Saturday 2 May 2015

Cover Art by George Barr, Maren,Tim White, Darrell K. Sweet et al.

An eclectic selection of sci-fi and fantasy artists have created the covers for Marion Zimmer Bradley's books and anthologies.

The below is a selection of cover art for MZB's publications. The photos are taken from the paperback hardcovers. The entire pictures are available here, featuring works by George Barr, Tim White, David A. Cherry, Richard Hescox and Maren, whose actual name is Mariano Pérez Clemente. 

Whereever possible information on the cover artist and edition has been included. Sadly, the cover art the for The Forest House (MZB's Avalon Series) remains uncredited in the edition by Michael Joseph.


George Barr, Darkover Landfall

Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover Landfall - 1972
Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.
This edition: 15th printing (first printing, December 1972)
Cover Art by George Barr
For a review of Darkover Landfall, please click here.


Summary and Review: Mind to Mind by Betty Shine

Mind to Mind is the first of several Betty Shine publications to be reviewed on this blog over the coming months. Originally released in 1989, with Mind to Mind, Betty aims to provide a broad overview of her work as a spiritual healer, medium and clairvoyant.


Mind to Mind by Betty Shine

Saturday 25 April 2015

Cover Art for Marion Zimmer Bradley



Darkover Landfall Marion Zimmer Bradley, photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover Landfall - 1972
Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.
This edition: 15th printing (first printing, December 1972)
Cover Art by George Barr
Border Art by Richard Hescox
For a review of Darkover Landfall, please click here.



Snows of Darkover, Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Snows of Darkover
Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Cover Art: Tim White 
Publisher: Daw, 1994


The Ages of Chaos, Darkover Omnibus (Stormqueen and Hawkmistress) by Marion Zimmer Bradley photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith
Stormqueen & Hawkmistress (Darkover Omnibus)
Marion Zimmer Bradley

Sunday 19 April 2015

Crime and Punishment

....or a Zero Tolerance Policy towards late returners:

Library Fines in Warren County, Vicksburg (Mississippi) Public Library

This was stuck to the inside cover of one of my latest paperback finds. 


I just love vintage paperbacks. You simply don't get the same amusement with a kindle.

Sunday 12 April 2015

From one opinionated knitter to another: Revisiting Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac

Almost three years ago, I had Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac on loan from my local library. Had I written my review of the book at the time, it would probably have sounded very different from my assessment today. Frau Zimmermann - at least as far her Almanac is concerned - is certainly not aiming her designs at beginner knitters; and I would have described myself as one at the time. Consequently, when I first laid hands on Zimmermann's Almanac, I didn't find it too appealing. The patterns appeared somewhat tired and outdated; and her occasional digressions into anecdotes, though intriguing, distracted from the instructions. When it was time to return my borrowed copy to the library, I did so without attempting to retain any of the instructions for future projects. It seemed as if the Almanac had nothing on offer for me. 

Elizabeth Zimmermann

Sunday 30 October 2011

A Rare Find - Stephen King Lecture at the University of Dayton (Ohio)



Aimless browsing on the web can sometimes uncover hidden treasures. The other day I came across a real gem for all Stephen King fans: A lecture by Stephen King at the University of Dayton (Ohio) from the deepest, darkest 1980s.

The complete talk is broken up into eight parts, includes a Q and A session at the end and, as a special treat, King reads his short story The Reach, which was later published in the short story collection Skeleton Crew (1985).

Being a Stephen King fan nerd, I enjoyed this immensely. Even though the quality of the video seems pretty poor at first sight, don't be put off. Picture and sound are surprisingly clear, once you have hit the play button.

As a "historical document", this is a must for every King fan - not just because of Mr King's caveman beard and the mid - lecture cigarette (those were the days...). As usual, uncle Stevie is hilariously funny and provides a considerable amount of insight into his writing process, especially when talking about the background and development of his novel Pet Sematary at the very end of the lecture.

This relic certainly deserves more than six thousand views on Youtube:




Wednesday 27 July 2011

To Kindle...or Not to Kindle

A pressing question...I know. With advertising for the Kindle as well as other e-Readers virtually everywhere, I have found myself thinking about the pros and cons, and, I am afraid, the answer is "No!" - I shan't be kindling, at least for the time being.

Having considered all of the advantages e - Readers have to offer, such as saving precious storage space, portability as well as access to rare and out - of - print books, I am still not convinced that e-Readers are the right route for me.

Thinking back to my time at university, my course required me to consult a wide variety of online publications. Confonted with the choice of reading them from the screen of my computer or printing them off, I always favoured the latter. I am aware that e - Readers should not be compared to simple PDF files and that the general reading experience is said to be akin to reading a printed text, but the similarities between the text display of an e-Reader and the text on a computer screen are all too obvious, at least for me. I feel that the screen separates the reader from the text and the text, stored in and displayed on an electronic device, somehow loses its physical presence. Perhaps it's just me, but apart from enjoying a good book, I also enjoy handling the book itself and, if applicable, being mesmerized by its cover art.

