Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Under Cover: Dinosaur Tales


Byron Preiss produced a collection of Ray Bradbury short stories called Dinosaur Tales, which was published by Bantam Books. The book featured illustrations by Overton Loyd, Moebius, Kenneth SmithSterankoWilliam StoutDavid Weisner and Gahan Wilson. Ray Harryhausen wrote the foreword, and Bradbury did the introduction.

Byron told me that Bantam Books wanted Bradbury’s name and the title to be big. I used a few LetraSet typefaces, whose names I’ve forgotten. With Instant Lettering it was easy to manipulate the letterspacing and baseline of the words. Below are a couple of cover comps, with smaller type, featuring Stout’s first concept for the cover art.



Big and bolder type was requested for the cover revision, as well as a new cover art concept.

Bantam Books, 1983, trade paperback;
cover art by William Stout

Story opening page sample

Text spread sample with running head and folio
(and rubber cement stains)

Kenneth Smith art

Part-title page with Kenneth Smith art

Title page with Kenneth Smith art

Copyright page with Kenneth Smith art

Contents page with Kenneth Smith art

Foreword with Kenneth Smith art

Introduction with Kenneth Smith art

“Besides a Dinosaur, Whatta Ya Wanna Be When You Grow Up?”

David Wiesner art

David Wiesner art

David Wiesner art

David Wiesner art

“A Sound of Thunder”

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

William Stout art

“Lo, The Dear, Daft Dinosaurs!”
Overton Loyd art

Overton Loyd art

Overton Loyd art

Overton Loyd art

“The Fog Horn”

Steranko art

Steranko art

Steranko art

Steranko art

Steranko art

“What If I Said: The Dinosaur’s Not Dead”

Gahan Wilson art

“Tyrannosaurus Rex”

Moebius art

Moebius art

Moebius art

Moebius art

Moebius art


Byron sent a photocopy of Ray's letter to me.

Bantam Books, 1984, mass market paperback;
cover art by Sanjulian

Bastei Lubbe, 1985, German paperback

Barnes & Noble, 1996, hardcover;
cover art by William Stout;
jacket design by Curtis Tow

Dinosaur Tales
iBooks, 2003


RAY BRADBURY
(1922 – 2012)


(Next post August 27: New York City subway maps)

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