IN 1999, I BEGAN the Edgar Rice Burroughs Dust Jacket Reconstruction Project. My intention was to produce high quality reproductions of some of the most exciting and sought-after dust jackets in book collecting.
The advances in digital imaging tools have made it possible for collectors to easily obtain reproduction jackets to grace the volumes in their libraries, and indeed, there has been quite a proliferation of “laser-copies” and color photocopies in the book collecting market. When it comes to reproducing painted artwork, these methods suffer from the limitations of the equipment in being able to adjust colors for the greatest range and balance.
I painstakingly adjust the color and clean each image to assure optimal brightness and maximum detail. I work from several sources to obtain the best reproduction available. The type is completely reset with digital fonts to match the originals—even to the kerning and typos. The jackets are complete and printed in one piece on glossy paper. Each reproduction is marked as a facsimile for the sake of bibliographic integrity.
These are the best reproductions on the market.
In 2004 and 2005, Easton Press chose my restorations for the frontispieces of their deluxe leather-bound editions of the Tarzan and Mars series.
Here's what others have had to say about my reconstructions:
“You do GORGEOUS work. More, more from your studio!” — George McWhorter Curator, Burroughs Memorial Collection, University of Louisville; Editor of the Burroughs Bulletin
“Incredible quality. Don't ever stop!” — Robert B. Zeuschner author of Edgar Rice Burroughs:The Exhaustive Scholar's and Collector's Descriptive Bibliography
“(Your dust jackets) are the best I have yet seen . . . a superb job of highest quality.” — Darrell C. Richardson: ERB scholar and author of J. Allen St. John, An Illustrated Bibliography
“Just a quick note to thank you for the new 'alternate' SAVAGE PELLUCIDAR dust jacket. I wish we'd been able to turn out a jacket like this back in Canaveral Press days. You've done a wonderful job on this. In fact, all of your dust jackets are gems.” — Richard A. Lupoff: author of the Lindsey and Plum series, numerous SF novels and stories and Master of Adventure, The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
“On opening your package I discovered that the [TARZAN OF THE APES letterpress] dust jackets were as great as I expected them to be. Received the print and A FIGHTING MAN OF MARS 'fantasy' dust jacket yesterday morning. Wow!! Metropolitan should have followed their original inclination and ignored Ed's comments about using the Blue Book cover. It is a real knockout!” — Robert R. Barrett ERB collector, scholar and author of Tarzan of the Funnies