Deriving enjoyment from the handling of books comes in many different forms. Firstly, there is the aspect of having the physical books sitting on your shelf. Easily accessible and within reach whenever I want to pick them up. In my case they are grouped either by author or by genre. From time to time, it's necessary to clean the shelves and dust the books. When doing this, I often come across things I left behind amongst the pages. This could be as mundane as old bookmarks (or any type of flat object that could have served as a bookmark) or things that were tidied away as they were cluttering a space somewhere else, such as photos or greeting cards. I always feel that items stored in my books build a connection between myself and the book. This could be a photo or a train ticket, thus reminding me of a trip or the time in general when I read a certain book. Then there are second - hand books or charity shop books. Most of these have unique signs of wear or at least an indication of previous ownership, making the object all the more interesting. Compare this to the clinical sterility of an e-Reader.


Secondly, there is the aspect of cost. E - readers command a relatively high price tag. At this point, I usually calculate how many second - hand books I could purchase for the price of a Kindle, making an e-Reader a rather bad choice from a purely monetary point of view. The charity shops and second - hand book shops are full of cheap paperback copies. To "consume" these you are not required to purchase a specialist device. Just go in, choose a few books that interest you, part with a pittance and read for hours ever after. It really is as simple as that. Tying in with being stingy in general, I enjoy using my local library, especially for nonfiction, classics and foreign language novels. Even though it's only a small library, it's full of interesting titles, which are available for free, provided you do not let the fines mount up.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the proponents of e-Readers always highlight their portability. Portable they may be, especially when compared to a hardback, but I am not so sure whether an e - Reader would be suitable for the kind of journey I have in mind. I tend to read a lot of my books during my commute to and from work. Selected paperbacks are crammed in my handbag and get squashed by my lunchbox, umbrella and keys simultaneously. Now would I risk exposing my e-Reader to the carnage that goes on in my bag? I don't think so. Another downside is that e - Readers require charging. Now, I forget to charge my mobile phone on a regular basis and I am sure I would be faced with the same dilemma when owning an e - Reader. Tough. No charge - no reading time.

These are the main arguments that prevent me from making the jump into e-Reader ownership.  Perhaps one more is worth mentioning. As already discussed in other blog posts, I am a great fan of book cover art and illustration; and I fear that both will be threatened by the expansion of e-Readers. As an art form, both are generally under - valued and the craftsmanship of illustrators has traditionally not been sufficiently recognised. Removing the reader one step further from the physical experience of the book is likely to exacerbate the existing predicament of illustrators in particular and book illustration in general.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Judge A Book By Its Cover


Most book lovers also have an appreciation for cover art and, personally, I always find myself strangely drawn to the book covers of fantasy and science fiction novels. I am aware that this may not be to everyone's taste, but I - for one - enjoy looking at it.

I recently found a number of flickr groups paying tribute to cover art and cover artists. Whilst some might not see the point of photographing the covers of the books on your shelf and sharing these images with others, in my humble opinion it is a jolly good idea.

By no means representative, but nevertheless a first impression of what is on offer over at Flickr, here is a selection of book covers featuring in the group "Hi - Res Science Fiction Book Covers":

Idol Hands - A Rosco Little Adventure20,000 Leagues Under The SeaThe Gods Hate KansasBreakfast Of ChampionsRobert A. Heinlein - The Star BeastOrphans Of The Sky
After Many A Summer Dies The SwanThe Gods ThemselvesThe Rest Of The RobotsRed PlanetThe Killer ThingThe First Men In The Moon
The Island Of Dr. MoreauRobert A. Heinlein - Red PlanetOrson Scott Card - TreasonRobert A. Heinlein - Have Space Suit, Will TravelRobert J. Sawyer - End of an Era (Back)Robert J. Sawyer - End of an Era
Peter F. Hamilton - The Temporal VoidDan Simmons - HyperionDan Simmons - The Rise of EndymionDan Simmons - The Fall of HyperionLarry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - FootfallLarry Niven - Ringworld's Throne
And this is an overview for the "Books of Fantasy"  group


Rothfuss, Patrick - The Wise Man's Fear (2011 HB)The Official Marvel Comics Try-Out 1984Far West Vol. 1Fentasy ArtLegendary Creatures of Myth and Magicel descubrimiento de las brujas
Erikson, Steven - Reaper's Gale (2009 PB)AD&D 1st Ed. Oriental AdventuresBarry Windsor Smith Archives Conan Volume 1La historiadoraEl secreto de la isla de las ballenasA Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede
Just a few books . . . .Warding of the Witch World by Andre NortonImperial Lady by Andre Norton and Susan ShwartzFlight of Vengance by PM Griffin and Mary SchaulbThe Duke's Ballad by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchieAtlanis End Game by Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith
Ciara's Song  by Andre Norton  and Lyn McConchieDare to Go A Hunting by Andre NortonThud! by Terry PratchettThe Magestone by Andre Norton and Mary SchaubChildhood Favorites & TeaErikson, Steven - The Bonehunters (2008 PB)
Books of Fantasy, a group on Flickr.

These groups are just a taster for what is on offer - the perfect destination for an afternoon's browsing and to gather inspiration for your to - read - list.



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...