McGinnis’ Original Visions

(Above) Murder Is My Business, by Brett Halliday (Dell, 1963).

I hadn’t expected to be writing again about Ohio-born artist and illustrator Robert McGinnis so soon after we celebrated his 99th birthday on this page in February. But the news, broadcast two weeks ago, that he’d died on March 10 left me wanting to make another visit to his impressive portfolio of work, amassed over six decades.

Originally, I thought about creating a gallery of my favorite McGinnis paperback covers—something along the lines of what vintage book collector Tim Hewitt posted in Killer Covers two months ago. But I found it hard to narrow down my choices. An initial list included everything from John Trinian’s North Beach Girl and George Bagby’s Dead Wrong to M.E. Chaber’s A Lonely Walk, A.S. Fleishman’s The Venetian Blonde, and David Lodge’s Angel’s Ransom. By the time my picks exceeded 50 in number, I knew I could not match Hewitt’s half-dozen limit.

(Right) Never Kill a Client, by Brett Halliday (Dell, 1963).

Another option was to look back at the James Bond movie posters McGinnis painted over the years—some of which took liberties with the films’ contents. But this artist’s demise was already followed by new attention paid to those gorgeous one-sheets.

In the end, I realized that I’d drawn much attention in Killer Covers to how his artwork was incorporated into paperback fronts—together with title type, bylines, and publisher identifications—yet had rarely showcased his original pieces. So let me rectify that imbalance a bit today. This post features 22 of the best paintings he produced for books during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Most focus on what have been labeled “McGinnis Women,” lithe and luscious lovelies who simultaneously seduce ... and express unapproachability. The artist frequently manipulated human proportions on his canvasses, making figures taller than the 7.5 heads high they usually are, pushing them to eight or nine heads tall and extending legs beyond what one would expect. The results were captivating and made his women, especially, distinctive.

With each painting here, I have provided a link to show how it was eventually presented in book form. If there are other excellent examples you think should have been added to this gallery, please drop a note about them into the Comments section below.

A Murderer Among Us, by Carter Brown (Signet, 1969).

Kill the Clown, by Richard S. Prather (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1973).

Assignment: Peking, by Edward S. Aarons (Gold Medal, 1969).

Assignment—Sorrento Siren, by Edward S. Aarons (Gold Medal, 1963).

Murder Me for Nickels, by Peter Rabe (Gold Medal, 1960).

A Peak in Darien, by Roswell G. Ham Jr. (Avon, 1960).

The Aseptic Murders, by Carter Brown (Signet, 1972).

Charlie Sent Me! by Carter Brown (Signet, 1963).

Exit Dying, by Harry Olesker (Dell, 1959).

False Scent, by Ngaio Marsh (Crest, 1961).

Death Comes Early, by William R. Cox (Dell, 1961).

Trouble—Texas Style, by John Bramlett (Gold Medal, 1964).

Nymph to the Slaughter, by Carter Brown (Signet, 1971).

The Eighth Circle, by Stanley Ellin (Dell, 1959). This is the first of four different covers shown here that employ McGinnis’ signature One Shoe Off motif. Can you find the other three?

Mum’s the Word for Murder, by Brett Halliday (Dell, 1964).

The Man Inside, by M.E. Chaber (Paperback Library, 1970).

As Old as Cain, by M.E. Chaber (Paperback Library, 1971). Bob McGinnis evidently took performers Goldie Hawn and James Coburn as his models for this painting. But he originally imagined Hawn in the nude. That was apparently too much for Chaber’s publisher, because the finished cover finds her wearing a bikini.

The Girl Who Cried Wolf, by Hillary Waugh (Dell, 1958). McGinnis’ alternative art for that novel can be seen here.

Beebo Brinker, by Ann Bannon (Gold Medal, 1962).

The April Robin Murders, by Craig Rice and Ed McBain (Dell, 1959).