Customer Reviews

A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I should not have bought this book. There's no question it is an excellent resource, but I bought it expecting artwork and there is NONE in this book! Buy it if you are an active collector looking for Bonestell's very hard-to-find paintings in magazines and books, but if you're looking for a book of his art, this isn't it!

As a long time Bonestell fan I was pleased to acquire the Chronology. It provides information about the places where Bonestell art has been published. Even the long time fan may find some surprise books. For example, it's great to be able to find out the exact issues of Colliers with Bonestell art. Be prepared, though, the only picture in the entire book is on the cover. The rest is all text. If you need a resource to help you search for OP books and magazines on the web, this is it. Be ready for high prices or just plain non-availability. Some books like The Exploration of Mars (one of the best for Bonestell art) are virtually unavailable.

I have been a Bonestell fan for many years and this listing of appearances of his art is remarkably useful. Previously I had only come across listings of Bonestell's illustrations for the SF Magazines - anything else I tended to find by accident rather than design. Schuetz has obviously spent a great deal of time in searching through long runs of magazines to compile his Chronology and the format he has used to present the information is logical and straightforward. As more and more people 'discover' Bonestell there is bound to be an increase in publications that contain his artwork, I look forward to an updated edition of the Chronology in a few years time.

Not many artists can truly have been said to have changed history -- but Chesley Bonestell did. His luminous, imaginative, yet utterly realistic paintings helped convince millions of post-WWII Americans that space travel was more than an fantasy -- it could happen in their lifetime if they wanted to do it badly enough. It's unlikely that this turnaround in public opinion to support the space program, beginning in the late 1940s, could have happened without Bonestell's inspirational artwork appearing in hundreds of magazines, books, movies and on TV. With Schuetz' book in hand, anyone with access to a decent University or City library can easily locate the original printings of Bonestell's illustrations and see for themselves how and where the Space Age was born. This is easily the best book on Chesley Bonestell and comes highly recommended!

I rarely take the opportunity to provide feedback, whether positive or negative, for items that I have purchased. Contrary to my nature, I enthusiastically offer my critique of Melvin Schuetz' book "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". I have fond childhood "space" memories from the nostalgic, captivating decade of the 1950s. As a child, I gathered and treasured a modest number of space-related items. As an adult, my continued interest in space travel and exploration provides countless hours of enjoyment. Unlike when I was a child, I now have the necessary resources to seek, to find and to acquire any number of space-related collectables. Most alluring to me are "space" books and periodicals published in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Without question, the best tools that I have discovered and that I use in my quest for such books are e-bay and "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". If I were limited to only one adjective to describe Melvin's book, it would be "powerful". As I pour through the various Appendixes, e.g., "Major Books Containing Bonestell Space Art" and Indexes, e.g., "Index of Authors and Editors", "Index of Books" and "Index of Periodicals", I gain an ever-increasing knowledge of and appreciation for Bonestell's work. Over time, I have gravitated toward particular aspects of Bonestell's space-art. Specifically, I prefer Bonestell's artistic renderings of space ships like those that graced the covers of Colliers magazines circa 1952-1954 than I do his astronomical renditions of alien planetary systems and galaxies. But that's the "powerful" nature of Melvin's book - it contains everything (I dare say - without exception). The prolific work of Chesley Bonestell is mind-boggling to me. Also mind-boggling is Melvin Schuetz' complete accounting of Bonestell's work. And, Melvin does it in such a way as to educate and entertain the reader. "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology" is a wonderful book, a must for anyone interested in Chesley Bonestell.

If you are a Chesley Bonestell fan, this is the book you have been waiting for. It is the only bibliography of Bonestell's work available to the general public, and it is now likely to remain the only one. Future bibliographers will have little, if anything, to add to Schuetz's comprehensive labor of love. As a bibliography, this book contains no reproductions of Bonestell's paintings (as several reviewers wrongly thought it promised) but rather lists all the places where Bonestell's artwork has appeared since his first stunning visions of Saturn graced the May 1944 issue of Life magazine. This priceless information is enlivened both by Ron Miller's introductory appreciation of Chesley Bonestell and the brief but well-chosen excerpts Schuetz has appended to most of the entries. For anyone who counts himself a Bonestell enthusiast, this book is sure to prove invaulable, both as a record of the master's career as an astronomical artist and as the ultimate collector's guide.

Chesley Bonestell's art played an important role in mankind's exploration of space. For the first time, an expert on Bonestell's work has compiled the authoritative list of where the master's art has been published. Bonestell was prolific and lived a long life, and his work is published in an astonishingly wide variety of places. The book is an invaluable source for the serious collector, but also for someone who admires Bonestell's art and simply wants to know where it can be found. Schuetz includes discussions of key paintings, which makes the book all the more valuable. Also, given Bonestell's explosive popularity, Schuetz's book helps meet another need: it provides a handy source of information that can help evaluate the credibility of Bonestell items offered for sale. The book does not reproduce every Bonestell painting. It provides something even more valuable: a comprehensive overview by year of what Bonestell paintings were printed and where they were published. The reader of this book can get a bird's eye view of the influence and impact of the dean of space art on the popular imagination.

I thought I knew a lot about the history of space pioneers, and a little about the life of Chesley Bonestell, but I learned quite a bit more from this book. I also used it to hunt down a few books I'd never seen before. There is just no other place where this information is collected. The only thing you might wish for is thumbnails of the art. If you want to see what the pictures actually look like, you'll have to look them up for yourself. If you have any nostalgic sentiment for the space art of the 50's, this little volume will bowl you over.

I am a space art book collector and have alway loved the work of Chesley Bonestell. It is hard to find his work since it is scattered over at least 40 years of books and magazines. Mr Schuetz's labor of love allows access to this hidden work. It is well organized and has well thought-out indices. The annotations for many of the entries are very helpful, consisting of relevant quotes and /or comments that put the entry in context. The addition of the biographical material by Ron Miller is invaluable. If you are interested in learning more about one of the great modern American artists, pick this up!

This is an indispensable book for anyone interested not only in the space art of Chesley Bonestell--the acknowledged father of modern astronomical art--but in the history of astronautics and American illustration. More than a simple catalog of magazines and books, it is enlivened by the author's commentary and annotations, as well as by a lengthy biography and detailed chronology of Bonestell's life. Three indexes make navigating the book a breeze. Every serious Bonestell collector--whether beginner or veteran--needs this handsomely produced volume. A bargain at any price