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