Attention, Earthlings! This is Captain Blastoff, coming to you from the Galaxy Gallery in the future, talking about a great popular art form of the past: Cheap Science Fiction Book Covers!
I used to have the “Ace Single” version of The Souix Spaceman by Andre Norton, in the 70s and I was happy to find and read it again, especially since I happened to unearth it in the form of another Ace Double Book treasure with a cover by Ed Valigursky.
Ms. Norton is high in my pantheon of classic Sci-Fi writers. She often champions the causes of tribal cultures. From what I understand she’s got a bit of Native American in her. We are so lucky that she born when she was and wrote wonderful fiction like this tale instead of being in the casino business…
My only disappointment is that Astro-Indian Kade Whitehawk only wore the red tunic you see on the cover, in the book. No mention was made of that really eye-catching, Hawkman style bird hat! I can envision a great scene where an evil alien Styor jumps him from behind, only to have his eyes poked by the stiff primaries feathers of those prominent wings! REALLY “eye-catching!” A funky, feathered fashion statement that serves to protect ones’ back! But be careful about turning suddenly in close quarters; You could poke a hole behind you, in the wall of your space-teepee!
“Side B” of my fabulous flip book had And the Town Took Off by Richard Wilson, who won and/or was nominated for a few Nebula Awards back in the day. Wow, a whole town floatin’ ’round! This beats Up, huh? It’s also got the cold war, a mayor who proclaims himself king and outer space kangaroos who have tried Australia but settled on levitating Superior, Wisconsin…
A town in Wisconsin? I really think they should have picked a burg in oHIo. Get it? Get it?
This has been Captain Blastoff, ending transmission.
Hahahaha — what a hat…
I wonder if the second cover of Norton’s work is by the same artist as Frank Herbert’s Soul Catcher (1972) (a horrendous novel — if you haven’t read it don’t go out of your way to find it)…. However, I must admit, Herbert is continuing some of the same themes he explored with the Fremen in Dune by replacing them with Native Americans so it’s slightly interesting (maybe — not really)…
What is the artist of the second Norton cover? The initials of my copy of Soul Catcher read W D in a large B surrounded by a square (I think…)
The style of the later “Indian-with-a-rocket-on his-face” cover DOES look familiar, but I can’t place it. Then again, it’s more generic, so maybe that accounts for the “familiar” feel. The initials you mentioned aren’t ringing a bell right now. And this cover artist doesn’t seemed to be credited on the web anywhere I’ve found.
The earlier “Bird Hat” version wasn’t credited in the front of the Ace Double Book, like cover art sometimes is by that company. I found it on a website devoted to Ms. Norton.
By the 70s, the cover credits got to be more common in SF/F novels, but a lot of these great old ones are a challenge to find the name of the artist responsible.
So, cover art is sometimes by company…. I wish I knew more about the “business” of sci-fi writing and art…