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Unearthly Visions Approaches to Science Fiction and Fantasy Art
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Gary Westfahl, George Slusser, Kathleen Church Plummer, ed.
ISBN: 0-313-31705-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-31705-7
174 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 1/30/2002
List Price: $99.95 (UK Sterling Price: £68.95)
Availability: Print on demand
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: A pioneering scholarly examination of the rich and fascinating fields of science fiction and fantasy art, this book stimulates scholarly interest in these areas by offering both surveys of the entire history of these traditions and focused examinations of particular genres and artists. In contrast to existing studies of science fiction and fantasy art, this volume argues that the subject needs to be explored within different contexts, such as literary history, art history, and cultural history. In addition, it maintains that certain trends should be followed across the field, such as art displaying recurring iconic images and art related to particular subgenres.

The volume places special emphasis on studies that connect science fiction and fantasy artists to the authors and works they have illustrated. The contributors include several internationally recognized and award-winning science fiction writers and scholars. In addition to its historical surveys, the book provides detailed examinations of space art, representative artists Richard M. Powers and Frank Frazetta, and the major illustrators of noted children's author Margaret Wise Brown and famed fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction: The Iconology of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art by George Slusser
    Approaches to Science Fiction Art
    Artists in Wonderland: Toward a True History of Science Fiction Art by Gary Westfahl
    The Northrop Continuum: Science Fiction Illustration and the Flying Wing Aircraft by Howard V. Hendrix
    Less is More: Empty Space, Invisibility, and Modern Design by Kathleen Church Plummer
    "Getting It Right": A Reflection on Titans and Technologies by Gregory Benford
    The Vision of Space: The Artist's View by Samuel Vasbinder
    Shapes from the Edge of Time: The Science Fiction Artwork of Richard M. Powers by Kirk Hampton and Carol MacKay
    Approaches to Fantasy Art
    Notes on the Geography of Bad--and Good--Fantasy Art by John Clute
    Archaeological Fieldwork in the Paper Tiger Stacks Report #43: A Short Happy History of Fantasy Art by John Grant
    Wisdom and Clemency: The Collaborations of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd by Lynne Lundquist and Gary Westfahl
    "And What Happened After": How J.R.R. Tolkien Visualized, and Other Artists Re-Visualized, the Denizens of Middle-earth by Beatrix Karthaus-Hunt
    Conan the Oxymoron: The Civilized Savage of Robert E. Howard and Frank Frazetta by David Hinckley
    Bibliography
    Index
About the Author: GARY WESTFAHL teaches at the Learning Center of the University of California, Riverside. He is the author, editor, or coeditor of 10 books on science fiction and fantasy, including Space and Beyond: The Frontier Theme in Science Fiction (2000), Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture: Coming of Age in Fantasyland (2000), and Cosmic Engineers: A Study of Hard Science Fiction (1996), which are available from Greenwood Press. He has also published more than 100 essays and reviews.

GEORGE SLUSSER is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Riverside. He has written several books about science fiction authors and has coedited numerous critical anthologies.

KATHLEEN CHURCH PLUMMER is Lecturer in Design at the University of California, Davis. She teaches courses on the decorative arts and interiors while also working and exhibiting as an artist in watercolor, collage, and printmaking.
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