An Ilonka Karasz Updike Cover
Last night, idly looking over the spines of John Updike books in the Spill library, I came upon his Olinger Stories, a 1964 paperback collection I’ve had for ages (and haven’t re-read for ages). As it’s a paperback, it never was slotted chronologically — I placed it horizontally, resting it on the hardcover Updike books. It’s been acting as a sort of visual reminder until I got hold of a hardcover copy. I finally realized last night that there was never a 1964 hardcover Olinger Stories. The paperback is it. As I re-read Updike’s introduction (“But if of my stories I had to pick a few to represent me, they would be, I suppose, for reasons only partially personal, these”) and then examined the book, looking for the cover artist credit. Surprise, surprise: the cover was done by Ilonka Karasz (see her A-Z entry below) one of the most prolific of all New Yorker cover artists.
Looking through Ms. Karasz’s other book cover work I came upon two she did, in earlier years, for The New Yorker editor and writer, William Maxwell. In the small world department, Mr. Maxwell was, for quite some time, Mr. Updike’s editor at the magazine.
The Olinger Stories was not Ms. Karasz’s one and only Updike cover. The very next year, in 1965, her work appeared on Updike’s Of The Farm.
Ilonka Karasz (photo by Nickolas Muray) Born, Budapest, July 13, 1893. Died, Warwick, New York, May 26, 1981. New Yorker work: Ms. Karasz was a prolific New Yorker cover artist, with 185 published. Her first appeared on the issue of April 4, 1925; her last appeared on the issue of October 22, 1973. Her Wikipedia entry
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The Tilley Watch Online, January 16-20, 2023
An end of the week listing of New Yorker artists whose work has appeared on newyorker.com features
The Daily Cartoon: Teresa Burns Parkhurst, Jeremy Nguyen, Adam Douglas Thompson, Dahlia Gallin Ramirez, J.A.K., Hilary Campbell, Emily Bernstein.
Daily Shouts: Anjali Chandrashekar, Ellis Rosen (illustrating “Fanny Packs Over The Years: These Are Our Stories” by Julia Edelman and Caroline Rose Giuliani).
Culture Desk: J.A.K., “Watching Films While Face-Blind”
Barry Blitt’s Kvetchbook: “Kevin’s Place In McCarthydom”
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Some John Held, Jr. Dust Jackets
Until this morning I used to think that Otto Soglow was, possibly, the king of Dust Jacket art (of all The New Yorker artists), but I’m beginning to wonder if John Held, Jr. may just be in contention for the title. I zoomed around AbeBooks just now, looking at some of Mr. Held’s work — and found this wonderful assortment below:
John Held, Jr.’s Spill A-Z entry:
John Held Jr (Photo source: Sketchbook of American Humorists, 1938) Born, January 10, 1889, Salt Lake City, Utah. Died, 1958, Belmar, New Jersey. New Yorker work: April 11, 1925 – Sept. 17, 1932.