The Art of Reginald Heade Volume 2

In this follow-up and companion-piece to the highly-acclaimed first volume, published initially as The Art of Reginald Heade and then in revised and greatly expanded form as The Art of Reginald Heade – Special Edition, noted researcher Stephen James Walker joins forces with Heade’s original biographer Steve Chibnall to present an unparalleled celebration of the artist’s outstanding body of work. Lavishly illustrated with stunning, full colour reproductions of dozens of Heade’s original paintings, a wealth of his previously-unpublished preliminary sketches and roughs, and hundreds of newly-discovered additional examples of his superb book cover artwork from the 1930s to the 1950s, this volume is also packed with much new analysis and information – including for the first time a photograph and full, detailed biography of the artist. Reginald Heade is renowned amongst vintage paperback fans and collectors as the pre- eminent British pulp fiction cover artist of the mid-20th Century. His beautifully-realised, erotically-charged depictions of a parade of sexy, scantily-clad young virgins and vixens – the so-called ‘Heade women’ – are near-legendary amongst lovers of classic pin-up art; and the original books on which they appeared are now highly-sought-after rarities – in some cases, only a handful of copies are known still to survive. Equally exceptional were the many pieces the artist produced for hardback novel dustjackets, children’s books, periodicals and other commercial items, all of which are represented within these pages. The Art of Reginald Heade – Volume Two is a veritable treasure trove for Heade’s many admirers, and for anyone with a taste for classic pin-up and book cover artwork. ‘Surely the ideal Christmas present for anyone interested in pulp fiction, popular art and social history this year will be the Special Edition Volume 1 of The Art of Reginald Heade by Stephen James Walker along with its companion Volume 2, by Stephen Walker and Steve Chibnall both published, clearly as labours of love, by Telos. From raunchy, stocking-top covers for Hank Janson (and many other authors’) pulp thrillers and more restrained covers for conventional crime series such as The Saint, to romantic fiction (including Barbara Cartland) and westerns to illustrating classics such as Treasure Island, for comic strips to advertising campaigns, Reginald Heade (1901-1957) packed an awful lot of artwork into a relatively short life.’ Mike Ripley, Shots Magazine