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The Art of Robert E. McGinnis
A Modern Master
Robert E. McGinnis began his career in 1947 as a cartoonist, and produced his first cover illustrations for 1956 issues of the magazines True Detective and Master Detective. Then in 1958, he painted his first paperback book cover, and from that day forward his work was in demand.
The emergence of the “McGinnis Woman”—long-legged, intelligent, alluring, and enigmatic—established him as the go-to artist for detective novels. His work appeared on Mike Shayne titles and the Perry Mason series, and he produced 100 paintings for the Carter Brown adventures. Yet McGinnis became famous for his work in other genres as well: espionage, romance, historicals, gothics, and Westerns.
McGinnis’s first major magazine assignments were for The Saturday Evening Post, and his work has graced the pages of Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, and others. McGinnis women frequently cropped up in the men’s magazines of the ’60s and ’70s.
His first movie poster was for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with an iconic rendering of Audrey Hepburn. Almost instantly, his poster artwork could be seen everywhere—in theaters, on billboards, in newspapers, and even on soundtrack albums. His work for Hollywood became a who’s-who, with posters for James Bond, The Odd Couple, Woody Allen, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, and many more.
Some of his most ambitious works have been his gallery paintings, often depicting stunning American landscapes, vast Western vistas, and of course, beautiful women. The Art of Robert E. McGinnis collection reveals the full scope and beauty of the work of a true American master—one whose legacy continues today.
Robert E. McGinnis began his career in 1947 as a cartoonist, and produced his first cover illustrations for 1956 issues of the magazines True Detective and Master Detective. Then in 1958, he painted his first paperback book cover, and from that day forward his work was in demand.
The emergence of the “McGinnis Woman”—long-legged, intelligent, alluring, and enigmatic—established him as the go-to artist for detective novels. His work appeared on Mike Shayne titles and the Perry Mason series, and he produced 100 paintings for the Carter Brown adventures. Yet McGinnis became famous for his work in other genres as well: espionage, romance, historicals, gothics, and Westerns.
McGinnis’s first major magazine assignments were for The Saturday Evening Post, and his work has graced the pages of Cosmopolitan, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, Guideposts, and others. McGinnis women frequently cropped up in the men’s magazines of the ’60s and ’70s.
His first movie poster was for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with an iconic rendering of Audrey Hepburn. Almost instantly, his poster artwork could be seen everywhere—in theaters, on billboards, in newspapers, and even on soundtrack albums. His work for Hollywood became a who’s-who, with posters for James Bond, The Odd Couple, Woody Allen, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, and many more.
Some of his most ambitious works have been his gallery paintings, often depicting stunning American landscapes, vast Western vistas, and of course, beautiful women. The Art of Robert E. McGinnis collection reveals the full scope and beauty of the work of a true American master—one whose legacy continues today.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2014
About the author
Robert McGinnis
523 books15 followersRobert Edward McGinnis is an American artist and illustrator. McGinnis is known for his illustrations of more than 1,200 paperback book covers, and over 40 movie posters, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (his first film poster assignment), Barbarella, and several James Bond and Matt Helm films.
If this were an endurance contest, the 92-year-old McGinnis would win it hands down. He premiered as a paperback artist in 1958, and today—six decades on—his signature species of lissome, lovely, and flirtatious/commanding women continue to appear regularly on Hard Case Crime paperbacks. As a youth in Ohio, McGinnis was encouraged by his mother to take classes at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and after high school he became an apprentice animator for Walt Disney Studios. He went on to study at Ohio State University, and in 1953 moved to the New York City area, where he exploited a contact with Mitchell Hooks to secure his earliest assignments painting crime-novel fronts. Now a Connecticut resident, McGinnis has turned out well over 1,000 covers, including many for books by John D. MacDonald, Carter Brown, Edward S. Aarons, Erle Stanley Gardner, Brett Halliday, Ed McBain, and Max Allan Collins. However, he’s also illustrated dozens of movie posters, promoting everything from the James Bond films to Dean Martin’s Matt Helm flicks.
