Richard Corben at Fonts In Use

Llana of Gathol and John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

sta pli — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:16:53 +0000

Contributed by sta pli

Nelson Doubleday. License: All Rights Reserved.

Loose New Roman in use for John Lisco’s jacket design for Nelson Doubleday’s 1977 book club edition of Llana of Gathol and John Carter of Mars, with wraparound art by Richard Corben. The omnibus edition merges the last two books in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950).

[More info on ISFDB]

This post was originally published at Fonts In Use

Spaceling by Doris Piserchia (Nelson Doubleday)

Florian Hardwig — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 08:15:44 +0000

Contributed by Florian Hardwig

Source: www.abebooks.com Between the Covers. License: All Rights Reserved.

Algonquin Ornamented in use for the title of Spaceling, a science fiction novel by Doris Piserchia (1928–2021). The shown hardback edition was published by Nelson Doubleday in 1978. From the back of DAW’s paperback:

The ability to see other-dimensional rings that float in Earth’s atmosphere was a late mutation of a few space-age humans. Daryl was under the care of the institution for muters, and she had discovered that if you jumped through the right ring at the right time it would land you in another dimensional world and another shape.

Spaceling is the story of Daryl’s desperate efforts to unravel the mystery of why she was being held captive and of what was really going on in a certain alien dimension. Because she was sure it was all bad and that someday everyone would thank her for the revelation.

But instead everyone was engaged in a wild effort to hold her down, to keep her on this Earth, and to keep the world simply intact!

[More info on ISFDB]

Algonquin is used in spaced caps, with the interior ornamentation printed in a separate color. The book jacket was designed by John Lisco, with wraparound art by Richard Corben.

Detail from the inner flap

Source: www.flickr.com Tim Underhill. License: All Rights Reserved.

This post was originally published at Fonts In Use

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell album art

David Jonathan Ross — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 09:34:32 +0000

Contributed by David Jonathan Ross

Photo: David Jonathan Ross. License: All Rights Reserved.

This Bradley use makes me happy.
The bold album art is counterbalanced with information set with light weight capitals, using Trade Gothic or similar.

Cover concept: Jim Steinman
Design: Ed Lee
Illustration: Richard Corben
Photography: Frank Laffitte

Photo: David Jonathan Ross. License: All Rights Reserved.

This post was originally published at Fonts In Use

Fighting Fantasy gamebook series (Laurel Leaf/Dell)

Florian Hardwig — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 20:33:06 +0000

Contributed by Florian Hardwig

1: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1983. Cover art by Richard Corben.

When Laurel Leaf, an imprint of Dell, published the US version of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain in November 1983, they adopted the book’s typographic identity featuring Bradley, which had been introduced with Puffin’s original UK edition the year before, see this post.

While Puffin changed to different cover typefaces for the subsequent books in the Fighting Fantasy series, Laurel Leaf stuck to Bradley for the complete run of the series. The Americans didn’t squeeze the letterforms, and also went less heavy with the caps: Author names as well as articles and prepositions in the titles are set in mixed case — Deathtrap Dungeon dispenses with the caps craze altogether — for a slightly less outlandish look.

The C gets the same simplified treatment as in the UK. Additionally, I and T (in non-initial position) exhibit alternate or altered forms that work better in all caps. From issue 5 on, these subtleties were forgotten, though. Now C, I and T show exclusively the standard letterforms.

2: The Citadel Of Chaos by Steve Jackson, 1983. Cover art by Richard Corben.

3: The Forest Of Doom by Ian Livingstone, 1984. Cover art by Richard Corben.

The Titannica Fighting Fantasy Wiki on the US edition:

The gamebooks featured a new cover design with the first eleven books using a generic white background, whilst books 12 through 21 had a generic black background. Initially the gamebooks had completely new cover illustrations, by Richard Corben (The Warlock of Firetop Mountain to Island of the Lizard King) and R. Courtney (Scorpion Swamp to Freeway Fighter), until 1986 when with Temple of Terror the original Puffin Books cover illustration were used till the range ended with Trial of Champions. During this run House of Hell was retitled House of Hades.

4. Starship Traveller by Steve Jackson, 1984. Cover art by Richard Corben.

5: City of Thieves by Ian Livingstone, 1984. Cover art by Richard Corben.

6: Deathtrap Dungeon by Ian Livingston, 1984. Cover art by Richard Corben.

7: Island of the Lizard King by Ian Livingstone, 1985. Cover art by Richard Corben.

8: Scorpion Swamp by (the other) Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1985. Cover art by Richard Courtney.

10: House Of Hades by Steve Jackson, 1985. Cover art by Richard Courtney.

12: Space Assassin by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1985. Cover art by Richard Courtney.

16: Seas Of Blood by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1986. Cover art by Rodney Matthews.

18: Rebel Planet by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1986. Cover art by Alan Craddock.

19: Demons Of The Deep by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, 1987. Cover art by Les Edwards.

This post was originally published at Fonts In Use