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One of the most enjoyable aspects of collecting old SF magazines
comes not only in appreciating their historical value and discovering obscure authors,
but also being able to see the illustrations (in a wide variety of styles) that went
with the stories. I'm delighted to share over 100 of these intriguing works of art with you.
All illustrations are shown at slightly larger than the actual
size to better show detail, with no loss in picture quality.
Most links go directly to a JPG file.
Each picture has been given a title for easy reference.

> "AUTOMATON"
> Illustration © by Malcolm Smith

> Other Worlds September 1950 (cover © by Malcolm Smith)
> Title Page |

> "BLACK DESTROYER"
> Illustrations © by H. Kramer
> The July 1939 issue of Astounding is often used to date the beginning of the "Golden Age" of SF under John W. Campbell, Jr. Featuring the first SF story by A.E. van Vogt, and Asimov's first appearance in ASF, it was followed the next month by Robert A. Heinlein's first story.

> Astounding Science Fiction July 1939 (cover © by Graves Gladney)
> #1: Coeurl Feeds |
> #2: Alien Cunning |
> #3: Desperate Escape |
> #4: Ships I'm pretty sure this is one of those generic "filler" illustrations that could be reused with just about any story. |

> THE BOOK OF PTATH
> Fantasy Press, 1947 / Garland, 1975
> Illustrations © by A.J. Donnell
> When this novel — which originally appeared in the October 1943 issue of Unknown Worlds — was published in book form the first time by Fantasy Press in 1947, six black-and-white drawings by A.J. Donnell were done to illustrate the text (he also did the dustjacket cover). I know little about Donnell himself but if these drawings are anything to go by he was imaginative and had a talent for portraying the supernatural.
> The Fantasy Press book was reprinted as a facsimile edition by Garland Press in 1975 as part of their 45-volume "Garland Library of Science Fiction." The books were all picked by Lester del Rey, and he wrote an introductory volume that chronicled the history of SF from 1926 to 1976. The scans linked to below were all done from this Garland reprint.

> #1: The Return of Ptath |
> #2: A Goddess in Chains |
> #3: Flight Through the Night |
> #4: The Climber on the Cliff |
> #5: Triumph of the Golden Goddess |
> #6: The God Chair |

> "THE BRAIN"
> artist unknown

> Weird Tales Winter 1985 (cover © by Hyang Ro Kim)
> Title Page |

> "A CAN OF PAINT"
> Illustrations © by Paul Orban
> This famous short story was adapted in 2004 as a short film by Robi Michael.

> Astounding Science Fiction September 1944 (cover © by William Timmins)
> #1: Mysterious Cube |
> #2: Tenacious Paint |
> #3: Return to Civilization |

> "THE CATAAAAA"
> Illustration © by Charles McNutt
> Charles McNutt is better known as Charles Beaumont, a horror writer who contributed to The Twilight Zone and scripted the film The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.

> Fantasy Book #1 July 1947 (cover © by Milo)
> Title Page |

> "CO-OPERATE — OR ELSE!"
> Illustrations © by Charles Schneeman
> For all of 1942 and part of 1943, issues of Astounding were printed in the largest pulp format, the so-called "bedsheet" size. These measured about 215 mm wide and 290 mm tall, and while they allow for much larger covers and illustrations they were generally disliked by readers of the period, as the dimensions made for awkward reading and storage.
> Schneeman's depiction of the ezwal is impressive indeed, and helps to emphasize the extreme dangers on Eristan II, where even such a mighty creature would be unable to survive there on its own — the ezwal and Professor Jamieson must co-operate to escape alive. Hence the title of the story.
> Due to the large size and fragile material of this particular copy, these images were captured using a digital camera. As a result the proportions aren't as exact as they would be if they had been digitized using a flatbed scanner.

> Astounding Science Fiction April 1942 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
> #1: Descent to Eristan II |
> #2: Encounter with the Rull |
> #3: Riding Through the Jungle |

> "DEATH TALK"
> Illustrations © by Walter Lee
> This semiprozine ran for 23 quarterly issues from October 1981 to March 1987. Although it bears the title of Fantasy Book, it was unrelated to William Crawford's magazine of the same name (which ran from 1947 to 1951). In his first editorial, Dennis Mallonee acknolwedged his indebtedness to Crawford for partial inspiration, but this later Fantasy Book in truth has more in common with Campbell's Unknown Worlds, featuring stories from the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres, as well as humorous and unclassifiable tales.
> Unlike its namesake, Mallonee's is a very professional and breathtakingly beautiful magazine, meticulously layed out and printed on marvellous quality paper. Along with its fine selection of fiction, it also showcased the work of numerous talented artists.
> Lee's illustrations to van Vogt's story employ an interesting style, being smooth and surreal, which matches this rare story surprisingly well.