If this were an endurance contest, the 92-year-old McGinnis would win it hands down. He premiered as a paperback artist in 1958, and today—six decades on—his signature species of lissome, lovely, and flirtatious/commanding women continue to appear regularly on Hard Case Crime paperbacks. As a youth in Ohio, McGinnis was encouraged by his mother to take classes at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and after high school he became an apprentice animator for Walt Disney Studios. He went on to study at Ohio State University, and in 1953 moved to the New York City area, where he exploited a contact with Mitchell Hooks to secure his earliest assignments painting crime-novel fronts. Now a Connecticut resident, McGinnis has turned out well over 1,000 covers, including many for books by John D. MacDonald, Carter Brown, Edward S. Aarons, Erle Stanley Gardner, Brett Halliday, Ed McBain, and Max Allan Collins. However, he’s also illustrated dozens of movie posters, promoting everything from the James Bond films to Dean Martin’s Matt Helm flicks.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 21, 2014
For any fan of amazing book art. Mr. Mcginnis's work began to appear around 1947, and he is still actively painting today. The book starts of with a lengthy interview by author Art Scott. The accompanying text has McGinnis sharing his creative process, insights from his career and some stories behind the selected pieces of works.
Mcginnis painted a number of the covers for the Hard Case Crime line of books, a number of the Richard S. Prather "Shell Scott" books, many of the Mike Shayne paperbacks and many many more.
The beauty of this book are the reproduction of the art is often four times the size of a paperback book, some are double page reproductions. All are worth framing as they are reproduced without the printing of the title and blurbs.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in an amazing collection of masterful work. Perhaps the publishers will produce a volume two someday. I am not sure why it has taken this long to get a beautiful book like this into the world. In the previous collections the artwork was at best a quarter of the page and contained copies of the finished covers.
High praise to Titan Books for this wonderful creation.
Mcginnis painted a number of the covers for the Hard Case Crime line of books, a number of the Richard S. Prather "Shell Scott" books, many of the Mike Shayne paperbacks and many many more.
The beauty of this book are the reproduction of the art is often four times the size of a paperback book, some are double page reproductions. All are worth framing as they are reproduced without the printing of the title and blurbs.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in an amazing collection of masterful work. Perhaps the publishers will produce a volume two someday. I am not sure why it has taken this long to get a beautiful book like this into the world. In the previous collections the artwork was at best a quarter of the page and contained copies of the finished covers.
High praise to Titan Books for this wonderful creation.
February 3, 2019
The art of Robert E. McGinnis goes way beyond the well known pulp covers of Carter Brown, Perry Mason, and Mike Shayne, with the renowned illustrator having produced work for film posters and advertisements (James Bond, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Barbarella to name a few), western landscapes, National Geographic pieces, Gothic romance book covers, and gallery art.
This coffee table book captures McGinnis' varied and detailed art in all its glory to form a well rounded and beautiful rendition of the prolific artist's work across the decades with many well known and obscure illustrations collected alongside interviews and interesting factoids.
My rating: 5/5 stars. Chances are, if you've read a pulp or a Gothic romance/horror, you've laid eyes on one of Robert E. McGinnis' cover illustrations. This book is a must have for any fan of cover art.
This coffee table book captures McGinnis' varied and detailed art in all its glory to form a well rounded and beautiful rendition of the prolific artist's work across the decades with many well known and obscure illustrations collected alongside interviews and interesting factoids.
My rating: 5/5 stars. Chances are, if you've read a pulp or a Gothic romance/horror, you've laid eyes on one of Robert E. McGinnis' cover illustrations. This book is a must have for any fan of cover art.
January 18, 2019
For lovers of throwback historical and gothic romances, vintage pulpy reads and spy thrillers, or old movies and magazines, the name Robert McGinnis might be familiar. But if it isn't, then his works of art surely are. I consider McGinnis, along with H. Tom Hall and Elaine Duillo, as the holy triumvirate of old-school pulp-gothic-romance cover illustrators, although who is the best is greatly debated.
The Art of Robert McGinnis is a glorious book depicting hundreds of beautiful McGinnis images. Born in 1926, McGinnis has spent over 70 years of his life creating book covers for almost every genre, movie posters, magazine illustrations, portraits, etc., and has worked almost exclusively in Tempera paints.
