Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?

I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
would give reasons to not buy the book. For example:

1) The original Del Rey hardcover of Turtledove's _In the Balance_ has
the Nazi German Swastika turning the wrong direction (it should be a
left-handed swastika, both the front and back covers have right-handed
swastikas). Bob Eggleton claims that the art director liked the left
side of his wrap around cover art better and flipped it. The British
publisher used the right side of his cover art.

2) The vehicles on the covers of all 3 of Kirk Mitchell's Procurator
trilogy (_Procurator_, _New Barbarians_, and _Cry Republic_) are absurd
(in different ways). BTW, I think somebody was mislead by name
sand-galley in the first book
(https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/f/fc/PRCRTRGQMF1984.jpg); the vehicle
in question probably would look more like the Soviet T-35 (a so-called
land battleship with multiple turrets, not successful other than for
military parades through Red Square).

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17 PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?

It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
one "Roberta Heinlein".

William Hyde

In article <568162c5-c1e3-44c2-b347-ec837490766fn@googlegroups.com>,
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17 PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>
>It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy
>of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
>one "Roberta Heinlein".
>
>William Hyde

"Lucky Starr and the Big Sun Mercury"

and of course de Camp's famous "Rouge Queen"
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

In article <robertaw-CA6DD5.10001009102023@news.individual.net>,
Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
>Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>
>I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
>contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
>books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
>would give reasons to not buy the book. For example:
>�-----------------------------------------------------
[Hal Heydt]
Dorothy really hated the cover art for _The interior Life_. Not
because it wasn't decent "art", but because the character
asdescribed in the book looked nothing like the artist drew. She
described what was worn in the cover art as a "1950s prom dress".

On 9 Oct 2023 at 19:07:48 BST, "Ted Nolan <tednolan>" <Ted Nolan
<tednolan>> wrote:

> In article <568162c5-c1e3-44c2-b347-ec837490766fn@googlegroups.com>,
> William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17 PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
>>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>>
>> It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy
>> of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
>> one "Roberta Heinlein".
>>
>> William Hyde
>
> "Lucky Starr and the Big Sun Mercury"
>
> and of course de Camp's famous "Rouge Queen"

One of the Boundary books on my shelf is by Rye E Spoor. Poor Ryk -
although I must admit I never noticed the error before he mentioned it
here.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use
as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no
longer figure out how to use my telephone
-- Bjarne Stroustrup

On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 2:00:19 PM UTC-4, William Hyde wrote:
> On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17 PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
> > Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
> It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
> one "Roberta Heinlein".

As I have 'Rouge Queen', by "L Spraque de Camp"
Bluejay books tpb, iirc.

pt

Robert Woodward wrote:
> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>
> I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
> contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
> books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
> would give reasons to not buy the book. For example:
>
> 1) The original Del Rey hardcover of Turtledove's _In the Balance_ has
> the Nazi German Swastika turning the wrong direction (it should be a
> left-handed swastika, both the front and back covers have right-handed
> swastikas). Bob Eggleton claims that the art director liked the left
> side of his wrap around cover art better and flipped it. The British
> publisher used the right side of his cover art.

I have the Eggleton artbook that reproduces the painting and tells the story of the covers. So honesty prevents me from joking that the true reason for the different preferences in orientation is that they place the tank on the legal side of the road for their respective countries.

> 2) The vehicles on the covers of all 3 of Kirk Mitchell's Procurator
> trilogy (_Procurator_, _New Barbarians_, and _Cry Republic_) are absurd
> (in different ways). BTW, I think somebody was mislead by name
> sand-galley in the first book
> (https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/f/fc/PRCRTRGQMF1984.jpg); the vehicle
> in question probably would look more like the Soviet T-35 (a so-called
> land battleship with multiple turrets, not successful other than for
> military parades through Red Square).

Angus McKie did a series of cover paintings for Brian Stableford's Hooded Swan series that feature the ship that gives the series its name. He portrays it as a graceful, delicate, birdlike ship. To be fair to him*, I haven't yet come across any descriptions that contradicts that, but when I'm told "hooded swan" is another name for the dodo, I do wonder.

