Philip José Farmer, 1918-2009: A Paperback Gallery Tribute

Philip José Farmer was part of that first generation of authors who put science fiction on the map — above is a clipping of a 1954 newspaper that shows him, his wife and Isaac Asimov sporting a bow tie to give you a context of the man and his times. Farmer was unusual in that unlike so many other writers of the genre he managed to weave many sexual themes into his science fiction stories.

The book that would put him on the map was the novel Flesh which was published in 1960. When it first came out the book received a rather lukewarm review, but a revised expanded edition eight years later won him more praise — and today the book is acclaimed as a landmark novel of the genre. Later Farmer would go onto write the Riverworld series of books which would inspire a role-playing game, a television series and a PC computer game.

A Woman a Day, 1960 first printing, illustration by Gerald McConnell ( found via Martin Prine)

The Alley God, this was a collection of short stories from Ballantine in 1962, illustration by Richard Powers (found via Øyvind)

Dare, first printing February 1965, illustration by Abbet (found via Øyvind)

To Your Scattered Bodies Go, published in 1971, illustration by Richard Powers (found via Øyvind)

The Lovers, first printing in 1962 this edition is the second printing from 1972, illustration by Mati Klarwein (found via Øyvind)

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, first published in 1973 this is the 1979 British edition illustrated by Tony Roberts (found via The Emperor Dalek)

Flesh & Lord Tyger, Flesh was first published in 1960 and Lord Tyger followed in 1970, this edition was published in 1981 and features an illustration by Bob Pepper (found via Øyvind)

Tags: Science Fiction