After the paperback was introduced into the US by Pocket Books in 1939, the business model was for tasteful illustrations, and chic graphic design, almost like mini hardcovers. When other publishers like Dell and Fawcett began producing their own paperbacks, they appealed to a more pulp/comic-book oriented market. McGinnis's art was tailor-made for these kinds of books, especially the hardboiled mysteries.
He started with covers for characters Mike Shane, Perry Mason, and Carter Brown, then grew into spy thrillers, like James Bond, and eventually entered the romance genre.
It was a logical choice, as McGinnis had a talent for depicting the feminine form in a most erotic fashion (as well as males). He started in Gothics, and then soon became the first Bodice ripper illustrator for works by Kathleen E.Woodiwss, like
and
.
But he became super notorious for his Johanna Lindsey covers, starting with
which began a rage of naked men covers, where the hero would wear less clothing than the heroine. I loved that cover and remember sketching it over and over as a young teen. Supposedly, he painted this one where both hero and heroine were nude and had to cover up the heroine as an afterthought. No matter, I always thought the sight of those pale, naked men’s thighs as one of the most arousing things I’d ever seen. I eternally prefer them the to jacked up naked chests that inundate so many modern covers.
McGinnis’s cover for Lindsey’s
was hugely controversial, with many stores refusing to sell the book. Stickers had to be sent to booksellers to cover up the hero’s naked butt. (It does look like the hero is giving the heroine a gold ole titty bang, doesn’t it?)
Other famous books McGinnis illustrated, besides Gothics and Bodice Rippers, were epics like The Clan of the Cave Bear, Mandalay and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood which required extravagant wraparound covers in intimate detail.
Whatever modern art enthusiasts may have to say about McGinnis, there is no denying that he adored the female form. “The McGinnis woman” was plastered on hundreds of covers. Lawrence Block of the NY Times notes on the back of The Art of Robert McGinnis “[He] can paint anything-- a movie poster, a western landscape--and draw you in. But when he paints a woman, he makes you fall in love.”
“The McGinnis Woman is a mix of a Greek goddess and man-eating Ursula Andress. While today she might be interpreted as a sex object or adornment, she was conceived, in her day, to represent the empowered woman. In fact, the McGinnis Woman possesses a whirling narrative force all her own, a perfumed cyclone of sexuality, savvy, mystery, and danger. She also sells books—lots and lots of books.” (Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017...)
Besides his hundreds of book covers, McGinnis is responsible for famous movie posters such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Odd Couple,” “Barbarella,” blaxploitation films, and, most famously, the James Bond films.
Personally, I’m a Roger Moore fan (Of course I would be) and I like this one from “Live and Let Die,” although McGinnis's representation of Jane Seymour as Solitaire is a bit off.
Some of my favortites:
The Girl Who Cried Wolf:
Judith:
Cotton Comes to Harlem:
As Old as Cain: (The woman is depicted after Goldie Hawn, the man after James Coburn. Can you tell?)
And this is McGinnis’s personal favorite picture:
A Cat with No Name:
Don’t be fooled by the raunchy pictures and book covers, McGinnis also has a fine eye for land and seascapes and personal portraits, as he painted Princess Diana as well.
I enjoy art, but I’m certainly no expert on it. I see what I like and know I like it. For me, Robert McGinnis is a genius of the 20th century, and hopefully, his legacy will live on for ages to come.
5 stars
The Art of Robert McGinnis is a glorious book depicting hundreds of beautiful McGinnis images. Born in 1926, McGinnis has spent over 70 years of his life creating book covers for almost every genre, movie posters, magazine illustrations, portraits, etc., and has worked almost exclusively in Tempera paints.
After the paperback was introduced into the US by Pocket Books in 1939, the business model was for tasteful illustrations, and chic graphic design, almost like mini hardcovers. When other publishers like Dell and Fawcett began producing their own paperbacks, they appealed to a more pulp/comic-book oriented market. McGinnis's art was tailor-made for these kinds of books, especially the hardboiled mysteries.