> Fantasy Book December 1981 (cover © by Charles Vess)
> #1: Title Page |
> #2: |
> #3: |
> #4: |

> "DISCORD IN SCARLET"
> Illustrations © by Paul Orban
> In this issue, Campbell experimented with red ink (in addition to black) for the first few pages. This was never repeated, but its appearance in this issue was highly fortuitous, allowing Xtl to appear in his full bright-red glory.

> Astounding Science Fiction December 1939 (cover © by H. Gilmore)
> #1: Creature of the Void |
> #2: Passing Through Walls |
> #3: Shielded Engine Room |

> "THE EARTH KILLERS"
> Illustration by Virgil Finlay (?)

> Super Science Stories April 1949 (cover © by Stephen Lawrence)
> Title Page |

> "ENCHANTED VILLAGE"
> Illustration © by Jon Arfstrom

> Other Worlds July 1950 (cover © by Malcolm Smith)
> Title Page |

> "FEMWORLD"
> artist unknown
> This story was an excerpt from Renaissance and was published as a preview for the novel.

> Galaxy June/July 1979 (cover © by Kenneth Smith)
> #1: Cracked Lenses |

> "THE GREEN FOREST"
> Illustrations © by Brush
> (full name unknown)

> Astounding Science Fiction June 1949 (cover © by Chesley Bonestell)
> #1: The Yards |
> #2: Abducted! |
> #3: Into the Forest |
> #4: Mira Lymph Beast |

> "HAUNTED ATOMS"
> Illustration © by Fischer
> (full name unknown)
> This rare short story is summarized elsewhere on my site.

> Authentic Science Fiction Monthly April 1953 (cover © by "Davis," aka John Richards)
> Title Page |

> "HAUNTED ATOMS"
> artist unknown

> Science Fiction Digest #1 February 1954 (cover © by Chester Martin)

> "HUMANS, GO HOME!"
> Illustrations © by Jack Gaughan
> Jack Gaughan did most of the illustration work for Galaxy magazine for many years. This issue contained van Vogt's story "Humans, Go Home!" which was one of truly new pieces of fiction he wrote between 1950 and 1970.
> This story's first publication is notable for containing a special two-page spread (Illustration #4), separate from the rest of the tale, which gives important background details. This very helpful information was never reprinted and does a great deal to explain some of the tale's more cryptic aspects, particularly humanity's use of special "Symbols."
> Donald Menzel's wraparound cover entitled "Menzel's Martians" was done in honor of Mariner VI & VII and is accompanied by his delightful little article "Martians and Venusians" which describes these fanciful creatures. This three-page section is available as two JPG scans: Pages 1 & 2 and Page 3

> Galaxy September 1969 (cover © by Donald H. Menzel)
> "Martians and Venusians" by Donald H. Menzel | (text & art © by Donald H. Menzel)
> "Humans, Go Home!" #1: Janae Male |
> #2: The Great House |
> #3: Rocquel |
> #4: Of Symbols and Man |
> #5: Council Meeting in Motion |
> #6: Execution |

> "ITSELF!"
> artist unknown
> The Hoffman / Scientific American Ads (1962)
> Hoffman Electronics, a firm that contracted for the Defense Department, commissioned six short-short stories by various well-known SF authors. These stories appeared throughout 1962 as part of advertisements for Hoffman which originally appeared in the pages of Scientific American but were also reprinted in other magazines (such as Fortune). Other than the tight space constraint — each story had to be less than 2,000 words — the authors apparently had complete freedom in writing the tales and it was up to the advertiser to make any connections. At best, the story was only tenuously linked to a technology in development by Hoffman, but the core theme of the ads was "How Science Fiction Becomes Scientific Fact."
> All six ads followed the same format. Each of the two pages is three columns across. On the first page the story begins in the first column, followed by a two-column wide piece of artwork done in black, white, and one other color (appropriately enough, the art for Leiber's story "Mirror" featured shiny silver ink). Page two would have two columns of story, with the third column featuring the Hoffman ad proper. It is not known who did the artwork for these ads, and my (admittedly unpracticed) eye has only been able to pick out the occasional illegible signature.

