JAMES AVATI, page two

Vincent Sheean, Rage of the Soul, Signet # S1038. This cover is more typical of Avati's work. Again, the figures are linked, their attention on one another. Present is the detailed deep background that he later decided he was spending too much time doing. And there is the exacting detail, not only in the people and their clothing, but in the surroundings as well. Prior to Avati, it is difficult to find any paperback cover containing so much work. The fame of Avati is also such that by now the typographer stays away from his work.

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Vivian Connell, The Golden Sleep, Signet #724. Notice the hand extended beyond the frame. The cutting of the original work to fit a lay-out design, plus the need to hide that art with the typographer's lettering, was a source of many feuds with the artist. Notice, too, how the figures are linked, physcially and emotionally. This cover is one of Avati's more cheerful in content and color, a choice probably dictated by the title.

Erskine Caldwell, Georgia Boy, Signet # 769. Another of his "brighter" covers, even this has his trademark detailed background.

Stuart Engstrand, Beyond the Forest, Signet #739. Not even Avati's acclaimed covers could escape the occassional printing flaw. This cover was released without the proper alignment of colors, resulting in a double image.