American publisher Applause Theatre & Cinema Books recently published a smashing-looking book, The Art of Classic Sci-Fi Movies by Adam Newell, a massive 320 page gem now available from bookshops in the UK.
If you enjoyed Rian Hughes Rayguns and Rocketships, published last year by Korero Press, then this title should be right up tour street.
From the dawn of silent cinema to today, science fiction films have been a constant presence in pop culture, with mad scientists, terrifying monsters (giant and otherwise), UFOs, and invading aliens all bursting out from some of the most brilliantly designed posters ever printed, featuring art that was sometimes lurid, always eye-catching, and often simply beautiful.
Acknowledging the iconic, but with plenty of room for the rare and unfamiliar, The Art of Classic Sci-Fi Movies presents a stellar selection of imagery, charting the story of the genre from its origins in foundational works like Voyage to the Moon and Metropolis, through Cold War classics like Invasion of the Body-Snatchers and Godzilla, and on to visionary films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris – as well as less celebrated but nonetheless infamous cultural artifacts like Barbarella and Zardoz, and genuine oddities such as Murder by Television and Twonky.
Applause describes the book as “the most extensive book of its type ever published”, and sample images and an enthusiastic video review from Andrew Buckle certainly confirms their assertion.
The book includes ample selections from American films, as well as a range of films from Japan, Italy, Spain, France, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
Adam Newell served as the editor for The Art of the B-Movie Poster (Ginkgo Press, 2016, now out of stock – so try eBay) and has been instrumental in the publication of titles such as The Art of Horror Movies (first and second editions), Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art, The Art of Hammer, and Mondo Macabro: Weird & Wonderful Cinema around the World.
Now in its fourth decade, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books is America’s foremost publisher of theatre, cinema, and TV books. Their books range from biographies of film and theatre luminaries to play scripts, librettos, monologue books, and explorations of film, TV, and theatre history. Applause is an imprint of Globe Pequot.
• The Art of Classic Sci-Fi Movies by Adam Newell is available now from all good book shops. Buy it from AmazonUK here (Affiliate Link) | Amazon.com (Not Affiliate)
• Andrew Buckle Book Reviews: Art Of Classic Sci-Fi Movies by Adam Newell (Applause) Book Review
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Film, Other Worlds, Science Fiction
Steampunks in Space – at the National Space Centre 
From “Nick Hazard” to “Garth”, to the new feature film, “57 Seconds”, Philip Harbottle’s SF videocasts continue to entertain