The Art of Jeffrey Jones [Hardcover]

Arnie Fenner (Editor), Cathy Fenner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

From the 1960s through the early 1980s Jeffrey Jones was one of the most respected creators of fantasy and science fiction art. Comfortable as both a book cover illustrator and as a comics artist, Jones gained a large and loyal following that resulted in his being honored with a World Fantasy Award for Best Artist. Renowned for his paintings for the works of Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, Jones' atmospheric style became a major influence on subsequent generations of artists. Though he left the commercial field in the late '80s to devote his full attention on Fine Art, Jones has continued to explore the worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Underwood Books' The Art of Jeffrey Jones is the first thorough retrospective of a major American painter's remarkable career. Printed in full-color on premium art paper, this 9 by 12 inch book features 175 stunning works that finally help us to fully understand Jones' versatility and skill and ultimately his importance to the field of fantastic art. Sometimes heroic, sometimes erotic, occasionally hilarious, and always breathtakingly beautiful, The Art of Jeffrey Jones is the first comprehensive collection of his artwork ever published, making this unique volume a publishing event.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner are the creative team behind the best-selling Spectrum series. They both live in Overland Park, KS

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Underwood Books (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887424571
• ISBN-13: 978-1887424578
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful World of Women and Warriors, November 30, 2002

By 

Alan T (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Jeffrey Jones (Hardcover)

This is one terrific book! It was a great trip down memory lane for me: Jeffrey Jones did the fantastic covers for many of the swords-and-sorcery paperbacks I read while growing up. In addition to the artwork for stellar talents like Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, and Karl Edward Wagner, Jones' beautiful paintings also brought class to less distinguished (but still fun)books by authors like Lin Carter and Gardner F. Fox. The wonderful artwork for many, many of these books is included, as well as a ton of great illustrations based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan adventures. The cover illustration is one of the best (and most understated) pieces of vampire artwork I've ever seen. The paintings are enlivened by Jones' personal reflections on his career, and the book concludes with striking samples of Jones' non-commercial art. Jones' smoldering, doe-eyed brunettes are the stuff dreams are made of!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not enough, March 30, 2004

By 

David E. Goldweber (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Jeffrey Jones (Hardcover)

Dozens and dozens Jeffrey Jones' wonderful paintings are beautifully produced in this fine book. Unfortunately, there is very little in the area of his sketches, and almost nothing of his comic work.

It might be argued that Jones' most original creations were his *Idyll* and *I'm Age* strips for National Lampoon and Heavy Metal. Certainly his work with pen-and-ink is nothing short of extraordinary. (I work with pen-and-ink myself and am in awe of his modeling techniques.) This book gives us only one single page of Idyll and one single page of I'm Age.

Because of these disappointing omissions I am tempted to give this book only two or three stars, but I give four stars in the hope that the Idyll and I'm Age strips will be collected together at a later time. They are brilliant, and from an artistic standpoint they are at least as important as the paintings.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Jones, January 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Jeffrey Jones (Hardcover)

Questions have always circulated about Jeffrey Jones and his place in the history of 20th Century fantasy art: was he a monumental talent or just another Frazetta imitator? I think this book finally provides a definitive answer: he was both. THE ART OF JEFFREY JONES is a beautiful showcase that effectively traces Jones' transition from a Frazetta-wannabe in the 1960s to the truly gifted painter of the 1990s be became.
And I must disagree with Manfred's complaints and comparisons to previous Jones books: not only are Jones' earlier books long out of print, but THE ART OF JEFFREY JONES includes a great deal of work not included in any other collection (along with unpublished art credited as being painted in the '90s). While the text most certainly could have been expanded, I believe the editors have revealed more about Jones as an artist and person than any have previously and I came away with a better appreciation of this eccentric creator. A personal favorite.