Title | Author | Date (all 1962) | Theme | Reprinted in
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
"Itself!" | A.E. van Vogt | January | Submarine Warfare | The Worlds of A.E. van Vogt (1974)
"My Son, the Physicist" | Isaac Asimov | February | Long-Range Communication | Nightfall (1969)
"Mirror" | Fritz Leiber | April | Parallel Dimensions | Day Dark, Night Bright (2002)
"Wunderkälte" (German for "wonder cold") | Frank Riley | June | Cryogenics | ?
"Searchlight" | Robert A. Heinlein | August | Search & Rescue | Expanded Universe (1980)
"Starlight!" (aka "Star Light") | Isaac Asimov | November | Stellar Navigation | Asimov's Mysteries (1968)

> "Itself!" by A.E. van Vogt Scientific American, January 1962 |
> "My Son, the Physicist" by Isaac Asimov Scientific American, February 1962 |
> "Mirror" by Fritz Leiber Scientific American, April 1962 |
> "Wunderkälte" ("Wonder Cold") by Frank Riley Title often misread as "Wunderkaltz" with a "z" instead of an "e" at the end Scientific American, June 1962 |
> "Starlight!" by Isaac Asimov Scientific American, November 1962 |

> "LETTER FROM THE STARS"
> published elsewhere as "Dear Pen Pal"
> Illustration by "Marm" (?)
> (name not certain)
> One of Donald A. Wollheim's experimental publishing ventures, this magazine lasted only two issues (this is the first). Both featured a lengthy comics section, which is unusual for a magazine of this period.
> Although the artist who illustrated van Vogt's story has a signature visible, it's difficult to make out. It could be "Marm" or "Marton" or something similar. Anybody know who this might be?

> Out of This World Adventures July 1950 (cover artist unknown)
> Comics Section
> STORY | WRITER | ARTIST
> --- | --- | ---
> "Lunar Station" | John Michel | Joe Kubert
> "The Man-Eating Lizards" | Edward Bellin | Joe Kubert
> "Pallas Rebellion" | W. Malcolm White | (short story)
> "Crom the Barbarian" | Gardner Fox | John Giunta
> 32 pages (Comic files temporarily unavailable due to webspace shortage)
> "Letter From the Stars" Title Page |

> "M33 IN ANDROMEDA"
> Illustrations © by A. Williams

> Astounding Science Fiction August 1943 (cover © by William Timmins)
> #1: Primeval Planet |
> #2: Sudden Attack |

> "THE PANDORA PRINCIPLE"
> Illustration © by Dave Stevens
> Dave Stevens was a comic book artist best known for his creation of The Rocketeer. Brinke Stevens, co-author of this rare story, was married to Dave for a short time in the early '80s. (Her original name was Charlene Elizabeth Brinkman.) Even after their divorce, Brinke continued to model for Dave.

> Weird Tales Fall 1984 (cover © by Hyang Ro Kim)
> Title Page |

> "THE PERFECT DAY"
> Illustrations © by Annette Fräger
> This rare story has only been published once, in German as "Ein idealer Tag." Alexander Martin Pfleger is to be thanked both for writing a summary of the story, as well as generously supplying me with a photocopy that is the source of the scans below.

> Tor zu den Sternen November 1981 ("Door to the Stars") German anthology edited by Peter Wilfert [cover not available]
> #1: |
> #2: |

> THE PLAYERS OF A
> Astounding Science Fiction, 1948-9
> Illustrations © by Hubert Rogers
> Hubert Rogers' approach is more thematic than literal, which makes for a nice contrast with Orban's style of presentation. And since his art for this serial of The Players of Null-A is more vibrant than Orban's for the first Null-A novel, I've decided not to add any clarifying comments or excerpts to each illustration (as I did for the drawings that went with World) but let them speak for themselves.

> Part One
> Astounding Science Fiction October 1948

(cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#1: Gosseyn
#2: Meeting on the Hill
#3: Battle of the Sixth Decant
#4: The Follower
#5: The Grill Rises

Part Two
Astounding Science Fiction November 1948

(cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#6: Leej
#7: Jurig
#8: Islands of Yalerta
#9: Through the Porthole
#10: Message to Y-381907

Part Three
Astounding Science Fiction December 1948

(cover © by Paul Orban)
#11: Theme Montage
#12: Ashargin / Gosseyn
#13: Interrogation
#14: Nirene & Patricia

Part Four
Astounding Science Fiction January 1949

(cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#1: Second Theme Montage
#2: The Sleeping God
#3: Secoh
#4: Venusian Defenses
#5: The Temple
#5: Finis

"PROLOGUE TO FREEDOM"
Illustration © by Vincent Di Fate
"Prologue to Freedom" was van Vogt's last published short story. It's an incredibly dull tale about the splitting of California into a northern Communist sector, Califrania (named after its capital, San Francisco), and a southern Capitalist zone, Angelona (named after its capital, Los Angeles), and the efforts of various people to move their wealth from one to the other. The illustration by Di Fate, however, is a genuinely creepy new rendition of the American flag.

