Then this morning, while shuffling through some vintage jacket illustrations for future mention in The Rap Sheet’s new Killer Covers blog, I came across the front of a 1972 paperback edition of The Decoy. That novel, published originally in 1951, was at one time credited to “Edward Ronns,” a pseudonym of Edward S. Aarons, best known for writing more than 40 novels about international spy Sam Durell (Assignment: Mara Tirana, Assignment: Burma Girl, etc.).
Imagine my surprise at seeing these two covers side by side. If artist Lesser wasn’t influenced by the Decoy front, I’d be more than a little astonished. The captivating brunette in a dance hall outfit on the Aarons front has become a still more lightly clad lovely on the jacket of Honey in His Mouth. The hair is different, and they’re facing opposite directions, but the cocked hips on both long-legged women are identical, as are their facial expressions and casually held cigarettes.
Is this what’s meant by that familiar old saying, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”?
3 comments:
I bought that exact copy of The Decoy about a week and a half ago at a used bookstore for about 30 cents and in perfect condition.
As I pulled it off the shelf, I, too, thought to myself that it looked very familiar.
But it wasn't until today, upon reading this post, that I figured out where I had seen if before.
Thanks for helping my memory, J.
This one isn't a case of influence or imitation, actually...Ron Lesser painted both of the covers, 38 years apart. He based the new cover for us on the same original reference photo of a model that he shot when painting THE DECOY all those years ago. It felt like a nice tip of the hat to the good old days. (And of course the chair and corpse are brand new...)
Thanks for the inside dope, Charles. It makes it all the more fun, that Lesser should have gone back to what was his original photograph (I didn't know that) and given it a second life in the cover illustration for Dent's forthcoming novel.
Cheers,
Jeff
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