Flights of Fancy

Some of these futures are comfortably distant, and others were a tad silly to hypothesize even in the late 1970s when they were produced, but ah, the paintings, the paintings... With artists like Jim Burns, Angus McKie, and Colin Hay, one simply cannot go wrong! Below are covers, plus a small sampling of these books’ beautiful interiors.

Back cover art by Jim Burns

Cover art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Jim Burns

And in addition to scans from my slightly tattered copy of Planet Story, below is the original painting that was reproduced on pages 40 and 41. The book doesn’t give a title per se, but Jim Burns, the artist himself, refers to it as Into This Elysian Scene Plunged RRAGG (Railroad and Ground Grader), so that’s good enough for me! Everything about this piece is classic Jim Burns: the richness of color, the movement in not only foreground and background but even midground, the abundance of detail from the skin texture, expression, and even wilting flower of the watcher, through the splashes of the thrown rock all about the boat and the gondolier's attempted escape, to the marble-like borders incorporating concerned Pvt. Parrts above and alien musicians below—absolutely lovely.

For a better look at some of that gorgeous detail, see these closeups--

In December 2023 Burns did a thoroughly enjoyable and charming hour-plus interview with Shaun McClure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRhSmAqCiY8. Below is a screenshot that happens to show this painting. Anyone interested in the artist and his work will enjoy this interview immensely.

In mid-2025 I also ended up acquiring this very wide piece, which in my library catalog I am calling Dive-Crapping Attack. It was reproduced in the book on pages 60 and 61 and then, sliding the focus over some, pages 62 and 63 as well. The wiggliness on the right is due to the fact that a cell phone camera apparently cannot take in the entire width very well... This piece is, after all, close to half again as wide as Intro This Elysian Scene Plunged RRAGG. The weird streaks, of course, are from the lighting I used, not the painting itself.

And here is a closeup of the main action to give a better sense of the rich detail of this beauty.

(Remember that Jim Burns offers signed prints of other works for sale, too! http://www.alisoneldred.com/thumbsJimBurns-Prints-0-1.html)

Also, for another original Burns, check out my Paperbacks, Etc. page.

Of the “Terran Trade Authority” books by Stewart Cowley, Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD happens to be the first one that I got as a kid, and it ended up being my favorite as well. I literally cannot estimate how many hours I spent back then reading and rereading the piece, enjoying the illustrations, and sketching my own ship ideas.

Cover art by Angus McKie

Back cover art by Colin Hay

Interior art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Colin Hay

Interior art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Angus McKie

Cover art by Jeffrey Ridge

Interior art by Trevor Webb

Interior art by Chris Moore (Apparent ray gun glitch due to binding, of course)

Cover art by Fred Gambino

Cover art by Angus McKie

Back cover art by Robin Hiddon

Interior art by Peter Elson

Interior art by Colin Hay

Interior art by Peter Elson

Interior art by Angus McKie

Interior art by Tony Roberts

Cover art by Bob Layzell

Malcolm Edwards and Robert Holdstock’s Tour of the Universe is one of those books that wraps all the illustrations around a central plot. A couple wins a trip to the Magellanic Clouds, so we’ll see the news clippings of that, plus their quaint airline-style hard-copy tickets, colorful and crazy paintings of the places they go, and even receipts from the vacation. It’s a lovely ride, and now that I finally replaced my childhood softcover copy with a hardcover, I can post some decent interiors!

Cover art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Theo Page

Interior art by Terry Oakes

Interior art by Colin Page

Interior art by Les Edwards

Interior art by Jeff Ridge

Interior art by Les Edwards

Interior art by Richard Clifton-Dey

Interior art by Tony Roberts

Cover art by Jim Burns

Back cover art by Brian Lewis

Interior art by Roy Coombes

Interior art by Brian Lewis

Cover art by Ron Walotsky

Lightship is a 1985 collection of Jim Burns paintings published by Paper Tiger, with text by Chris Evans. As to be expected of a book showcasing the art of Jim Burns, this largish, nearly square 125-page baby is a real beaut’.

Cover art by Jim Burns

Back cover art by Jim Burns

I love these old shots of the artist!

Interior art by Jim Burns

The 2014 Hyperluminal is another absolutely gorgeous collection of Jim Burns paintings. The book would be worth buying even for the pictures alone, but it also includes a fair bit of interesting text from Burns about the history of various paintings, the evolution of his work, and whatnot. The piece is 160 oversized pages of exquisitely rendered creativity.

Cover art by Jim Burns

Interior art by Jim Burns

The 2023 The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta is huge, at 13 by 18 inches, and like many of the beautiful oversized Taschen tomes, it has text in English, German, and French. Sometime hopefully I can sample some of the illustrations here...

Big Illustrated Books

The History of SF

Science Fiction/Science Fact