Worlds of If September 1986 (cover © by Bob Eggleton)
Economic Area #1 |

"THE PURPOSE"
Illustrations © by Paul Orban

Astounding Science Fiction June 1949 (cover © by William Timmins)
#1: Stabbed Through the Heart |
#2: Edgar Gray |
#3: Organ Chamber |
#4: Hidden Island |

"THE RAT AND THE SNAKE"
Illustrations © by Robert E. Jennings

Witchcraft & Sorcery January/February 1971 (cover © by Burge)
#1: Title Page |
#2: Transformation |

"THE REFLECTED MEN"
Illustration © by Jack Gaughan

Galaxy February 1971 (cover © by Jack Gaughan)
Title Page |

"REPETITION"
Illustrations © by F. Kramer
This story, later reprinted as "The Gryb," featured artwork by F. Kramer whose rough and garish style made him one of the least popular artists ever to contribute to Astounding.

Astounding Science Fiction April 1940 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#1: The Grass-Eaters of Europa |
#2: The Gryb Attacks |

"THE REPLICATORS"
Illustrations © by Gray Morrow

Worlds of If February 1965 (cover © by Richard McKenna)
#1: Half-Grown Body in Stasis |
#2: Encounter by the Lake |

"THE RULL"
Illustrations © by Paul Orban

Astounding Science Fiction May 1948 (cover © by "Alejandro")
#1: Desperate Assault |
#2: Vigilance |
#3: Unwelcome Surprise |
#4: Conditioning |

"THE SECOND SOLUTION"
Illustration © by W.A. Kolliker
(full name unknown)
Very little is known about Kolliker, who did a mere handful of illustrations for Astounding. While his work is certainly competent, there is nothing that really stands out, especially when compared to other artists of the period.

Astounding Science Fiction October 1942 (cover © by)
Title Page |

THE SHADOW MEN
Illustrations © by Stephen Lawrence
Thanks to Yutaka Morita and Robert Weinberg, this artist has been identified as Stephen Lawrence. To quote Mr. Weinberg: "The artwork in question is by Lawrence Sterne Stevens, who sometimes used the pen-name, Stephen Lawrence. Actually, he and his son, Peter Stevens, both did work under the name Stephen Lawrence, though Peter mostly did covers, while his father [. . .] did both covers and interiors."

Startling Stories January 1950 (cover © by Earle K. Bergey)
Contents Page Teaser This miniscule — nay, itsy-bitsy — drawing appeared on the table of contents page next to the line telling about van Vogt's novel. This was often done for the feature story in the issue, and gave the reader a brief visual impression to highlight its importance, as well as giving the artist an opportunity to test his skill in creating a truly small illustration. |
#1: Cargill and Ann |
#2: The Pyramid |
#3: Ann |
#4: Shadow Man |

"SHIP OF DARKNESS"
Illustration © by Charles McNutt

Fantasy Book #2 March 1948 Pulp paper edition Book paper edition (cover © by Roy Hunt) (cover © by Lora Crozetti)
Title Page |

"SHIP OF DARKNESS"
Illustration © by Dan Adkins

Enhancing the artwork made the text hard to read, so I blocked most of it out for this particular picture.

SF historian Sam Moscowitz wrote an interesting introduction to this unusual short story which is available as two separate JPG files below.

Artist Dan Adkins became famous later on for his comic book art. (Thanks to Michael McKinney for identifying this artist and supplying more information about him.)

Fantastic Stories of Imagination September 1961 (cover © by Alex Schomburg)
Introduction by Sam Moskowitz | (text © by Sam Moskowitz)
Title Page |

SLAN
Astounding Science Fiction, 1940
Illustrations © by Charles Schneeman
Schneeman's interior work for Astounding in the late '30s and early '40s was not only highly regarded at the time but has held up well over the years. His versatility allowed him to portray simple and grand scenes with quick skill, and his drawings remain nicely evocative of his era.
The recurring Title Page nicely encapsulates the main themes of the story. Granny's Captive does a very effective job of conveying the loathesome malignancy of the greedy old woman who captured Jommy for her own purposes in the first chapter of the novel. "Caught in Gray's Study" (from Part Three) makes skillful use of stark shading and subtle facial expression. The last drawing in the series, Mrs. Corliss' Restoration, has imaginative visualizations of the strange medical techniques used in this form of delicate surgery. And, funnily enough, this drawing reminded me of the George Lucas film THX-1138, whose main character works in an android factory and wears a similar outfit as he works, sterile garments and headphones, a very unusual combination, giving the wearer the strange look of a surgeon mixed with a 1940s era airplane pilot.

