The Art of Robert E. McGinnis -- Robert McGinnis & Art Scott

Is there anyone in the United States who hasn't seen artwork by Robert McGinnis?  Maybe so, but those people must be in the minority.  For decades, McGinnis' work was ubiquitous, appearing on the covers of over a thousand paperback books (an even 100 on novels by Carter Brown alone), on movie posters for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters (including James Bond films), on the covers and in the interiors of popular magazines, and on album covers.  I might be forgetting a few places, but it's easy to see that McGinniss' work was, and still is, everywhere, although these days he devotes himself mostly to his gallery work.  The number of paintings and illustrations he's done is astonishing, yet this book gives a good idea of the amazing range and quality of them.  

The heart of the book is the art, but Art Scott provides an excellent and insightful introduction to the artist and his work, with shorter introductions to each section of the book.  I can't think of anyone better qualified to do so.  Scott might be the only person in the world who owns all the paperbacks for which McGinnis has done the covers.  Following the introduction, there's also a fine interview with McGinnis himself.

The longest section in the book is the one devoted to "Seven Decades of McGinnis Book Covers," and paperback collectors will see some familiar works here, although maybe never so large or paired with the original art.  The colors are vivid, and some of the paintings almost pop off the page.  Other sections cover "The Movies," "Magazine Illustration," "Gallery Art," "McGinnis' West," and "Landscapes."  In every section we're treated to one great painting after another, and each section has a brief introduction by Scott.

The Art of Robert E. McGinnis is a quality production all the way.  It's clear that great care was taken with the artwork to get the colors as close to the originals as possible.  It's printed on heavy paper, and I have no idea how they managed to keep the price so low.  This is the coffee-table book bargain of the year.  Or the book bargain of the year, period.  Kudos to Titan Books, to Art Scott, and of course to Robert McGinnis.  I suspect that everyone who sees this book will be hoping for a sequel.  I know that I am.