Early on during last year I came across a slightly tatty copy of Kalin by E. C. Tubb in a secondhand bookshop for the princely sum of seventy five pence. It was in worse condition than I usually allow myself to go for but it was perfectly readable and had a striking wraparound cover by Chris Yates so I decided to purchase it despite the faults.
Just recently I stumbled across two other Tubb novels which were also issued by Arrow Books in the same year as Kalin, both of which had a Yates wraparound cover. Once again though, neither of the books were in particularly good condition but it seemed a shame not to add them to my small collection especially given how ridiculously cheap they were.
Because of the effort and technical application involved in constructing a good image comprising of both covers and spine, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to try and remove as many defects in post processing. It took a good few hours of work to complete each book but I think the results speak for themselves and show off Chris Yates’ psychedelic painting/collage skills to full effect. It’s certainly the first time these covers have appeared on the web in this format which makes all the time spent hunched over my MacBook Pro worthwhile.
I’m sure that you’ll appreciate these covers too, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. And remember, always check the rear of your books when browsing, you can never be sure when a wraparound will come to hand.
Kalin by E. C. Tubb
This version was published in 1973 by Arrow Books
The cover artist is Chris Yates
The Winds Of Gath by E. C. Tubb
This version was published in 1973 by Arrow Books
The cover artist is Chris Yates
Toyman by E. C. Tubb
This version was published in 1973 by Arrow Books
The cover artist is Chris Yates
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Nice retouching, sir, very nice indeed!
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Why thank you Mr Lestaret, that’s indeed an honour coming from someone as artistically talented as your good self.
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Wow, these are wonderful covers and the images you have posted are spectacular. I am not sure if I have seen Yates covers before but will certainly be on the lookout. Your photos are always so good. I have a MacBook Air with iPhoto. What software did you use if I may ask.
Regards
Guy
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Thank you so much for your kind words Guy, it’s wonderful to hear that you appreciated these rather fantastic Chris Yates cover pieces. His work is generally of a very high standard and well worth tracking down if you get the chance. To create these images I start by photographing the covers and spine separately in my lightbox using a tripod mounted iPhone 6. Then I use a Mac software package called Pixelmator to align the three shots before using the clone and healing tools to erase the joints. It can be a long job if the spine is faded or the design is complex but I think the results are definitely worth the effort as these three covers prove. More wraparounds to come so stay tuned. All the the best as ever Guy.
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Blimey! These are spectacular. As you well know, I love a wraparound cover design and I’m quite partial to a bit of pyschedelia, so I’m very much all over these ones. Thanks for a terrific post, as always.
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Thanks very much for your kind words Mr Nash, I suspected that these images might well appeal to a chap of obvious taste like your good self. I have several more lovely wraparound covers to present in the near future which I hope will provide similar enjoyment and am currently working on a very psychedelic audio sequence for next month’s mixtape so do join me again soon. All the best as ever my friend.
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Great work and great covers presented to your impeccably high standards. I’m sure these took quite some time but it is appreciated and they are wonderful to see in this format. Best wishes, Mr C 🙂
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Why thank you kindly Mr C, it’s always good to hear from people who appreciate the work involved in creating such images, particularly someone as talented behind the camera as you are. I really enjoy preparing these wraparounds as many of them have never been photographed in the way the artist intended each piece to be seen and therefore don’t exist anywhere on the web. I can’t help but see it as kind of art restoration project. All the best my friend, speak to you soon.
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I’m a huge Dumarest fan. Living here in America, I’ve never seen those covers. They are gorgeous. And I deeply appreciate the effort of retouching and posting them. I think you may have inspired me to re-read the series again! By the time I finish, it ought to be time for a new Traveller campaign!
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Thanks for your kind words Baron and welcome to the blog. It was certainly a time consuming effort to create these covers in their entirety but comments like yours make the hard work worthwhile. Hope you’ll stick around to see what other treasures I’ll be offering up in the future, it’d be great to have you along for the ride. Enjoy your re-reading of the Dumarest saga, must pay the series another visit myself before too long. All the best to you.
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