Part One
Astounding Science Fiction September 1940 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
Title Page This large illustration was used as the title page for each installment of the serial. |
#1: Jommy Flees the Mob |
#2: Granny's Captive |

Part Two
Astounding Science Fiction October 1940 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#3: In the Catacombs |
#4: Joanna Hillory |

Part Three
Astounding Science Fiction November 1940 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#5: Caught in Gray's Study |
#6: Battlecruiser Pursuit |

Part Four
Astounding Science Fiction December 1940 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#7: Approach to Cimmerium |
#8: Mrs. Corliss' Restoration |

SLAN
Illustrations © by Virgil Finlay
This issue of Fantastic Story contained an abridged reprint of the original 1940 serial. For this reason, and the fact that this version only appeared once, the only item of real interest is Virgil Finlay's excellent artwork that accompanied the story.
Finaly was an artist famous for his breathtaking ability to capture the essence of female beauty, and it's fitting that his two-page title illustration features a superbly glamorous interpretation of Joanna, the young tendrilless slan woman who Jommy first meets on the hijacked ship. He's also effectively portrayed the opposite end of the female spectrum in the repulsive form of Granny, which makes for a startling contrast when the two are present in the same picture. Ironically, although their physical traits are extreme opposites, the two women in the story have a lot in common — both are ruthless, strong-willed, and are very competent when dealing with impossible situations.

Fantastic Story Summer 1952 (cover © by Alex Schomburg)
#1: Retaking the Ship |
#2: Betrayal |
#3: Ship in the Night |

"THE SOUND"
Illustrations © by Brush
(full name unknown)

Astounding Science Fiction February 1950 (cover © by Hubert Rogers)
#1: Yevd Agents |
#2: Death of an Impostor |
#3: Seeking the Sound |
#4: Diddy |

"THE STAR-SAINT"
Illustration © by Paul Orban

Planet Stories March 1951 (cover © by Allen Anderson)
Title Page |

"THIS JOE"
aka "The First Martian"
Illustration by Harry Harrison
Prior to his career as a science fiction author, Harrison worked as an illustrator for various SF magazines in the early 1950s. He went on to write such famous works as Make Room! Make Room!, The Stainless Steel Rat series, and the Deathworld trilogy.

Marvel Science Fiction August 1951 (cover © by Hannes Bok)
Title Page |

"TO BE HIS KEEPER"
Illustration © by Fred Scott
This is from a rare pre-SF story from 1937, discovered recently by George Gilbert in 2002. You can read more about its discovery on the News and Announcements page, and the story itself here.

Toronto Star Weekly January 1937 [cover not available]
Title Page |

"WAR OF NERVES"
Illustration © by Bill Terry
It's worth noting that in this drawing the alien Riim are in the process of "splitting," by which their species reproduce. Don't believe me? Count the legs!

Other Worlds May 1950 (cover © by Malcolm Smith)
Title Page |

WORLD OF A
Illustrations © by Paul Orban
Orban was probably Astounding's most well-known and respected interior illustrator, and his drawings for this original, serialized version of The World of Null-A are all fine examples of his work.
For various reasons, the illustrations to stories would often be nowhere near the event it depicts in the actual text. For instance, the opening artwork for the serial is placed before Chapter I, but the scene is actually from Chapter IV. I have for each drawing identified the scene it depicts along with a quote from the text corresponding most closely with the picture.

Part One
Astounding Science Fiction August 1945 (cover © by William Timmins)
#1: Test Results |
#2: Lie Detector |
#3: Thorson's Tests |
#4: Out of the Handcuffs |
#5: Capture |

Part Two
Astounding Science Fiction September 1945 (cover © by William Timmins)
#1: Bailing Out |
#2: The Corpse of Gosseyn I |
#3: Dr. Kair's Tests |
#4: Soulless Mechanical Thing |
#5: The Distorter |
#6: Fall of the Games Machine |

Part Three
Astounding Science Fiction October 1945 (cover © by William Timmins)
#1: Lavoisseur |
#2: Research |
#3: Wreckage |
#4: Wooden Blocks |
#5: Robotank |