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Science Fiction - An Illustrated History
(1978 - Grosset & Dunlap)

[-BELOW THE LINE-] (by Sam J. Lundwall) Disappointing, as far as the 'illustrated' part goes. This 208-page book has just too many pages given to SF media photographs and color book & periodical covers exhibited instead as black-&-white. There *are* 16 color pages, each presenting a full-page cover, flyer, or poster, and then another 45 pages that could be said to feature a drawing, or an originally grey-scale work, even if sharing those pages with some of the text. Finally, there is another 14 pages that each have two, or more, such works. Among all that are nine pieces that extend over the central gutter, but most of them negotiate that 'o.k.' I've seen it said that more than anything else, this book gives significant exposure to the science fiction phenomenon that developed outside the English-speaking nations. I'd have to agree with that and credit this endeavor with showing works not seen in this country before then, but in the very next breath complain about the lack of focus on identifying the artists behind them. Anyway, those known artists seen to be 'well-presented' here are: Hans Arnold, Léon Benett (2), Aldo Brassnutti, Howard V. Brown, Johnny Bruck, Carlos Maria Ferderici, Virgil Finlay (2), Jean Giraud (Moebius), Jean-Jacques Grandville, Fred T. Jane, Eddie Jones, Leo Morey, Palle Nielsen, Frank R. Paul (2), Storm Pederson, Alex Raymond, Albert Robida (6), Charles Schneeman (2), Sidney Sime, Helmut Wenske, Wesso, Stanley Wood, and UNKNOWN ARTIST (23).