Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - the Seven Agate Devils - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - the Seven Agate Devils - 1973

by Kenneth Robeson / Lester Dent  (1936 / 1973)
the story with the chicken necked... two tooth man.
Average story by Dent. Great Cover by Pfeiffer.

Fred turns in brilliance for his 6th Doc Savage offering.
Doc is depicted as a much deeper character than the
normal statue against evil. Fred varies from the
formula a little and reminds us that Doc Savage has
that protean genius along with the superhuman strength.
Fred more than once showed Doc Savage in deep thought.
and somewhat vulnerable.

SP

Fred Pfeiffer : Coromandel - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : Coromandel - 1969

by John Masters
you get it all in this one
classic Pfeiffer clothes,
gorgeous skin toned girl,
onion architecture, a boat,
& horse's.

 I like the design here
this is another one of the early Pfeiffers we have
So far no book covers by Fred before 1968 are in the collection.

SP

Infinite Worlds

When I started looking into the art of Fred Pfeiffer, there was extremely little out on the internet or anywhere else. That told me that something needed to be done to correct this glaring omission.

Later on, I was told about this book written by Vincent DiFate and was lucky enough to find a copy in a used book store. I believe the book is out of print as it was published in 1997.

The book contains 4 paperback covers done by Pfeiffer and has a small but nice two paragraph write up on the man:

"Fred Pfeiffer was an extremely versatile and talented artist who worked in many genres. His beautiful oil painting technique, though realistc, incorporated numerous painterly touches, such as the obvious presence of variegated brushwork and the use of oil washes (a technique in which the paint is thinned to a point where it appears to have been applied wet, such as a watercolor painting, rather than in a viscous state). These stylistic elements lent his work a decidedly modern look. His mastery of the human figure and ability to capture mood, whether for a period romance or a mainstream political thriller, put him in great demand at most major paperback houses such as Bantam, Dell, and Ballantine."

"Pfeiffer attended the Art Center College of Design in southern California in the late 1950s and began freelancing in the early 1960s. There was considerable growth in his illustration work as he developed his technique, finally hitting his stride around 1972. Along with his paperback assignments, he produced art for several motion picture campaigns and in 1979 he moved from the New York area to Los Angeles. In the late fall of 1995, he visited New York in an effort to reintroduce himself to the publishing markets. Around the time of that visit, this extraordinarily talented artist took his own life."

What a gold mine of information provided by Mr. DiFate.

I have had recent email conversations with Mr. DiFate. He made this statement:

" I couldn't agree more about the greatness of Fred Pfeiffer as both an artist and illustrator. His work certainly influence my own, particularly for the paperback market".

Thank you, Mr. DiFate, for your wonderful book and your kindness in communication.

Courtney Rogers

PS While I do own a copy of Infinite Worlds, the photograph presented was sent to me by Bob Dirig at the Art Center College of Design archives. Thanks, Bob!

Fred Pfeiffer : the Redeemers - ?

In a search of Fred Pfeiffer art on Google this will show up as
a Fred Pfeiffer original for sale. I have never seen the
book. Redeemers is on the side of the van in the background.
Has anyone out there seen this book?

Vincent Di Fate : IInfinite Worlds

    We here at the Pfeiffer Pfiles want to say thanks to Mr. Di Fate. In his book Infinite Worlds he chose to feature Fred Pfeiffer along with many other great artists and illustrators.  His book was the only source of info on Fred Pfeiffer I have ever found.


   Fred's art, technique and style was talked about in a few paragraphs that I must have read a hundred times. His piece on Fred was also where I learned that Fred Pfeiffer was dead by his own hand.


   We are thrilled to have been in touch with Mr. Di Fate and will share his further thoughts on Fred in a future post. Thanks again Vincent Di Fate for your great book Infinite Worlds and for remembering Fred.

Scotty  

Fred Pfeiffer : the Torch Bearers - Inset

From the inside front cover of
the Torch Bearers.                                 

.

Fred Pfeiffer : the Torch Bearers - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : the Torch Bearers - 1977

by Bernard V. Dryer
Bantam Books 1977

Another dark and moody piece by Fred.
A town is burning and the bad guys look rough
Can't tell if the doctor is performing an examination
or just getting ready to perform.

SP

Fred Pfeiffer : the Golden Exile - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : the Golden Exile - 1970

by Lawrence Schoonover 1970
Ballantine Books

Fred is speaking to me with this cover
I want to see more of the girl.
Pfeiffer shows up on more of
Mr. Schoonovers book covers.

SP

Fred Pfeiffer : the MACK - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : the MACK - 1973

(aka)...the Mack and His Pack
from 1973 w/Richard Pryor
Fred does the movie poster for this
crime drama, cult classic that inspired Scarface.

It  looks Pimpy 
Mack has nice bling.

SP

We got Ranked # 1

Exciting News Today for all Fred Pfeiffer fans
present and future.

