TBT: Margaret Brundage, the Queen of the Pulps

Margaret Brundage, a far left wing bohemian, forever changed the look of Fantasy and Horror with her alluring, sensationalistic covers for the legendary pulp magazine, Weird Tales. Decades before the gothic fetish craze, Brundage's lush, provocative paintings, which frequently featured smoldering, semi-nude young women bearing whips, became a focus of acute attention and controversy. At the very peak of the notorious pulp's classic run, the magazine's appeal was due as much to Brundage's covers as to the stories inside by famous authors H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, and Conan creator, Robert E. Howard. Long before Frazetta, it was Brundage who was the very 1st Conan cover artist. The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage is the premier book devoted to this noted artist and features all of her Weird Tales and Conan covers.

There are three versions but the deluxe hard cover slipcased limited edition is the best bet. Hanson:$39.99, Taschen.com; Brundage: $24.95 and up, VanguardProductions.com.

Check out some of Brundage's most interesting covers in the pages that follow, and see all of Brundage's cover illustrations on the Weird Taleswebsite.