Paperbacks 1115 & 1116: Bantam 10979 & 10987) (6th ptg, 1977 / 8th ptg, 1977)
Titles: The Ivory Grin & The Way Some People Die
Author: Ross Macdonald
Cover artist: Mitchell Hooks
Condition: 8/10 & 8/10
Value: $5-10 each
- I said last time that I had one more of these late'70s Archer covers by Mitchell Hooks, but it seems I lied: I had two, bringing my total to five. I guess I collect these now? Subcollection! Just what I need...
- Well yeah, sure, grins don't get much more ivory than that.
- The dude loading the gun looks like a very disappointed middle manager. "We didn't make our quota this quarter, team. I told you there'd be consequences..."
- I'm super into that cat burglar guy but he's about a centimeter in height, and it's hard to truly love a design element that small.
- The tealish hue coating every element of this painting is kinda sickly, but somehow when set against the equally sickly pale yellow background, it ends up ... perfect?
Best things about this 2nd cover:
- Maybe my least favorite of these Archer covers so far. Still good, but the people look like they're carved out of wood. Looks a little sloppy, a little lifeless. But the neon signs and palm trees and dead guy are ... mwah!
- Her hair is insane. I can only hope that it's a wig. Her posture and expression are priceless, though: "Sigh, bikinis are so tiresome ... when do we drink?"
- Does the dead guy have a toupee that's come loose, or did he flatten a small bird with his head when he fell?
No point doing back covers, since they're just that same shadowy photo of Macdonald from the last book. So on to ...
Page 123~ (from The Way Some People Die)
"The dirty bastard picked up and left me," she said in a deep harsh voice. Her eyes were round with anger, or surprise at her own language. "Good heavens," she said in her normal voice, "I never swear, honestly."
"Swear some more. It will probably do you good."
~RP
I'm not really a fan of these "mix of elements" covers. It's like the artist submitted some sketch ideas, and the art director said, "Yes." I'd much rather have one idea in greater detail, like tube-top woman leaning on the fancy car. (I'd forgotten all about tube tops; ahh, the seventies).
ReplyDeleteHooks seems to like big rectangles. There was the purple one on "Wycherly Woman," the door or window behind Eugene Levy loading his gun, and just a hint of an orange one behind that wannabe Dirty Harry.
I think the windows make a nice conventional shape 🪟 that breaks up the mushy mash-up of other design elements
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