He started with covers for characters Mike Shane, Perry Mason, and Carter Brown, then grew into spy thrillers, like James Bond, and eventually entered the romance genre.
It was a logical choice, as McGinnis had a talent for depicting the feminine form in a most erotic fashion (as well as males). He started in Gothics, and then soon became the first Bodice ripper illustrator for works by Kathleen E.Woodiwss, like
and
.But he became super notorious for his Johanna Lindsey covers, starting with
which began a rage of naked men covers, where the hero would wear less clothing than the heroine. I loved that cover and remember sketching it over and over as a young teen. Supposedly, he painted this one where both hero and heroine were nude and had to cover up the heroine as an afterthought. No matter, I always thought the sight of those pale, naked men’s thighs as one of the most arousing things I’d ever seen. I eternally prefer them the to jacked up naked chests that inundate so many modern covers. 
McGinnis’s cover for Lindsey’s
was hugely controversial, with many stores refusing to sell the book. Stickers had to be sent to booksellers to cover up the hero’s naked butt. (It does look like the hero is giving the heroine a gold ole titty bang, doesn’t it?)
Other famous books McGinnis illustrated, besides Gothics and Bodice Rippers, were epics like The Clan of the Cave Bear, Mandalay and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood which required extravagant wraparound covers in intimate detail.
Whatever modern art enthusiasts may have to say about McGinnis, there is no denying that he adored the female form. “The McGinnis woman” was plastered on hundreds of covers. Lawrence Block of the NY Times notes on the back of The Art of Robert McGinnis “[He] can paint anything-- a movie poster, a western landscape--and draw you in. But when he paints a woman, he makes you fall in love.”
“The McGinnis Woman is a mix of a Greek goddess and man-eating Ursula Andress. While today she might be interpreted as a sex object or adornment, she was conceived, in her day, to represent the empowered woman. In fact, the McGinnis Woman possesses a whirling narrative force all her own, a perfumed cyclone of sexuality, savvy, mystery, and danger. She also sells books—lots and lots of books.” (Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017...)
Besides his hundreds of book covers, McGinnis is responsible for famous movie posters such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Odd Couple,” “Barbarella,” blaxploitation films, and, most famously, the James Bond films.
Personally, I’m a Roger Moore fan (Of course I would be) and I like this one from “Live and Let Die,” although McGinnis's representation of Jane Seymour as Solitaire is a bit off.
Some of my favortites:
The Girl Who Cried Wolf:
Judith:
Cotton Comes to Harlem:
As Old as Cain: (The woman is depicted after Goldie Hawn, the man after James Coburn. Can you tell?)
And this is McGinnis’s personal favorite picture:
A Cat with No Name:
Don’t be fooled by the raunchy pictures and book covers, McGinnis also has a fine eye for land and seascapes and personal portraits, as he painted Princess Diana as well.
I enjoy art, but I’m certainly no expert on it. I see what I like and know I like it. For me, Robert McGinnis is a genius of the 20th century, and hopefully, his legacy will live on for ages to come.
5 stars
February 11, 2017
Aparte de la excelente selección de ilustraciones y la cuidada edición, fue muy interesante porque ahondaba de un modo muy ameno en las diferentes etapas que fue atravesando McGinnis a lo largo de su carrera. Recomendado para cualquiera que tenga interés en el arte y la ilustración.
March 26, 2015
This has either convinced me to try my hand at painting again, or to give up on art entirely. Haven't decided. This is just absolutely stunning work.
February 10, 2021
Bob McGinnis drew stunningly glamorous women for the cover of hundreds of crime and mystery novels like no other. Long before I had even heard of his name I had been fascinated by some of his work on novels I owned. This glorious coffee table book with wonderful reproductions of his work (and also including his Wild West, Gothic Romance, Film Poster and Landscape art) is now gracing my shelves and keeps reminding me that I may need to make more of a concerted effort to collect more of the paperbacks featuring his cover art.
January 31, 2019
This is a great collection and overview of the work of famed illustrator Robert McGinnis. McGinnis is well-known for his movie posters, paperback covers and much more. The art speaks for itself, as this book is light on biographical details and deeper creative insights. But that's not really an issue, as the artist's work is absorbing and incredible.
