Grosset & Dunlap - Mars Series 2
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The Chessmen of Mars - Antiqued version $8.99
A Fighting Man of Mars $8.99
J. Allen St. John - Cover painting for The Chessmen of
Mars, first edition published by A. C. McClurg in 1922.
With the publication of Edgar Rice Burroughs' second
Tarzan novel for McClurg, The Return of Tarzan, in 1915,
J. Allen St. John's legendary association with this
timeless hero set a new standard in heroic fantasy art
and inspired all the Tarzan artists to come, including such
noteworthy talents as Hal Foster, Burne Hogarth, Frank
Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, and countless others.
As time goes on, the appreciation of St. John's Edgar
Rice Burroughs illustrations grows as collectors drive up
the prices of any St. John illustration done to illustrate, in
particular, a Tarzan story. A recent auction saw one of
his tarzan paintings start at $75,000 and finally sell for
over $150,000.
My own personal favorites are not his Tarzan paintings,
but the wonderfully colorful action paintings done for the
Martian Series - The Warlord of Mars, The Chessmen of
Mars (right), Swords of Mars, and the six covers St. John
did for the pulp publication of the Martian series
novelettes done for Amazing Stories in the 1940s.
- Charlie
Mars, first edition published by A. C. McClurg in 1922.
With the publication of Edgar Rice Burroughs' second
Tarzan novel for McClurg, The Return of Tarzan, in 1915,
J. Allen St. John's legendary association with this
timeless hero set a new standard in heroic fantasy art
and inspired all the Tarzan artists to come, including such
noteworthy talents as Hal Foster, Burne Hogarth, Frank
Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, and countless others.
As time goes on, the appreciation of St. John's Edgar
Rice Burroughs illustrations grows as collectors drive up
the prices of any St. John illustration done to illustrate, in
particular, a Tarzan story. A recent auction saw one of
his tarzan paintings start at $75,000 and finally sell for
over $150,000.
My own personal favorites are not his Tarzan paintings,
but the wonderfully colorful action paintings done for the
Martian Series - The Warlord of Mars, The Chessmen of
Mars (right), Swords of Mars, and the six covers St. John
did for the pulp publication of the Martian series
novelettes done for Amazing Stories in the 1940s.
- Charlie
| J. Allen St. John (October 1, 1872 in Chicago –May 23, 1957 in Chicago) |
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SWORDS OF MARS $8.99
THE MASTER MIND OF MARS $8.99
The Chessmen of Mars - V2 $8.99
NOTE: On this page you will see two facsimile versions of the same dust jacket. This happens because as my collection grows and I gain new DJs
to work with and I gain skill, I try to create a clean copy of those facsimiles that were fairly rough when finished. Yet these rough first efforts have
virtues, such as an authentic look more closely resembling an original, older jacket. So instead of throwing the old version out, I keep it and add the
newer version along side it.
The first version will be what I have called the "Antiqued Version," a facsimile in which I have made few corrections other that cleaning up the edges
and restoring missing data. The second, called "Version 2," has been corrected so that, while the finish may not be completely white, it has had most
of the blemishes removed and the text corrected.
to work with and I gain skill, I try to create a clean copy of those facsimiles that were fairly rough when finished. Yet these rough first efforts have
virtues, such as an authentic look more closely resembling an original, older jacket. So instead of throwing the old version out, I keep it and add the
newer version along side it.
The first version will be what I have called the "Antiqued Version," a facsimile in which I have made few corrections other that cleaning up the edges
and restoring missing data. The second, called "Version 2," has been corrected so that, while the finish may not be completely white, it has had most
of the blemishes removed and the text corrected.