*Probably more than fair. I fell in love with McKie's paintings in a book that reprinted cover art from artists of that "school"** with text treating their ships as products of one history. Seeing the covers later reused on books to which they bore no relation caused other fans in the early days of the www to collect and share information (the (perhaps accidental) best summary is here: (https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?273410)) on the artworks' appearances, tracking down its original use -- alas, often on a book to which they bore no relation. (It is surprisingly pleasurable when it does. Here is a secondary use of a cover: (https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/3/32/LDRNRSLLNR1987.jpg) it's not the clearest, but there are multiple copies of the same vessel along a grid, and there are more, smaller copies below the resolution of the image, essentially one of those exercises in perspective. When I tell you it was painted for Asimov's _Pebble in the Sky_, those who have read it will go, "Ooooh!")

**They are basically imitators of Chris Foss. I would not call them "the Chris Foss school," as he has written that he finds them an affront.

--
-Jack

In article <c04c77c9-84d5-446c-b097-70632a7cdec5n@googlegroups.com>,
Jack Bohn <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> wrote:
>Robert Woodward wrote:
>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>>
>> I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
>> contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
>> books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
>> would give reasons to not buy the book. For example:
>>
>> 1) The original Del Rey hardcover of Turtledove's _In the Balance_ has
>> the Nazi German Swastika turning the wrong direction (it should be a
>> left-handed swastika, both the front and back covers have right-handed
>> swastikas). Bob Eggleton claims that the art director liked the left
>> side of his wrap around cover art better and flipped it. The British
>> publisher used the right side of his cover art.
>
>I have the Eggleton artbook that reproduces the painting and tells the
>story of the covers. So honesty prevents me from joking that the true
>reason for the different preferences in orientation is that they place
>the tank on the legal side of the road for their respective countries.
>
>> 2) The vehicles on the covers of all 3 of Kirk Mitchell's Procurator
>> trilogy (_Procurator_, _New Barbarians_, and _Cry Republic_) are absurd
>> (in different ways). BTW, I think somebody was mislead by name
>> sand-galley in the first book
>> (https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/f/fc/PRCRTRGQMF1984.jpg); the vehicle
>> in question probably would look more like the Soviet T-35 (a so-called
>> land battleship with multiple turrets, not successful other than for
>> military parades through Red Square).
>
>Angus McKie did a series of cover paintings for Brian Stableford's
>Hooded Swan series that feature the ship that gives the series its name.
>He portrays it as a graceful, delicate, birdlike ship. To be fair to
>him*, I haven't yet come across any descriptions that contradicts that,
>but when I'm told "hooded swan" is another name for the dodo, I do
>wonder.
>
>*Probably more than fair. I fell in love with McKie's paintings in a
>book that reprinted cover art from artists of that "school"** with text
>treating their ships as products of one history. Seeing the covers
>later reused on books to which they bore no relation caused other fans
>in the early days of the www to collect and share information (the
>(perhaps accidental) best summary is here:
>(https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?273410)) on the artworks'
>appearances, tracking down its original use -- alas, often on a book to
>which they bore no relation. (It is surprisingly pleasurable when it
>does. Here is a secondary use of a cover:
>(https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/3/32/LDRNRSLLNR1987.jpg) it's not the
>clearest, but there are multiple copies of the same vessel along a grid,
>and there are more, smaller copies below the resolution of the image,
>essentially one of those exercises in perspective. When I tell you it
>was painted for Asimov's _Pebble in the Sky_, those who have read it
>will go, "Ooooh!")
>
>
>
>**They are basically imitators of Chris Foss. I would not call them
>"the Chris Foss school," as he has written that he finds them an
>affront.
>
>--
>-Jack

In the US, Stableford got Freas covers. Say no more!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3d/7a/12/3d7a1249ef249716f539baa8cf6910e3--sci-fi-books-swan-song.jpg

--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On 9 Oct 2023 18:37:21 GMT, Jaimie Vandenbergh
<jaimie@usually.sessile.org> wrote:

