FRANK R. PAUL: FATHER OF SCIENCE FICTION ART

"Born in 1884, Frank R. Paul was slated to study for the priesthood; instead, he studied art and architectural and mechanical drafting. The impact of these studies are evident in his brilliant and original science-fiction artwork. 

In 1914 Paul met Hugo Gernsback and began illustrating for Gernsback's Electrical Experimenter and Science and Invention. By 1926 when Gernsback's Amazing Stories was born Paul was ready: a talented calligrapher, Paul not only created the magazine's famed comet logo, but also the front cover painting and all of the interior black and white illustrations. Subsequently, over the span of his career, Paul was to paint over 200 published sci-fi covers and in excess of 1,000 black and white interiors. 

To say that Frank R. Paul is the father of science-fiction illustration is an understatement: his fertile imagination, amply demonstrated by the paintings and drawings in this book, speak for themselves and his legacy continues to influence the field today. 

Here, in this giant compendium, is the very first collection ever published showcasing many of Paul's full-color science-fiction artwork along with appreciations and critical essays by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and by Stephen Korshak; Jerry Weist and Roger Hill; Sam Moskowitz; Gerry de la Ree; Forrest J. Ackerman; and Frank Wu."

Artwork for Life On Neptune, from the back cover of Fantastic Adventures,
March 1940.

Cover painting from Science Fiction, December 1939 depicting
Planet Of The Knob-Heads by Stanton A. Coblentz.

The book erroneously credits the above painting as appearing on the cover of Wonder Stories, June 1931, in fact it appeared on the cover of Science Fiction, December 1939.