“Army Girl,” by Whit Harrison

Army Girl, by “Whit Harrison,” aka Harry Whittington (Paperback Library, 1962). The Florida-born Whittington (1915-1989) was a prolific author of both crime fiction and western fiction, who wrote under a variety of pseudonyms. A few of his books have been brought back into print by Stark House Press, but not yet Army Girl.

Cover artwork by Harry Schaare. His original artwork for this softcover novel can be enjoyed below. An earlier edition of Army Girl, published by Venus Books (and with a front illustration by Rudolph Belarki) can be seen here.

Another Look: “Branded Woman”

Warning: Artistic inspiration drawn from book titles may vary.



Left: Branded Woman, by “Wade Miller,” aka Robert Wade and H. Bill Miller (Gold Medal, 1952); cover art by John Floherty Jr. Right: Branded Woman, by Wade Miller (Hard Case Crime, 2005), with a mighty eye-catching cover illustration by Glen Orbik. The Complete Review opined that “Branded Woman is not a good novel, but it's bad in all the right ways.” Damn, I wish I’d written that!

Alias Endris

Thank goodness C.J. Thomas reinvigorated his blog, The Stiletto Gumshoe, a few months ago, after letting it lie dormant for almost four years. He has since posted frequently about the painters responsible for artwork on vintage pulp magazines and paperback covers, whether it be Frank Kalan, Ron Johnson, Karel Thole, or others.

And just recently he drew attention to Emilie Irene Zimmermann (1907-1967), who often signed her creations as “Endris.” Thomas notes that “‘Endris’ covers are often mistaken as the work of her better-known contemporary, Rafael DeSoto. To be fair, if you compare some side by side, it’s easy to understand the confusion.”

Check out proof of Zimmerman’s considerable talents here.