>On 9 Oct 2023 at 19:07:48 BST, "Ted Nolan <tednolan>" <Ted Nolan
><tednolan>> wrote:
>
>> In article <568162c5-c1e3-44c2-b347-ec837490766fn@googlegroups.com>,
>> William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17?PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
>>>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>>>
>>> It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy
>>> of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
>>> one "Roberta Heinlein".
>>>
>>> William Hyde
>>
>> "Lucky Starr and the Big Sun Mercury"
>>
>> and of course de Camp's famous "Rouge Queen"
>
>One of the Boundary books on my shelf is by Rye E Spoor. Poor Ryk -
>although I must admit I never noticed the error before he mentioned it
>here.

Related, perhaps, is that some of the early Brian dePalma films credit
a young actor named "Robert Denero".

Such errors are not limited to book spines!

--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

In article <robertaw-CA6DD5.10001009102023@news.individual.net>,
Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>
> I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
> contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
> books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
> would give reasons to not buy the book. For example:
>
> 1) The original Del Rey hardcover of Turtledove's _In the Balance_ has
> the Nazi German Swastika turning the wrong direction (it should be a
> left-handed swastika, both the front and back covers have right-handed
> swastikas). Bob Eggleton claims that the art director liked the left
> side of his wrap around cover art better and flipped it. The British
> publisher used the right side of his cover art.
>
> 2) The vehicles on the covers of all 3 of Kirk Mitchell's Procurator
> trilogy (_Procurator_, _New Barbarians_, and _Cry Republic_) are absurd
> (in different ways). BTW, I think somebody was mislead by name
> sand-galley in the first book
> (https://www.isfdb.org/wiki/images/f/fc/PRCRTRGQMF1984.jpg); the vehicle
> in question probably would look more like the Soviet T-35 (a so-called
> land battleship with multiple turrets, not successful other than for
> military parades through Red Square).

(I ran out of time yesterday)

3) Mercedes Lackey's _Take a Thief_
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/P/0756400082.jpg) appears to have a
night scene under a crescent moon (the left 2/3rds of the cover is
something else). There are 2 problems with that crescent moon. First,
the horns are too extreme (unless that moon has an atmosphere). Second,
and much more serious, because of the orientation of the crescent and
how slender it is, the sun has to be above the horizon.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

On Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 17:13:57 UTC+1, Paul S Person wrote:
> On 9 Oct 2023 18:37:21 GMT, Jaimie Vandenbergh
> <jai...@usually.sessile.org> wrote:
>
> >On 9 Oct 2023 at 19:07:48 BST, "Ted Nolan <tednolan>" <Ted Nolan
> ><tednolan>> wrote:
> >
> >> In article <568162c5-c1e3-44c2...@googlegroups.com>,
> >> William Hyde <wthyd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17?PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
> >>>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
> >>>
> >>> It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy
> >>> of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
> >>> one "Roberta Heinlein".
> >>>
> >>> William Hyde
> >>
> >> "Lucky Starr and the Big Sun Mercury"
> >>
> >> and of course de Camp's famous "Rouge Queen"
> >
> >One of the Boundary books on my shelf is by Rye E Spoor. Poor Ryk -
> >although I must admit I never noticed the error before he mentioned it
> >here.
> Related, perhaps, is that some of the early Brian dePalma films credit
> a young actor named "Robert Denero".

This may reflect how much dinero he was paid??

> Such errors are not limited to book spines!

On Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 13:45:57 UTC+1, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <c04c77c9-84d5-446c...@googlegroups.com>,
> Jack Bohn <jack....@gmail.com> wrote:
> >Robert Woodward wrote:
> >> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
> >>
> >> I am not complaining about cover art that bears no resemblance to the
> >> contents of the book. Since the purpose of the cover art is still sell
> >> books, my focus is on art with blatant (at least to me) errors which
> >> would give reasons to not buy the book.
> >
> >Angus McKie did a series of cover paintings for Brian Stableford's
> >Hooded Swan series that feature the ship that gives the series its name.
> >He portrays it as a graceful, delicate, birdlike ship. To be fair to
> >him*, I haven't yet come across any descriptions that contradicts that,
> >but when I'm told "hooded swan" is another name for the dodo, I do
> >wonder.
>
> In the US, Stableford got Freas covers. Say no more!
>
> https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3d/7a/12/3d7a1249ef249716f539baa8cf6910e3--sci-fi-books-swan-song.jpg

