The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner

Artist Ron Turner (1922-1998) was a British master of science fiction book and magazine covers, and a comic strip legend. In a career spanning five decades, he provided illustrations for hundreds of classic SF paperbacks, numerous periodicals and some of the UK’s most fondly-remembered comics, his strip work taking in everything from Doctor Who’s Daleks and the Supermarionation shows of Gerry Anderson to 2,000 AD’s Judge Dredd. The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, written by Turner’s long-time friend and agent John Lawrence (1944-2023), is the first-ever comprehensive biography of the artist, and presents a wealth of his incredible and highly distinctive work, all reproduced in unparalleled quality. Telos Publishing’s Stephen James Walker says: ‘I’ve been a huge admirer of Ron Turner’s work ever since I saw his brilliant contributions to TV Century 21’s “The Daleks” strip in the mid-1960s, and I’m pleased and proud to have been able to edit and design this title as the latest addition to Telos’s growing range of superb coffee-table art books. The author, John Lawrence, sadly passed away in 2023, before he got to see the results of all his hard work, but I feel sure this will stand as the definitive account of Turner’s life.’ Noted British science fiction authority Philip Harbottle, the author’s friend and literary agent, and also a friend and professional associate of Turner’s, adds: ‘This amazing book offers not only a biography of Ron Turner, but a full bibliography, and gives behind-the-scenes information available nowhere else. John writes from the heart, and in revealing his unflagging admiration for Turner’s work, also reveals much of his own life and character. It is a wonderfully warm human document celebrating the artist’s life and career, showing Turner’s dogged commitment to artwork of the highest quality. This is a must-have book for all science fiction book and comics fans and collectors.’