| I'm sure that a lot of young people today are beginning | | | | who obtained jacket art and design from the same |
| to discover written science fiction, as opposed to | | | | agencies that provided it for the other fiction in their line, |
| movie and TV SF, much as I did when I was a | | | | the specialty publishers built their list of artists for their |
| teenager. They may not be aware of an interesting | | | | illustrated books from names the fans were used to |
| and endearing phenomenon people my age | | | | seeing in the pulp magazines and amateur |
| experienced in the 1950s and '60s, that of the specialty | | | | journals.Hannes Bok provided excellent painted covers |
| press publisher of science fiction.I started buying | | | | for Skull Face And Others and the House on the |
| Astounding SF in 1957, and before long I was seeing | | | | Borderland, both issued by Arkham House, The Titan |
| ads for books from Gnome Press, Shasta Publishers, | | | | from Fantasy Press, and for John Campbell's Who |
| Fantasy Press, etc. I think the names themselves clued | | | | Goes There? from Shasta.Edd Cartier had the covers |
| me in to the fact that they were uniquely oriented to | | | | for I, Robot, Foundation and Empire and Cosmic |
| the SF field, but I had no idea that most of them were | | | | Engineers from Gnome Press, and a sinister Dr. Lell |
| one or two-man operations.No idea, that is, until I | | | | with an hourglass for Masters of Time from Fantasy |
| ordered something that was out of print, and got a | | | | Press.Ric Binkley, not the biggest fan favorite, |
| postcard about it, hastily typed and signed by Martin M. | | | | nevertheless turned in a very satisfactory series of |
| Greenberg, publisher of Gnome Press! Imagine ordering | | | | covers and chapter headings for the Doc Smith books |
| something from Doubleday and Co. and the chairman | | | | about Kimball Kinnison and for others such as John |
| of the board drops you a line, "Gee, Billy, I don't think | | | | Campbell's The Black Star Passes.And every Avalon |
| we have any more of those, we'll have to give your | | | | book I've ever seen has a cover by Ed |
| four dollars back. How's your folks?"It seems certain | | | | Emshwiller.Fiction wasn't the only thing produced by the |
| that the first and longest lasting of these publishers | | | | specialty publishers. Advent, for example, was primarily |
| was Arkham House, founded as a venue to present | | | | known for its books about science fiction: critiques, |
| the work of H. P. Lovecraft in a more permanent form | | | | memoirs, concordances, SF history, etc. This has |
| than the pulp magazines in which he first appeared. | | | | served a valuable function in helping fans, old and new, |
| Arkham went on to publish other Weird Tales authors | | | | to keep in touch with the field and to appreciate its |
| like August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. | | | | history.The era of the science fiction specialty publisher |
| Howard, Robert Block, Greye La Spina, etc., but they | | | | has pretty much passed. Fantasy Press, Shasta |
| also made infrequent forays into the world of science | | | | Publishers, Gnome Press, FPCI, Prime Press, these are |
| fiction with outstanding books like A. E. van Vogt's | | | | all gone. But limited editions are still being produced, and |
| Slan.Fantasy Press did as much for Edward E. Smith | | | | will continue to be issued by enthusiasts who decry |
| Ph.D. as Arkham did for Lovecraft, and Smith was still | | | | the fact that wonderful pieces of imaginative fiction |
| alive to appreciate quality hardcover publication. They | | | | and art are lying ignored by businesses whose prime |
| issued books from his classic Skylark and Lensman | | | | motivation must always be determined by the bottom |
| series, and Spacehounds of IPC, in very interesting and | | | | line.It's a matter of personal pride that I was fortunate |
| attractive volumes with a small illustration embellishing | | | | enough to be asked to design a couple of dust jackets |
| the initial letter in each chapter. Even when the major | | | | for Arkham House in the 1970s. I wound up investing |
| publishers began science fiction programs, they | | | | far more time in the planning and execution of these |
| weren't doing anything like this.Probably most of the | | | | than the money involved might justify. But I think |
| major serials from Astounding during John W. | | | | sometimes the nature of the work is its own |
| Campbell's tenure as editor achieved hardcover | | | | justification.Joe Wehrle, Jr. is a writer, illustrator and |
| publication. In addition, many of the better serials and | | | | science fiction fan. His first professional work was for |
| short stories from other publications were collected, as | | | | Galaxy and IF magazines. He attended the now |
| well as a number or originals which had never seen | | | | legendary first Clarion Science Fiction/Fantasy |
| print in the magazines.And unlike the major publishers | | | | Workshop in 1968. |