Publication design has been a significant part of my career. My skills were honed in magazine art direction and book design for print, and as ebook technology matured, I added that to my toolbox as well. Some items here are experimental, others show my bent for vintage material.
And I’d be happy to work with you on your book in print, digital, or both.
If you’re new to ebooks and are mystified by the different devices and their formats, I make it easily understandable for you here.
eBook: The Beetle by Richard Marsh
While I was working on the eBook for The Jewel of Seven Stars, I came across The Beetle, first published in 1897, just a few years before Jewel. More importantly, it was released the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula, and rivalled it in popularity.
eBook: The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker
The original tale of the Egyptian mummy come back to life was written by Bram Stoker – the author of Dracula – and first published in 1903. The Jewel of Seven Stars owes much to the dramatics of Victorian theatre. Stoker 's professional life was as an acting and business manager in the theatre, and the first half of this book is devoted to the manners and formalities of late 19th century English culture.
The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual 2.0
In 1975, Franz Joseph’s Technical Manual was the perfect companion to his Enterprise blueprints. While there are more accurate sources now, these were two of the best items to have during the time after The Original Series went off the air and before the movies began.
Puss in Boots by Gordon Robinson
Puss in Boots was always one of my favourite childhood stories. It had a smart cat. In boots. I found this 1911 version illustrated by Gordon Robinson in a used book store a few years back. After the online presentation you'll have the option to download a PDF scan of the original.
eBook: Gene Roddenberry’s Spectre by Robert Weverka
Post-Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry made a series of pilots in the 1970s: Genesis II (1973), Planet Earth (1974), The Questor Tapes (1974) and Spectre (1977).
Fantastic Voyage Posters and Wallpapers
Fantastic Voyage was released in 1966. Well-written, imaginative and with a good cast, it was one of the better science fiction films of the 60s.
eBook: Dr. Syn · A Smuggler Tale of the Romney Marsh
Russell Thorndike created Doctor Syn for this, his first novel, published in 1915. A native of Romney Marsh in southeast England, he chose to base the book around real-life smuggling in the area in the late 18th century. Dr. Christopher Syn, an elderly parson, has his life turned upside down when His Majesty's government comes to Dymchurch-under-the-Wall to investigate that smuggling.
Dr. Syn alias the Scarecrow Novel Cover
In 1975, Disney decided to re-release Dr. Syn as a 75-minute feature film, and to tie into that, they commissioned Victoria Crume (aka Vic Crume) to write a novelisation of the film for young readers, something she had done before for other Disney properties and would do again.
Dr. Syn – The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh
Russell Thorndike's Doctor Syn first appeared in the novel of the same name in 1915, with six more novels following in the 1930s and 40s. The general public knows Syn from the 1964 Disney episodes starring Patrick McGoohan, but that's only one version of the story. The rest is worth looking at.
Ornament eBook
This one came to me with the design language set by Liz Boyer of Chalk. I completed the book layout and then converted it to ePUB and KF8/MOBI ebooks in a short turnaround to be ready for the Christmas market. I'm told it peaked at #14 on iTunes in the Biography & Memoirs category.
Pellucidar Covers by David B. Mattingly
In 1990, David B. Mattingly was commissioned by Del Rey/Ballantine Books to paint the covers for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar series. Mattingly delivered some very nice pieces that were unfortunately paired with some pretty overbearing typography. The age of coverlines had finally taken over.
John Carter of Mars Covers by Robert K. Abbett
In 1963, Robert K. Abbett was commissioned by Ballantine Books to paint the covers for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. 1965 saw the addition of John Carter of Mars as the 11th book, and Thuvia received a new cover in 1969. Abbett would also paint a Tarzan series of covers.
eBook: A Princess of Mars Cover by Frank E. Schoonover
One of the classic editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars is the first printing, published by A.C. McClurg & Co. in 1917. Frank E. Schoonover, a top illustrator of the day, painted the cover and interior plates. Schoonover was a student of the master Howard Pyle – as was NC Wyeth – and there are definite similarities between the artists.
John Carter of Mars Covers by Gino D’Achille
As I have said elsewhere, my first encounter with Edgar Rice Burroughs was in the elementary school library in 1974. I was nine and I saw The Chessmen of Mars with a cover painted in 1973 by Gino D'Achille.
Tarzan Covers by Neal Adams and Boris Vallejo
I have to credit Neal Adams for getting me to read my first Edgar Rice Burroughs' book – Tarzan of the Apes – in 1977. Having read his DC Comics work, Neal Adams was the epitome of what comics could be to a 12-year-old boy. That he did some of his best painting work on these covers for Ballantine in 1976 is what drew me to buy the book.
John Carter of Mars Covers by Michael Whelan
In 1979, Del Rey/Ballantine Books commissioned Michael Whelan to paint new covers for Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars novels, succeeding Gino D'Achille's 1973 series.
The Starlost Compendium
The Starlost was a television series that aired primarily on NBC in the U.S. and CTV in Canada during 1973. Created by Harlan Ellison – with technical details on the ship by Ben Bova – it was an early foray into Canadian-American co-production and syndication release.
eBook: When the Sky Fell
When the Sky Fell details a scientific theory about Earth crust displacement first put forth by Charles Hapgood, and expanded on by Rand and Rose Flem-Ath. Albert Einstein supported Hapgood's work. The theory also dovetails with Plato's description of the end of Atlantis, and the many flood myths in ancient literature. When the Sky Fell was first published in the 1990s, and I was at one point working on the updated version to be published as an ebook.
eBook: The Forbidden Manuscript
This book is in the vein of The DaVinci Code, and I chose to create the design for it as something more than an average mass-market item.
Assignment: Earth eBook
"Assignment: Earth" aired in the spring of 1968 as the last episode of the second season of the original Star Trek. It began, however, as a completely separate pilot script by Gene Roddenberry almost two years earlier.
eBook: John Carter of Mars · Return to Barsoom
I'm happy to announce the release of my first novel, Return to Barsoom, a modern look at Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars. Burroughs began his series of 11 books with A Princess of Mars in 1912, and ended with The Skeleton Men of Jupiter in 1942.
The Exploration of Space by Arthur C. Clarke
A few years ago, I approached a publisher of space books with the idea of producing a series of volumes that would reprint the most important texts of the space age. The publisher passed, citing it being outside their business model, and they weren't set up to work with outside designers. I still think it's a good idea.
The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
This is the third, and probably final, post about Tom Adams' paintings for the works of Raymond Chandler. Below is how The Lady in the Lake appeared when published. Adams left a quiet space at the top of each composition for the title and byline, and in those days that was all that was needed (no excessive marketing text).
eBook: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
My favourite novel was written by Philip K. Dick and first published in 1962. The Man in the High Castle won the 1962 Hugo award, the Oscars of science fiction, for best novel of the year.
The Great Detectives by Julian Symons & Tom Adams
A decade after painting covers for Raymond Chandler's stories and novels, Adams teamed up with crime novelist Julian Symons. This book was written as a "Whatever Happened to…" for famous fictional detectives. Symons gains an interview with the real 'Marlowe,' the one Chandler fictionalised.
James Bond : The 1960s Pan Covers and Raymond Hawkey
This stunning series of James Bond covers were the paperback presence of Ian Fleming's character during the height of its fame in the 1960s and the Sean Connery films. There were millions of copies printed so that by the time I started collecting in the late 70s/early 80s, these were still the most-common editions to be found, even though other cover designs had succeeded them.
Raymond Chandler Covers by Tom Adams
Tom Adams was one of the most accomplished cover artists of the latter half of the 20th century. He's better known for his long-running series of Agatha Christie book covers, but my favourites are the ones he did for the works of Raymond Chandler. These were the 1971 series of paperbacks from Ballantine Books. If Vintage Books (the current Chandler publisher) were to re-release these as oversized trade paperbacks, I'd buy the whole set.