Another Look: “The Judas Hour”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: The Judas Hour, by Howard Hunt (Gold Medal, 1951); cover artist unidentified. Right: The Judas Hour, by Howard Hunt (Gold Medal, 1959), with a front painted by Charles Binger.

“Howard Hunt” is, of course, E. Howard Hunt (1918-2007). Although he later became infamous for participating in a 1972 break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Watergate Office Building (which earned him a three-year prison sentence), Hunt spent much of his career as an operative and officer in America’s Central Intelligence Agency. He also penned dozens of hard-boiled and espionage novels, many under pseudonyms such as Robert Dietrich, David St. John, and Gordon Davis.

Publisher Cutting Edge has reissued (in both print and Kindle versions) many of Hunt’s novels in recent years, including The Judas Hour.

READ MORE: “From Watergate with Love—Howard Hunt, the CIA Spy Who Wrote Fake 007 Novels” (Spyscape).

Another Look: “Striptease”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: Striptease, by Georges Simenon (Hamish Hamilton UK, 1958); with an altogether spectacular cover illustration by an unidentified artist. Right: Striptease, by Georges Simenon (Penguin, 1963); cover painting by Romek Marber.​

“Close-Up,” by Len Deighton

A plot synopsis for this eighth novel by British pastry chef-turned-editor-turned-author Len Deighton reads:

Ageing Hollywood star Marshall Stone is scared. Scared that the parts are drying up. Scared of being forgotten. So when he hears an eminent author is writing his biography, Stone seizes the chance of immortality. But painful memories and suppressed scandals soon threaten to destroy the carefully-constructed fiction of his life. Inspired by Len Deighton's own experiences of the film industry, Close-Up is a brilliant exposé of the sleaze, venality and betrayals of the studio machine.

The Cover-Up wrapper showcased above and below comes from a softcover edition published in 1973 by Signet Books. I like the artwork a great deal, but the identity of its painter seems lost to history. Even Tim Hewitt, the South Carolina former tech writer and paperback collector to whom I often turn for such answers, is stumped.

“I really wish I had a definitive answer on this one,” he wrote to me recently, “but no such luck. I’ve always been inclined to think it’s Elaine Duillo. It’s easily within her style and reminds me of her covers for the Ron Goulart ‘Johnny Easy’ books. But there’s some other quality about it that I can’t quite put my finger on that makes me think it could possibly be Sanjulián. (The shading on the woman’s body; the hard line separating her from the camera in the background; something intangible?)

“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to go on except feeling and impression. It’s too bad, because Close-Up is easily the best cover Len Deighton ever got, at least in the U.S.”

I guess we’ll just have to be content with the credit for this illustration being a mystery—at least for now.

Because I Needed a McCloy Fix …

Do Not Disturb, by Helen McCloy (Dell, 1948). Published originally in hardcover by William Morrow back in 1945, this mystery’s 1948 paperback edition was part of Dell Books’ famous “mapback” line. Cover artist unidentified.

Duck!

Left: The Nine Wrong Answers, by John Dickson Carr (Bantam, 1955). Wikipedia explains that this particularly clever whodunit, “first published in 1952, is a detective story by John Dickson Carr which does not feature any of his series detectives. It is an expansion of Carr's 1942 radio play ‘Will You Make a Bet With Death.” The cover artist is not identified, but betting is heavy that the Mitchell Hooks was behind this one.

Right: Brotherhood of Evil: The Mafia, by Frederic Sondern Jr. (Bantam, 1960). Originally published in 1959, this non-fiction work is described as a history of the well-known criminal organization that had its roots in Italy but extended its reach to the United States in the late 19th century—and of efforts (largely unsuccessful) to rein in both its power and influence. According to his 1966 New York Times obituary, author Sondern was “a roving editor for The Reader’s Digest, a war correspondent and a writer on crime and law-enforcement …” He’s said to have contributed more than 100 articles to Reader’s Digest. Sondern died of cancer in 1966 at age 55.

Unfortunately, I don’t know who painted the Sondern cover.

All Hands at the Ready

Give the Little Corpse a Great Big Hand, written by “George Bagby,” aka Aaron Marc Stein (Dell, 1955). This was the delightful fifth novel starring Inspector Schmidt of the New York Police Department and his sidekick and chronicler, George Bagby. The exquisite cover art was done by Victor Kalin.

Give the Boys a Great Big Hand, written by “Ed McBain,” aka Evan Hunter (Permabooks, 1961). This was the 11th entry in McBain’s acclaimed 87th Precinct series, set in Isola, a fictionalized version of New York City. Sadly, the cover illustration is not credited.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

The Web of Easter Island, by Donald Wandrei (Consul, 1961). Sadly, the cover art is uncredited.

