Sunday, October 3, 2010
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.
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2 comments:
The sad thing is, most artists are not credited anywhere. It is a rare book that posts the name of the cover artist on the copyright page or cover.
Many times the artist signature may not be on the cover work because it has been cropped off. Also, the reproduction of the art on the cover may make it difficult to see a signature. The Pfeiffer signature on some of the Doc Savage covers, for instance, are diffcult to find and see.
In my interviews with Bantam Art Director Len Leone, he said that he always wanted to have the artist's name listed on the copyright page, but that was the decision of the editorial department and not his.
The search for Pfeiffer cover art in used bookstores is an art in itself!
Courtney Rogers
What you say is sadly true. In some ways I have always wondered if the artist name was not credited because of the Frazetta time line of covers. Many book cover artist of 70's and 80's morphed their style because the art director wanted it and the editors didn't want it printed to deceive some of the population.
I have never seen a Fred Pfeiffer illustration look like Frazetta. Never. I love Frazetta for particular reasons & Fred Pfeiffer for not being anything like Frazetta.
I wonder if this helped or hurt his career?
SP
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