Saturday, June 20, 2015

Paperback 893: Fallout for a Spy / Richard L. Hershatter (Ace 22680)

Paperback 893: Ace 22680 (PBO, 1969)

Title: Fallout for a Spy
Author: Richard L. Hershatter
Cover artist: Uncredited

Estimated value: $10-15

Ace22680
Best things about this cover:

  • This is an artist who just could Not get the woman's head right. Weird shapeless hair helmet + sun-baked skeleton face. Dude in the chair is not turned on. He's frightened.
  • The rest of her, however, is nicely rendered. Cute underwear.
  • "Richard L. Hershatter," as depicted here, is the most ludicrously serifed name of all time.
  • "Shatter her … with Hershatter (Pour Homme)"
  • Half-naked chairlessness was apparently a big trend with '60s ladies:


And the back cover:

Ace22680bc
Best things about this back cover:
  • Rand Stannard! I love tough-guy names that sound like erection euphemisms.
  • "Airborne rape" … that sounds horrifying and yet is making me laugh. I was not aware that this was a valid rape subcategory.
  • Wait, did Rand get raped? Or did he rape someone? Either way, I have follow-up questions.
  • "Sex-scarred"? "Algerian Roulette?" Is this cover copy being generated by some remedial pulp algorithm?

Page 123~

Mitchell looked as though he'd swallowed something sour. "Ever been made to feel like a jackass by a computer?"

Stannard arched an eyebrow.

"Not Rand Stannard, old chum," chortled Rand Stannard. "Rand Stannard don't play the sap for no one."

~RP

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4 comments:

NomadUK said...

Looks like Hal Holbrook on the Krushchev cover.

J. Kingston Pierce said...

But I bet Steve Holland was the model for the men on both of these covers. http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2012/07/steve-holland-the-worlds-greatest-male-model.html

Cheers,
Jeff

DemetriosX said...

I agree with Nomad on the Kruschev cover. The guy in the chair on this one looks like a cross between David McCallum and Roddy McDowell.

Anonymous said...

Chair guy's got his collar open, but at first sight it looks like he's got his tie tucked in to prevent fraying the silk with the ropes. That would be very Bond-like, in a sartorial way.