Thursday, August 14, 2008

Paperback 128: A Touch of Inifinity b/w The Man With Nine Lives / Harlan Ellison (Ace Double D-413)

Paperback 128: Ace D-413 (PBO / PBO, 1960)

Titles: A Touch of Infinity / The Man With Nine Lives
Author: Harlan Ellison / Harlan Ellison
Cover artists: Ed Valigursky / Ed Emshwiller

Yours for: $40


Best things about this cover:

  • Harlan Ellison is a legend. A pop fiction legend. Smart, funny, imaginative, and just a great, great, page-turning writer. Hence the price of this book (he's super duper collectible).
  • That said, this cover is not the most imaginative scifi cover I've ever seen. By a longshot. Spaceship that looks like prototype for Doctor Octopus shoots its oddly fiery gun at some unseen enemy / turkey buzzard while befuddled and square-jawed man with slinkies on his limbs looks on in what I'm guessing is disgust.
  • The front part of the main ship's underside doubles as a waffle iron.

Best things about this cover:

  • Scratch that. Eight lives.
  • "I'd like to thank the Emmy voters for AAAAAAAAARGH!"
  • This is how each episode of "American Idol" will end in Season 116. In fact, this is very much how I remember the moment that Kelly Clarkson beat Justin Guarini in Season 1.
  • This painting looks like a still from a futuristic Christian rock video.
  • The design and concept here are a mess. He mastered a maze ... but his head is being electrified by a giant statue and some eerily headphoned judges ... and he also is a cat or owns a lot of cat food.

Page 123~

"I still need that job done on my face, Patooch," Cal Emory said to the little cellulist.


-from "The Man with Nine Lives"

~RP

5 comments:

JamiSings said...

The first one looks like a reverse "War Of The Worlds" to me. Or maybe the aliens are related somehow to Cuthulu?

And why is electric goddess lady blue?

Michael5000 said...

Is it just me, or does the scenario on the first cover not really look like a "fabulous future."

The second illustration was originally intended as the cover of Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" album, but then it was decided that "The Man With Nine Lives" was going to make a bigger splash.

Unknown said...

I paid $75 for a copy of this book back in 1998. I thought my wife was going to disembowel me.

Anonymous said...

Ed Valigursky painted the cover for A TOUCH OF INFINITY; Ed Emshwiller, for THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES.



Mark

Rex Parker said...

Mark, thanks a lot for all the artist attributions. I appreciate the help.

rp