After working to make the blog very spider friendly ...the results are in.
If you type "Fred Pfeiffer Art" or "Fred Pfeiffer Artist" in a Google search we come up at the top of the 1st page.
in the # 1 spot...
on bing we came up on the 1st page  #2 and 6. 

This will help all future searchers to find us quick and easy and get the low down show down on Fred !
I added us to all other search engines as well and we should be/get crawled .

this is such an important part of the quest.  A hurdle jumped to spread FRED.
Can I get a Woot Woot!?!
Scotty.

Fred Pfeiffer : the Winter of Our Discontent - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : the Winter of Our Discontent - 1975

by John Steinbeck
Fred does the cover work for a classic.
Steinbeck's last novel.
the little town is rendered well

the girl looks like trouble and Ethan looks like Fred.

Fred Pfeiffer : Blacklash - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : Blacklash - 1969

by John Brunner  1969
A Spy Thriller my brother.
the Man Hunt is On.
You know they are serious...

...they got the chopper out....

Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - the Black Spot - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - the Black Spot - 1974

by Kenneth Robeson (Lawrence Donovan) 1936 1974
Fred shows us the back of Doc Savage. Just about all the
other artists on the series would do this. Bama over 10 times.

Fred shows some mood in this one. the painting is dark except
for the electric beams and the electric Doc. 

SP

Fred Pfeiffer : A Specter is Haunting Texas - Original

Dan Fowlkes has great taste. Congratulations on owning this masterpiece.

The original painting for a Spector is Haunting Texas...

Fred Pfeiffer : Art of Chinese Healing - Spotlight

Fred Pfeiffer : the Chinese Art of Healing 1972

by Stephan Palos
recognized by the Society of American Illustrators.
Here Fred shows his versatility. As Rob has stated
in an earlier comment Fred tried to do whatever was thrown at him.

Scotty

Fred Pfeiffer : A Specter is Haunting Texas - Back Cover

The back cover shows a swatch of painting that is under "Haunting", to the right of "Texas" and above "Leiber".....but printed UPSIDE DOWN! Jay Ryan was the one to notice this. Great catch, Jay! The closeup texture and painting technique is interesting to observe.

Courtney

Scotty Phillips IS the Man!

Scotty is the one who came up with the Pfeiffer blog idea, had/has the technical and artitistic ability to make everything work and look wonderful, and the one who has been logging the book covers and starting the posts. I am very indebted to him to making the quest to get Fred Pfeiffer info out there to where people can find it and for coming up with this blog idea that will gain new knowledge and artwork for all of us....and making it all of OUR quest!

Thanks Scotty. The day you emailed me after seeing the Doc Con 11 video of me giving a Pfeiffer presentation (put out there by Billy Lampkin) has really given me a great friend. And it has given me alot of terrific Doc Savage Pfeiifer-by-Phillips oil paintings for my home, too.

Fred Pfeiffer Girls' Farm 1974

by Jack Thomas

Fred Pfieffer : Girls' Farm - Spotlight

I went in to photoshop and cleaned this up a little and lightened it so we could see the guy in the
background a little better. I bet Fred was hanging out at the Girls Farm that day.

Scotty

Fred Pfeiffer A Spector Is Haunting Texas 1971

by Fritz Leiber
This book has had several printings and covers. Fritz was a multiple winner of
the Hugo and Nebula awards as well as the World Fantasy award. One would think this
would have made Fred happy to grace one of his books. He turned in one of his most brilliant works.
A  smorgasbord of colors and detail.from the background landscape, machinery, moons and lasers
to the mans slippers and the girls dress with it's designs and wrinkles... plus she is just beautiful
although I don't think she is very interested in his light show. I am not sure if Fred posed for this and
changed up the face a little or it could be Steve Holland again as it looks a little like him.. I wonder what he did with that codpiece.

this is one of my personal favorites by Fred.
Scotty

Fred Pfeiffer Emperor Red 1972

by William Stevenson, from Bantam books 1972

Fred uses the Triangle Design on this cover
The triangle suggests tension or conflict or action.
This is another cover where Fred's signature is easy to spot and in
my opinion this is another Pfeiffer on the cover cover.

Scotty

Fred Pfeiffer Jamaica Inn 1970

One of several Daphne du Maurier novels Fred would do the cover for.

From 1970 another early Pfeiffer. Also... another cover where Fred"s
signature is easy to spot.

Is this Pfeiffer ?

Here is a recent find that looks like it could be Fred but there is no signature to be found.
Notice the photog in the lower left corner.....could it be Steve Holland?  Let us know if you spot
Fred's name anywhere on this one.

Fred Pfeiffer the Locked Room 1976

by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo  1976
 Fred's signature is easy to find on this one.

Thank You List

Before this blog gets too far along, I would like to thank the people who have provided information and support on my Pfeiffer quest since 2007.

