Behind the Cover: Robert Jonas

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Born in New York in 1907, Robert Jonas attended the Fawcett art school in New Jersey and New York University. Influenced by artist William de Kooning and other members of the "Abstract-Expressionist" movement, he went to work for Penguin, and remained there even after the departure of Ian Ballantine and several illustrators who left to found Bantam.





When the New American Library arose out of Penguin Books in 1948 Jonas acted as art director for their new Signet Imprint until a permanent director could be hiredbut continued his work as a paperback illustrator until the mid-1950's, when he turned to hardcover work.

His distinctive approach makes his work some of the most collectible.

Robert Jonas died in 1997.

Comments

[ponders-life.livejournal.com]

My mother had the second one from the bottom (What to Listen for in Music) when I was a kid! It's long gone now, of course; who knew then that paperbacks would become so collectible?

Thanks again for sharing these covers!

[venturous1.livejournal.com]

wow. I dont really like them, but the style is distictive and evocative of a time. I kept expecting to find a Phillip K Dick novel in there.