The Lesser Look: The End Is Near!

Today brings an end to Killer Covers’ celebration of Ron Lesser’s artistic legacy. Over the course of more than three dozen posts—four of which are still to come—this blog will have turned the spotlight on 60 of his paperback book fronts, as well as a variety of his other paintings, sketches, and movie posters. Despite such coverage, there remain many more Lesser creations we haven’t mentioned, but hope to address at a point not too far in the future.

My special thanks goes to Lesser himself, who—after mild initial hesitation and concerns—patiently answered all of my myriad questions about his life, career, and individual illustrations. I hope that someday his elegant artistry will receive the sort of book-length attention that has already been lavished on paperback-cover artists such as Robert McGinnis, Robert Maguire, and James Avati.

I also extend my gratitude to Charles Ardai, the editor of New York City-based book publisher Hard Case Crime, who encouraged me to contact the usually interview-averse Lesser, and even supplied me with his e-mail address to make that possible.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series over the last five weeks. I don’t often get the chance to dig into a subject as frequently or as deeply as I have Ron Lesser’s work. With any luck, my efforts here will teach readers to recognize and appreciate this artist’s abundant talents—and, perhaps, encourage them to pick up one of the books he’s illustrated over the last six decades. My own collection of Lesser’s covers has lots of room to grow.