I couldn't thank these people enough for their information provided on Fred Pfeiffer:

Robert Weilert (Fred's 1st Cousin)
Greg Hatcher
Stan Shaw
Len Leone
Jerry Counihan
Bob Larkin
Linda Pfeiffer Hill (Fred's sister)
Bill Pfeiffer, Jr.
Vincent DiFate
Dan Fowlkes

And these people provided support and continue to do so:

Jay Ryan (thanks for the cover scans!)
Bobb Cotter
Glenn Horner
AZ Fans of Bronze
and, of course, Scotty Phillips

Courtney Rogers

Carl Frederick Pfeiffer, jr. the Photo

here he is....now you can spot him on some of the covers he did.
contact us if you have a photo of Fred. We would love to see it.

SP

Fred Pfeiffer Signature

Fred Pfeiffer Doc Savage Quest of the Spider 1972

by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) 1933/1972

Fred Pfeiffer : Doc Savage - Quest of the Spider - Spotlight

Close Up Doc Savage # 68 for Bantam Books 1972. Fred Takes over the Cover work after James Bama quits.
 Boris would later do the Mountain Monster using the same elements.

sp

Carl Frederick Pfeiffer, jr.

Fred Pfeiffer : Dragonard Rising - 1979

by Rupert Gilchrist 1979 Bantam Books

Fred Pfeiffer : Dragonard Rising - Spotlight

by Rupert Gilchrist
a world of sin, bondage & lust. 

Fred Pfeiffer on the cover "the RAPE" 1974

a novel by Robert Lamb.

Fred Pfeiffer on Advise and Consent 1972

Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.
A Novel on the Workings of the US Senate.

Fred Pfeiffer Advise & Consent Original Enlarge

the Pfeiffer signature visible on original. Not on cover.

this is a Pfeiffer on the cover (cover).

Len Leone of Bantam Books Remembers Fred Pfeiffer

   Fred was much more to me than a damn good illustrator. From the very beginning we became good friends. He was a gifted artist that could move in many different directions of cover art. He enjoyed the challenge of taking on a variety of subject matter. He was an expert composer of pictures with a marvelous instinct for drawing exceptionally well. And, with all the work and variety I gave him, he never missed a single deadline.

  We soon became good friends, often dining together for lunch and every once in a while for dinner after tennis at night. For years I kept a tennis court at The Midtown Tennis Club in the City, and another one at Forest Hills in Queens, N.Y. We would play singles and doubles every week for years. Fred had a great backhand and a deceptive forehand. He played very well.

    Soon, he followed a lady friend out to sunny California, and decided to remain there. I was saddened when I learned he had passed away quite suddenly.

   LEN LEONE

 Bantam Books

Advise and Consent Original Artwork

From the Courtney Rogers Collection. The original art from the cover of "Advise and Consent".
Fred posed for many of his covers. I am pretty sure that is him with the briefcase and papers under his arm .
Fred was also a very snappy dresser and looked as if he could have modeled for GQ.. I will get a bigger picture of this painting  for a future post.

Scotty

Fred Pfeiffer Signature

This is the way Fred signed his name on his work. This is what we look for on the paperbacks we dig through

at used bookstores. Fred had a unique style and sometimes we do not see the name but a design we associate with his covers. We always search for his name on the cover first. Like the Prisoner of Zenda the credit might be on the back cover or inside on the copyright page.

Why Fred Pfeiffer?

....you may ask yourself. There are several reasons to have a Fred Pfeiffer presence on the web.

First, Fred Pfeiffer was an amazing artist and illustrator. It will be a pleasure to present his talent to a wider and unsuspecting audience.

Second, there is very little information out there on Fred Pfeiffer. Our aim is to rectify that oversight. I have been doing research on Mr. Pfieffer since 2007. I have had great resources of information, although not enough to paint a complete biographical sketch of the man. He deserves to be more well-known and not be regulated to obscurity.

Third, I want to find out other sources out there to add to my knowledge of Fred Pfeiffer and to discover more of his artwork. Since 2007, I have spent countless hours in used bookstores throughout the country going methodically through the bookstore and seeing if I can find another book with his artwork. When I first started my search, I only knew of the 13 (well, 14 actually)  Doc Savage covers that he did. Today, I have almost 100 books that are graced by his artwork, which were found mostly by manually going through thousands and thousands of books. Of those, there are maybe 5 where I am not quite sure they are Pfeiffer's. I would also like to hear from others that own original Pfeiffer art. I have one piece from Advise and Consent, an Avon book published in 1972.

So, come along with Scotty Phillips and I as we share the information and artwork that we have compiled on Fred Pfeiffer. Thanks for looking!

Courtney Rogers
Glendale, AZ

Fred Pfeiffer the Prisoner of Zenda 1968 Back Cover Credit

Fred Pfeiffer the Prisoner of Zenda 1968