series are pulp paperback.

The Valejo artwork was apparently commissioned by Ballantine for the the cover of the 10th printing of Tarnsman of Gor in 1978, hence the name.

Thanks for replying though.

 

[DigitalRain]

@HareBrain,

It could well be. I don't recall Chris Foss per se, but his style of space ship artwork would certainly be in character with the book in my mind.

I really hope your friend finds it

 

[Jo Zebedee]

This one is the only one coming up consistently across a number of book selling sites in connection to both their names. Any good?

Abebooks

 

[DigitalRain]

This one is the only one coming up consistently across a number of book selling sites in connection to both their names. Any good?

Unfortunately the cover does not ring a bell, and it appears the earliest edition is 1984, which is 4 years after my sighting of the book in 1980 in a library - I think it was new then, which possibly implies a 1978-79 edition.

Thanks for trying

 

[HareBrain]

I really hope your friend finds it

He hasn't got back to me yet, but I came across the attached in a google search on Chris Foss and it looks very familiar.

(I can't see how the Gor picture would fit in with the subject, but i seem to remember finding its inclusion weird at the time. On the other hand, this might be another book my friend had.)

 

[tinkerdan]

I'm not sure what you are asking but that picture tells it all Tarnsman of Gor which might be the first gor book.

The Complete John Norman - Wildside Press Edition - Tarnsman of Gor

I would assume the text is in there somewhere but I don't have the books myself.

 

[DigitalRain]

He hasn't got back to me yet, but I came across the attached in a google search on Chris Foss and it looks very familiar.

(I can't see how the Gor picture would fit in with the subject, but i seem to remember finding its inclusion weird at the time. On the other hand, this might be another book my friend had.)

That's very interesting. Spacecraft 2000-2100 AD was Book 1 of the Terran Trade Authority series, and was published in 1978 (i.e. within the correct period), and is the sort of book that I would have leafed through. However, Wikipidia entry on Terran Trade Authority says:

"The book is presented in the same manner as an aircraft recognition guide, made up entirely of spacecraft descriptions which relate their role and performance in the war if applicable, and occasionally their history afterwards. (Some of the ships in the book are nonmilitary in nature.) There is also a section on unknown aliens."

So yes, the Valejo artwork would seem quite out of place. That said, I do remember a somewhat odd sentence in the text accompanying the Valejo plate, about the girl's spaceship being boarded by space pirates en route to Mars, who killed her entire family and sold her off in Gor. So there could be some "spaceship" connection there.

Another possibility is book 2 of the series, Great Space Battles (1979, also within the correct period - see attached pic), which has "a set of very short stories mostly about exploration of dangerous planets and minor battles".

 

[DigitalRain]

I'm not sure what you are asking but that picture tells it all Tarnsman of Gor which might be the first gor book.

Thanks for the link. That's the 2006 reprint of the first Gor novel, which re-used the Boris cover from the 1976 Ballantine 10th reprint of the same book published in 1967. That's not the reference book I spotted at the library, which was a general Sci Fi or fantasy large format book with color plates.

The only thing the two had in common was the use of the same Valejo artwork, and possibly the mention of the word Gor. That word might or might not be in the accompanying text, as I couldn't have remembered the name in 1980 since I was quite unaware of the Norman series at the time.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

This is a list of the Terran Trade books illustrations where the picture was known to be a cover illustration of a book:

Terran Trade Authority Image References

I don't see any of the Gor in there which makes me think this isn't the range you're looking for.

The picture is listed as 1979, so I think that rules out the first book for sure.

Is there anything to guide us in terms of production values - high end, pb/hb format, picture quality? A lot of searches are sending up generic stuff which could be ruled out?

I think Aun has it - this is the link to the detail of the book:

http://www.terrantradeauthority.com/other-books/space-wars-worlds-weapons/

 

[Aun Doorback]

I have a book called 'Space Wars, Worlds and weapons' - 1979 by Stephen Eisler and it's full of pictures with reference to SciFi novels etc - It does have that exact picture, with the text that an ogling rich merchant pays to watch the death of young female tourist, or similar words, because I have currently mislaid the book, probably under the bed in the spare room. You can buy used from Amazon for £3 - Hope this helps.

 

[Pyan]

Is this it? I've a copy of the first edition somewhere, and I seem to remember a couple of Boris' illustrations in it, plus a lot of Chris Foss as well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0706407563/?tag=brite-21

It was first published in 1978, and that Boris picture was produced in 1976, so it fits chronologically...

 

[Aun Doorback]

This was the image - I'll have a hunt for my copy tomorrow and try and find the narrative, if you think this may be it

 

[DigitalRain]

Is this it? I've a copy of the first edition somewhere, and I seem to remember a couple of Boris' illustrations in it, plus a lot of Chris Foss as well.

It was first published in 1978, and that Boris picture was produced in 1976, so it fits chronologically...

That cover definitely rings a few bells! I remember that cover very well from the period and could well be the book.

Any chance of finding it somewhere?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

That cover definitely rings a few bells! I remember that cover very well from the period and could well be the book.

Any chance of finding it somewhere?

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION by J.K.Rowling: 9780861781867 Paperback - WorldofBooks

Listing 16 available, price seems fair ( watch the high-end ones, Abe overprices to an unbelievable extent sometimes.) good luck!

@ digital rain - don't know how far you can enlarge this (I can almost read it on my tablet - with msgnification it might be okay) but this is the page and accompanying text from Aun's

http://www.terrantradeauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SpaceWar010.jpg

 

[DigitalRain]

I have a book called 'Space Wars, Worlds and weapons' - 1979 by Stephen Eisler and it's full of pictures with reference to SciFi novels etc - It does have that exact picture, with the text that an ogling rich merchant pays to watch the death of young female tourist, or similar words, because I have currently mislaid the book, probably under the bed in the spare room. You can buy used from Amazon for £3 - Hope this helps.

I don't remember the cover, but it might well be that this might have been the book, or at the very least, it too used the same illustration and text as the one I came across.

Can anyone else who has the book confirm the exact text?

 

[DigitalRain]

Listing 16 available, price seems fair ( watch the high-end ones, Abe overprices to an unbelievable extent sometimes.) good luck!

Thanks for the link Spring, I'll take a look.

Meantime, can anyone who has the book confirm the illustration and text?

 

[Pyan]

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION by J.K.Rowling: 9780861781867 Paperback - WorldofBooks

Listing 16 available, price seems fair ( watch the high-end ones, Abe overprices to an unbelievable extent sometimes.) good luck!

Umm - I wouldn't buy it from a seller that has it listed as edited by J K Rowling (who would have been 14 at the time...)
The editor was Robert Holdstock, who later wrote Mythago Wood..