I don't have a problem with that one and I don't care
if it relates to the story at all! ;-)

I've mentioned more than once that "Jack Campbell"
eventually had the hero of the extended "The Lost Fleet"
space war series joking with the flagship captain
about the cover of the book of memoirs they would
be in, and were in, posing on a battle landscape in
futuristic armour which never happens in the story
because they fight with spaceships. That's the U.S.
covers. There are their British covers of starships
that look like twentieth century office buildings with
rockets strapped on what seems to be the back.
While a ghostly giant pair of eyes frowns at the reader.
All right, but in the text, warships look like metal fish of
various sizes, for some reason about laser beams
reflecting back off them. Though it does seem to me
that cover art of metal space fish would look rather silly.
Or maybe 1960s-70s. If that isn't the same thing.

On Tue, 10 Oct 2023 12:59:59 -0700 (PDT), Robert Carnegie
<rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:

>On Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 17:13:57 UTC+1, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On 9 Oct 2023 18:37:21 GMT, Jaimie Vandenbergh
>> <jai...@usually.sessile.org> wrote:
>>
>> >On 9 Oct 2023 at 19:07:48 BST, "Ted Nolan <tednolan>" <Ted Nolan
>> ><tednolan>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> In article <568162c5-c1e3-44c2...@googlegroups.com>,
>> >> William Hyde <wthyd...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>> On Monday, October 9, 2023 at 1:00:17?PM UTC-4, Robert Woodward wrote:
>> >>>> Only 2 messages in the last 12 hours?
>> >>>
>> >>> It's a spine issue rather than a cover issue, but I still have a copy
>> >>> of "Beyond this Horizon" written by
>> >>> one "Roberta Heinlein".
>> >>>
>> >>> William Hyde
>> >>
>> >> "Lucky Starr and the Big Sun Mercury"
>> >>
>> >> and of course de Camp's famous "Rouge Queen"
>> >
>> >One of the Boundary books on my shelf is by Rye E Spoor. Poor Ryk -
>> >although I must admit I never noticed the error before he mentioned it
>> >here.
>> Related, perhaps, is that some of the early Brian dePalma films credit
>> a young actor named "Robert Denero".
>
>This may reflect how much dinero he was paid??

<https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000134/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1>

And
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065198/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_125_act> shows
the name used in the credits.

It's a whimsical little film, BTW.

>> Such errors are not limited to book spines!
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

Robert Carnegie wrote:
> There are their British covers of starships
> that look like twentieth century office buildings with
> rockets strapped on what seems to be the back.
> While a ghostly giant pair of eyes frowns at the reader.
> All right, but in the text, warships look like metal fish of
> various sizes, for some reason about laser beams
> reflecting back off them. Though it does seem to me
> that cover art of metal space fish would look rather silly.
> Or maybe 1960s-70s. If that isn't the same thing.

Well, it depends on how literal to a fish they are. If it's a tosup between describing it as a fish or a dart, may get a pass. If you can take a guess at the species...

--
-Jack

Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
> something else). There are 2 problems with that crescent moon. First,
> the horns are too extreme (unless that moon has an atmosphere). Second,
> and much more serious, because of the orientation of the crescent and
> how slender it is, the sun has to be above the horizon.
>
Next you'll be complaining about Coleridge...

In article <ug7m9d$297j2$1@dont-email.me>,
davidd02@tpg.com.au (David Duffy) wrote:

> Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
> > something else). There are 2 problems with that crescent moon. First,
> > the horns are too extreme (unless that moon has an atmosphere). Second,
> > and much more serious, because of the orientation of the crescent and
> > how slender it is, the sun has to be above the horizon.
> >
> Next you'll be complaining about Coleridge...

I have seen many instances of getting the Moon wrong.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com