As with many other collections of artists' commercial art, this book isn't an exhaustive collection of all his work--and it is somewhat notable that there isn't a more complete collection of his James Bond movie posters and paperback covers in this book. Because of that, the overall presentation seems just a little thinner than I'd like, but that might be the completist in me speaking.
As with many other collections of artists' commercial art, this book isn't an exhaustive collection of all his work--and it is somewhat notable that there isn't a more complete collection of his James Bond movie posters and paperback covers in this book. Because of that, the overall presentation seems just a little thinner than I'd like, but that might be the completist in me speaking.
July 13, 2016
McGinnis is an incredible artist. This book manages to give a history of the period the work was done without getting in the way of the art. That's pretty much the perfect way to have an art book. McGinnis painted book covers prolifically, gaining the most fame for his pulp and romance covers. He also did movie posters, the, arguably, most iconic being "Breakfast at Tiffany's." He also did many James Bond posters. He later painted for magazines like "Saturday Evening Post," "Good Housekeeping," and many others. Now (yes, as of the publication of this book he is still painting) he paints for himself. And these paintings are breathtaking. Well-worth reading for the visual feast.
April 19, 2023
I’ve got quite a few art books featuring a variety of artists and illustrators. This is a recent acquisition to add to that visual library – published by Titan Books in 2014, text by (appropriately) Art Scott.
McGinnis has been around a long time, born in 1926, and has produced a remarkably varied body of work, whether featuring femmes fatales, heroic characters from history, stunning scenery, animals and transport, he is a master of all.
Sumptuous illustrations, the majority in full colour, are featured in a number of sections: Seven decades of McGinnis book covers; the movies (posters etc); magazine illustrations (The Saturday Evening Post, Men’s magazines and National Geographic; McGinnis’s West; Gallery art, mostly nudes; and Landscapes.
There’s a four-page introduction, an interview covering another four pages, then each pictorial section is introduced briefly.
If you appreciate good art, then this is a book for you.
McGinnis has been around a long time, born in 1926, and has produced a remarkably varied body of work, whether featuring femmes fatales, heroic characters from history, stunning scenery, animals and transport, he is a master of all.
Sumptuous illustrations, the majority in full colour, are featured in a number of sections: Seven decades of McGinnis book covers; the movies (posters etc); magazine illustrations (The Saturday Evening Post, Men’s magazines and National Geographic; McGinnis’s West; Gallery art, mostly nudes; and Landscapes.
There’s a four-page introduction, an interview covering another four pages, then each pictorial section is introduced briefly.
If you appreciate good art, then this is a book for you.
April 23, 2022
I think that it is safe to say that no one draws more interesting women than Robert McGinnis. He is able to capture the subtleties and manners in a way which no else seems capable of. And while he is certainly known for his gorgeous paintings of women, he is certainly not a one trick pony. Many people will be more familiar with his paintings for the James Bond series of movie posters.
And if book covers and movie posters aren’t enough, he has also done excellent work for magazines on various topics, further expanding upon his artistic mastery. One of the more interesting aspects of his work is that he works primarily in an egg tempera medium and not oils or gouache. His muted tones add to the atmosphere of his work.
The range of the works is highly inspirational, and for the non-artist, a collection of incredible pieces to relax to and enjoy!
And if book covers and movie posters aren’t enough, he has also done excellent work for magazines on various topics, further expanding upon his artistic mastery. One of the more interesting aspects of his work is that he works primarily in an egg tempera medium and not oils or gouache. His muted tones add to the atmosphere of his work.
The range of the works is highly inspirational, and for the non-artist, a collection of incredible pieces to relax to and enjoy!
