My initial motivation
to attempt a J. Allen St. John cover illustration collection derives from
an hour-long interaction with the late, Darrell
Richardson, at the 1998 Dum-Dum in Baltimore, MD.
It was during the first full
day of that convention, at adjacent tables in the Huckster Room, that we
met and began examining and discussing a variety of cover illustrations
by Chicago artist, J. Allen St. John. Darrell showed me wonderful examples
of St. John work used by publishers for a wide range of popular fiction/NF
titles—EXCLUSIVE of works by Edgar Rice Burroughs. These examples were
mostly from the 1920s through 1940s, although he had a few earlier exceptions
that he handled gingerly and described as ‘extremely rare for any collector.’
I was later to discover just how prophetic and accurate those words were!
My 26-book collection has taken
me years to assemble, often by the seat of my pants and extreme chance.
I’ve acquired the elusive jackets in bidding wars at auction, encountered
a few in antiquarian shops and book barns while on cross-country travels,
and even received one as a gift. I made every effort to retain only books
and original jackets in VG+ or better condition. Many in my collection
are in VF condition.
I’ve provided both front and
back images for 26 non-Burroughs titles, including a mix of A.C. McClurg
&
Co. First Editions, A. L. Burt and Grosset & Dunlap reprints. A couple
of the McClurg images are wrap-around illustrations. Perhaps of interest,
the first book/jacket in the collection is 'Two-Gun Man' by Robert Ames
Bennet. I purchased it from Darrell at the Baltimore Dum-Dum. Enjoy the
images!
