James Bama: American Realist
Readers may not recognize James Bama's name, but chances are they will have seen his work. Bama wasthereigning paperback cover illustrator during the 1960s and 1970s, creating hundreds of unforgettable images that grace westerns by Louis L'Amour, the Doc Savage series, and novels by William Goldman, Taylor Caldwell, Frank Conroy, Anne Tyler, and Thomas Pynchon. Bama's forte is portraying characters with an Old Master soulfulness and passionate precision to create arresting images unsurpassed in emotional authenticity and sheer animal magnetism. Kane, whose first book celebrated the work of illustrator Hal Foster, documents Bama's entire diverse, irresistible, and exciting oeuvre in both radiant reproductions and succinct commentary that includes tributes from the likes of Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury, as well as Bama's own reminiscences. Kane documents not only Bama's unparalleled paperback years but also his magazine and advertising work, his phenomenal achievements as a sports illustrator and military artist, and (after moving to Wyoming in 1968) his triumphs as a fine artist. This unusual and immensely pleasing blend of pop culture and art celebrates an extraordinarily dedicated, prolific, and widely appealing American artist, and a neglected yet much loved art form.Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved