PAN Fans Club

Let's talk about PAN paperbacks, the blog for those that do judge a book by its cover. Main site is at www.tikit.net or www.panfans.club

PAN Fans Club - Let's talk about PAN paperbacks, the blog for those that do judge a book by its cover. Main site is at  www.tikit.net or www.panfans.club

Original Artwork plus Book Fair

This weeks original cover art work is by Gavin Rowe who trained at the Croydon School of Art and then at The Royal College of Art in Kensington. Since 1970 he has worked with many publishers including Faber, Hodder, Penguin, Pan, and Magi as well as being commissioned for BBC’s Jackanory series. He is well known for his ‘painterly’ jacket covers for paperback novels. Gavin lives in Sussex, and continues to work as a full time illustrator. I spoke to him on the phone last Thursday and hope to have more about his work in a later blog.

The annual Baddesley Clinton Book Fair to raise funds for the National Trust  is on now, it started on Saturday and runs to next Saturday. As usual we were there as soon as it opens in case we miss ‘all the bargains!

It is not everyday that I get to buy books in the grounds of an 16th moated manor house but then again as a life member of the NT I am supposed to actually part own it – I think I’ll have the room over the entrance! There were tables everywhere, several I’ve not photographed including the storeroom where John,  retired bookseller who runs the fair, let me mooch.

BC7Here are our purchases and for once my wife has a bigger pile than me but that is down to buying larger books. The top three paperbacks shown are all in unread condition, the Steinbeck being by Brian Sanders with Alan Lee modelling on the cover and T12 ‘The Robe’ having a cover by Pat Owen. I have the original artwork for this but unfortunately not signed. T13 ‘The Fisherman’ is in the same style and that appeared in the Bonham’s auction catalogue of 1991 credited to Pat Owen so I’m 99% sure mine is as well. I think Pat is still with us living down on the South Coast but I have not managed to contact up to now. Amongst my others are several Piccolo titles plus some newer PAN’s with covers I liked.

 

 

Category: Miscellaneous
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J Anna Ludlow
August 29, 2015 8:04 am

Hello – always looking to update and expand my interests (my website like yours is a hobby) I was delighted to see your feature about Michael Johnston’s Angélique (Sergeanne Golon / Anne et Serge Golon) cover/dustjacket illustrations. I loved his paperback versions and nearly fell over backwards when I realised the hardback of Demon was also his. i cannot believe I hadn’t spotted the similarity as of all the hardbacks Demon was always my favourite! In essence I’m trying to complete my Illustrators page and am grateful for this additional crumb. Am interested that you say Demon was for the American market – as far as I know this is the only jacket for the hardback version. Do you have any background information on this artist please? Many thanks in advance – relevant page on my website is : http://www.jannaludlow.co.uk/Angelique/Book_Illustrators.html

J Anna Ludlow
August 31, 2015 10:01 am
Reply to  J Anna Ludlow

Hello again – I realise I’ve not been moderated yet, but I remembered that I do have a burning question about illustrators. Do they actually read the books they illustrate or are they given a general synopsis/time-frame/incident in the book the publishers think might get a positive reaction from readers if seen on the cover? – Thank you

J Anna Ludlow
August 31, 2015 2:14 pm
Reply to  tikitnet

Thank you Tim – I have also responded to via e-mail and am grateful for your time and the second piece of information as to whether or not the artists read the books. Will make a nice addition to my Illustrators page – Anna

Bazeer Flumore
August 7, 2015 11:20 pm

Looks like you did well there!