A Merry Christmas to Us All!

A Holiday for Murder, by Agatha Christie (Avon, 1952).
Cover artist unidentified.

Another Look: “Stain of Suspicion”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: Stain of Suspicion, by Charles Williams (Pan, 1961). Right: Stain of Suspicion, by Charles Williams (Pocket, 1973). As Paperback Warrior explains, “Before Cosmopolitan was a women’s magazine dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of the female orgasm, it was a publication for the whole family featuring short fiction across several genres. In April 1958, Cosmopolitan ran a short story by crime-noir author Charles Williams titled ‘Stain of Suspicion.’ The story was later expanded into a full novel as Talk of the Town. Subsequent editions of the paperback reverted back to the original title.” Sadly, I don’t know who illustrated either of these beautiful covers.

The Rising Cost of Dying

One for the Money, by Elliott Chaze (Berkley Medallion, 1962), originally titled Black Wings Has My Angel; cover art by Charles Copeland. Two for the Money, by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime, 2004); cover illustration by Mark Texeira.


Three for the Money, by “Joe Barry,” aka Joe Barry Lake (Quinn Publishing/Handi-Book Mystery, 1950), the one and only novel featuring Chicago private eye Bill August; cover painting reportedly by Ernest Chiriacka. Four for the Money, by Dan J. Marlowe (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1966); cover artist unidentified.

Another Look: “Strip for Murder”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: Strip for Murder, by Richard S. Prather (Gold Medal, 1955); cover art by Frederic Varady. Right: Strip for Murder, by Richard S. Prather (Gold Medal, 1957); cover art by Barye Phillips.

Killer Covers at 10: “August Heat”

A decade in business, 12 months’ worth of paperback fronts.



August Heat, by Roger Allen (Midwood, 1962). Illustrator unidentified, though some sources credit this cover art to Robert Maguire. The back cover of August Heat can be seen here, while the same artwork, appearing on a later book—Lester Lake’s A Tender Bed (All Star, 1967)—is available here.

Killer Covers at 10: “The Two Faces of January”

A decade in business, 12 months’ worth of paperback fronts.



The Two Faces of January, by Patricia Highsmith (Pan, 1964). Cover illustration by Edward Mortelmans.

The Twelve Dames of Christmas, 2018: #12

Celebrating this festive season with brassy bombshells.



Dames Don’t Dictate, by “Ross Angel,” aka Donald Cresswell (Scion, 1953). Illustrator unidentified.

The Twelve Dames of Christmas, 2018: #6

Celebrating this festive season with brassy bombshells.



Four Men and a Dame, by Florence Stonebraker (Quarter Books, 1951). Illustrator unidentified.

(Hat tip to Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine.)

The Twelve Dames of Christmas, 2018: #5

Celebrating this festive season with brassy bombshells.



Dame on the Lam, by Johnny Dark (Milestone, 1953).
Illustrator unidentified.

The Twelve Dames of Christmas, 2018: #3

Celebrating this festive season with brassy bombshells.



Room and Dame, by Gerald Foster (Quarter Books, 1950). From the Vintage Paperback & Book Covers page on Facebook: “Word is that Gerald Foster was one of the many pseudonyms used by Peggy Dern, who we better know as Peggy Gaddis ... There is little revealed in the titles here as to why a male pen name may have been a market imperative. Perhaps it’s just to dilute this prolific author’s output and therefore not harm the bottom line. Much as we love to celebrate the covers … it’s called show business not show art.” Illustrator unidentified.

Favorite Finds: “Serenade”

Top vintage book fronts added to my collection in 2018.



Serenade, by James M. Cain (Bantam, 1968). While the cover artist is not identified, the best guess is it was William A. Edwards, who’s better recognized for creating the artwork for Bantam’s 1970s series of Hermann Hesse paperbacks.

Favorite Finds: “A Big Man, a Fast Man”

Top vintage book fronts added to my collection in 2018.



A Big Man, a Fast Man, by Benjamin Appel (Permabooks, 1962). Cover artist unidentified.

Another Look: “Fast One”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: Fast One, by “Paul Cain,” aka George Caryl Sims (Avon, 1952); cover art by Victor Olson. Right: Fast One (Fawcett Popular Library, 1980); cover illustrator unidentified.

READ MORE: “The Incomplete Cain,” by Boris Dralyuk (Los Angeles Review of Books).