December 27, 2021
“I’m not a ‘western artist’, but I share the fascination for that brief period of history termed ‘the wild west’. Having been born too late to experience it firsthand, I’ve lived it all vicariously and enjoyed every moment”
Some of the best pulp paperback fiction covers I have ever seen. My favourite cover artist for hard case crime led me to get this beauty for Christmas. Really stunning work. I was surprised by how good his western / landscape works are. Some of them are so realistic I had to check to make sure they weren’t photographs. Wonderful commentary and history from art scott for each chapter of the book covering different periods in the artist’s career
“Man, she had a shape to make corpses kick open caskets - and she was dead set on giving me rigor mortis”
Some of the best pulp paperback fiction covers I have ever seen. My favourite cover artist for hard case crime led me to get this beauty for Christmas. Really stunning work. I was surprised by how good his western / landscape works are. Some of them are so realistic I had to check to make sure they weren’t photographs. Wonderful commentary and history from art scott for each chapter of the book covering different periods in the artist’s career
“Man, she had a shape to make corpses kick open caskets - and she was dead set on giving me rigor mortis”
April 20, 2020
The art is, of course, stunning. The text commentary is interesting and well written. My only quibble is that quite frequently the text will refer to a specific painting, and although the painting in question is reproduced somewhere in the book, it's not on the same spread as the text, or even anywhere near it, meaning you have to do a lot of leafing backwards and forwards trying to marry up the two. Therefore, it would have benefited from either (a) cross-references to the page an illustration is shown on each time it is mentioned, or (b) some sort of index of titles at the back.
July 15, 2018
This is a well designed art book full of reproductions of paperback covers by Robert McGinnis. I've admired his movie poster designs (James Bond-You Only Live Twice), his paperback covers for Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason books, and his illustrations in 60's magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. I did not know that he did romance covers later in his careers, or that he's currently doing landscape painting. This book is mainly pictures, organized by category, but the introduction and interview with the artists are excellent.
January 29, 2024
Fascinating life of an amazing artist, it was fun going through his work and looking up trailers and references for the old 60s and 70s movies and books, the man was talented. And very funny how he loved drawing nude portraits but didn't want to sign his name because he didn't want to be associated with them after thinking of his small town life and parents with conservative beliefs. It was endearing.
June 5, 2021
One of the classic commercial American illustrators, McGinnis is also an outstanding fine art painter, still active and productive in his elderly years. Heavily influenced by Andrew Wyeth. His interpretation of feminine ideal is strong, confident, effortlessly sexy and knows what she wants. No shrinking violets here. Wonderful book.
December 5, 2022
The pulp and Americana style is amazing. Some of the best. The words are light and kind regarding McGinnis. It might have been nice to have more critique of someone whose work is a specific view of femininity of (mostly) white women through a white male gaze. It's noted that he turned down Playboy because he found the style of women too "Zaftig, tan and young." Great coffee table book.
June 5, 2023
In reviewing this book, the question is not whether or not the work of Robert McGinnis is worthy of a high quality collection (because it most certainly is), but rather is this collection worthy of the master’s work? I’m pleased to report that it definitely is! This oversized hardcover is comprised of many great examples of his pulpy book covers, well designed movie posters, magnificent magazine work, and gorgeous gallery work of vast vistas and luscious landscapes. All printed on high quality paper and features some informative text about some of the stories behind the art.
August 27, 2018
Just a gorgeous deluxe hardcover book collecting the work of the master of paperback covers. You may not have known of him but you've probably seen his art in book covers or movie posters from the previous century.
February 17, 2018
I loved this book
i loved its world ... !
so brilliant
i loved its world ... !
so brilliant
February 13, 2022
Excellent introduction to McGinnis. Its information is comprehensive without being burdensome. The reprints of his art are first rate — the size and detailing are just right.
August 26, 2022
This all started because of a little movie titled "Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang." Little did I know how much beautiful work Mr. McGinnis has done over the years.
April 3, 2023
McGinnis, man. Unbelievable how talented that guy is.
This is a great coffee table book with lots of large reproductions from all across the spectrum of his career: detective novel covers, a wide variety of magazines, movie posters, personal work. And of course text describing McGinnis' career and quotes from the artist himself.
This is a great coffee table book with lots of large reproductions from all across the spectrum of his career: detective novel covers, a wide variety of magazines, movie posters, personal work. And of course text describing McGinnis' career and quotes from the artist himself.
July 23, 2023
An excellent examination of the history and works of paperback cover and poster illustrator Robert E McGinnis. A lavishly illustrated treat.
