The Art of Reginald Heade – Volume 2 – p/b

In this follow-up and companion-piece to the highly-acclaimed first volume, published initially as The Art of Reginald Heade and then in revised and greatly expanded form as The Art of Reginald Heade – Special Edition, noted researcher Stephen James Walker joins forces with Heade’s original biographer Steve Chibnall to present an unparalleled celebration of the artist’s outstanding body of work. Lavishly illustrated with stunning, full colour reproductions of dozens of Heade’s original paintings, a wealth of his previously-unpublished preliminary sketches and roughs, and hundreds of newly-discovered additional examples of his superb book cover artwork from the 1930s to the 1950s, this volume is also packed with much new analysis and information – including for the first time a photograph and full, detailed biography of the artist.

Reginald Heade is renowned amongst vintage paperback fans and collectors as the pre- eminent British pulp fiction cover artist of the mid-20^th Century. His beautifully-realised, erotically-charged depictions of a parade of sexy, scantily-clad young virgins and vixens – the so-called ‘Heade women’ – are near-legendary amongst lovers of classic pin-up art; and the original books on which they appeared are now highly-sought-after rarities – in some cases, only a handful of copies are known still to survive. Equally exceptional were the many pieces the artist produced for hardback novel dustjackets, children’s books, periodicals and other commercial items, all of which are represented within these pages.

The Art of Reginald Heade – Volume Two  is a veritable treasure trove for Heade’s many admirers, and for anyone with a taste for classic pin-up and book cover artwork.

‘Surely the ideal Christmas present for anyone interested in pulp fiction, popular art and social history this year will be the Special Edition Volume 1 of The Art of Reginald Heade by Stephen James Walker along with its companion Volume 2, by Stephen Walker and Steve Chibnall both published, clearly as labours of love, by Telos. From raunchy, stocking-top covers for Hank Janson (and many other authors’) pulp thrillers and more restrained covers for conventional crime series such as The Saint, to romantic fiction (including Barbara Cartland) and westerns to illustrating classics such as Treasure Island, for comic strips to advertising campaigns, Reginald Heade (1901-1957) packed an awful lot of artwork into a relatively short life.’ Mike Ripley, Shots Magazine

384pp. Large format 22cm x 28cm paperback. Fully illustrated in full colour throughout.
ISBN: 978-1-84583-204-9
Published 3 August 2022

The Hank Janson name, logo and silhouette device are registered trademarks of Telos Publishing Ltd.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Stephen James Walker has authored or co-authored an average of one book per year since the early 1990s, many of them about the BBC’s acclaimed Doctor Who series. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Physics from University College London, and his many other interests include cult TV, film noir, vintage crime fiction, Laurel and Hardy and an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, R&B and other popular music. Between July 1983 and March 2005 he acted as an adviser to successive Governments, latterly at senior assistant director level, responsible for policy on a range of issues relating mainly to individual employment rights. His working time is now taken up by his writing projects and by his role as co-owner and director of Telos Publishing. He lives in Canterbury with his wife and family.

Steve Chibnall is believed to be the only Professor of British Cinema in the world, and is one of the UK’s senior film historians.  He is director of De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History Institute’s archives, which include the Hammer Script, Palace and Scala, Peter Whitehead, Andrew Davies, Sir Norman Wisdom, and Indian Cinemas archives.  He is also owner of the Steve Chibnall Collection, which consists of tens of thousands of pieces of British film and popular culture memorabilia.  He has written or edited a dozen books, published many articles and book chapters, contributed sleeve notes and commentary moderations to DVD releases from Studio Canal, Odeon Entertainment and the BFI, featured on television and radio, and organised events at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Regent Street Cinema and the Cinema Museum, where he is Visiting Professor. He has also been researching Reginald Heade for over 30 years and owns many of his original paintings.