May 9, 2022
Fans of Robert E McGinnis' art will be delighted with this book. And those who don't know who the hell this artist is will be surprised by his stunning work...
McGinnis started his career early in 1947. However he didn't start painting paperback covers until 1958. But after he started, he has painted over a thousand of them, on top of other illustrations he has created for movies and magazines. He is one of the great modern illustrators who is as inspiring as Frank Frazetta, Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth, Coby Whitmore, and Drew Struzan.
This 176-page hardcover features over six decades worth of awesome work. The paper quality used is low gloss and reproduction quality is fantastic. (Yes, he is still alive and working today!)
You'll get to see the cover art that has adorned paperback titles of the past, iconic movie posters such as for Breakfast at Tiffany's and James Bond, works for various magazines, his personal paintings, Western and contemporary landscapes. Among which you'll see the many sexy 'McGinnis women'. His style, sense of aesthetics and colours are amazing. It reminded me of my early teen years when I used to sneak to read my Dad's western and detective pulp paperbacks and just stare at the cover art.
McGinnis shares his creative process, insights from his career and some stories behind the selected pieces of works. He talks about elaborate wraparound art that require meticulous research and extensive model shoots, movie posters that require countless iterations, paintings for men's magazines where he did not want to be associated with, and other interesting stuff.
Most of the time, the artworks are reproduced in their raw form without typography. Even when actual book covers are used, the art is not covered up because McGinnis had taken into account the space for the book titles and other text elements. Breathtakingly badass! McGinnis is the kind of painter that I look at and go "Wow! I wish I could paint corduroy pants like that!"
The only thing wrong with this book is it isn't labeled "Volume 1"....it left me wanting more.
Highly recommended. Two retro-kool thumbs up!
McGinnis started his career early in 1947. However he didn't start painting paperback covers until 1958. But after he started, he has painted over a thousand of them, on top of other illustrations he has created for movies and magazines. He is one of the great modern illustrators who is as inspiring as Frank Frazetta, Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth, Coby Whitmore, and Drew Struzan.
This 176-page hardcover features over six decades worth of awesome work. The paper quality used is low gloss and reproduction quality is fantastic. (Yes, he is still alive and working today!)
You'll get to see the cover art that has adorned paperback titles of the past, iconic movie posters such as for Breakfast at Tiffany's and James Bond, works for various magazines, his personal paintings, Western and contemporary landscapes. Among which you'll see the many sexy 'McGinnis women'. His style, sense of aesthetics and colours are amazing. It reminded me of my early teen years when I used to sneak to read my Dad's western and detective pulp paperbacks and just stare at the cover art.
McGinnis shares his creative process, insights from his career and some stories behind the selected pieces of works. He talks about elaborate wraparound art that require meticulous research and extensive model shoots, movie posters that require countless iterations, paintings for men's magazines where he did not want to be associated with, and other interesting stuff.
Most of the time, the artworks are reproduced in their raw form without typography. Even when actual book covers are used, the art is not covered up because McGinnis had taken into account the space for the book titles and other text elements. Breathtakingly badass! McGinnis is the kind of painter that I look at and go "Wow! I wish I could paint corduroy pants like that!"
The only thing wrong with this book is it isn't labeled "Volume 1"....it left me wanting more.
Highly recommended. Two retro-kool thumbs up!
December 11, 2014
As an illustrator, I have always been intoxicated with McGinnis' work. From his pulp inspired portraits to his bleak earth toned landscapes of the West. This book covers it all. Not just the most popular covers, but over 70 years of some of the best illustration ever made. Art Scott has compiled a great collection of images showcasing McGinnis' breadth, artist interviews and synopses of each era in the artist's work. This is an incredible art book for any fan of beautiful women, pulp art, and amazing American illustration.
December 13, 2014
Simply astonishing. Man can this guy paint.
January 1, 2015
I was primarily familiar with his pulp novel covers and movie posters, but this was a very cool overview of a very cool illustrator/artist.
August 5, 2015
Any fan of his is an idiot for not scraping together the $18 (Amazon price) to own this gorgeous hardback edition.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews