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Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss
£19.00£23.70 (-20%)
Foss’s groundbreaking and distinctive science fiction art revolutionized paperback covers in the 1970s and 80s. Dramatically raising the bar for realism and invention, his trademark battle-weary spacecraft, dramatic alien landscapes and crumbling brutalist architecture irrevocably changed the aesthetic of science fiction art and cinema. Featuring work for books by Isaac Asimov, E. E. Doc Smith, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt and Philip K. Dick, and film design for Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick, this volume brings together many rare and classic images that have never been seen or reprinted before. The first comprehensive retrospective of Chris Foss sci-fi career.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Titan Books, First Edition (22 July 2011) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1848566980 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1848566989 |
| Dimensions | 24.92 x 2.51 x 31.75 cm |
by Philip Storry
As a boy I had the “21st Century Foss” book. I don’t recall how or where I got it, but I do recall the book quite vividly.
It was one of my favourite books – the sense of scale, the detail, the wonderful designs. Or, in some cases, non-designs – things built from scavenged parts, cobbled together yet somehow working.
That book, sadly, was not treated as well as it could have been. Filled with larger versions of book covers we thrilled to, I shared it with friends – it went to and from school in various bags, and it didn’t really survive that well.
I’ve always wanted to replace that book. But luckily, this book is here now. And it’s bigger, it’s better printed, and well bound.
The book is well organised and fairly comprehensive, with all the famous works that you expect. It also has sketches from Foss’ work on films, and plenty of text up front with details of his career and artistic development.
So it’s a good book.
But if, like everyone else commenting here, you first saw Chris Foss’ works on the cover of a novel and were electrified by them – immediately attracted and intrigued by them – then this is a great book.
This is the book you want.
And that is all you need to know.
by Friarofdoom
My first encounters with the work of Chris Foss were filled with mixed emotions. Thrilled by the superb artwork upon the cover of various books I would buy titles only to find that the stories themselves were often horribly outdated & released with amazing artwork that hid the dull contents within.
Older & wiser I may avoid many of those titles of dubious content but I remain thrilled by Foss’s work.
The true greats in sci-fi & fantasy art have always managed to balance a peek into the future with a timeless quality that means their work remains fresh forever.
There can surely be few people who haven’t seen the imperious spacecraft that are the trademark of this superbly talented artist. For me what keeps me glued to the images is the sense that these are vehicles fit for gods to arrive in. The intricate detail, eye catching colours & ground breaking design all play second fiddle to the sheer size and fearsome power he imbues into them.
The publishers, Titan, have a well deserved reputation for quality at very reasonable prices for their publications & this title keeps that reputation in tact. The glossy hardcovers are eye catching & help keep costs down by making the need for a dust jacket redundant. The paper is heavy & the colours bright & deep. The font is called ‘range’ & is suitably sci-fi but easily read. The 2 page intro by Rian Hughes is well worth a read but the real pleasures are the interview by Imogene Foss which gives a fine insight & mini biography. For the artists then surely the Jean Giraud intro. is the high point with an artists view. The Alejandro Jodorowsky page, (Foss did some prelim. artwork for a failed ‘Dune’ movie project), is brief but a welcome addition.
Then it’s on to the artwork in earnest. 220 pages of eye blistering, mind expanding & imagination pumping brilliance. The commentary is limited to a bold type title/project with brief content description & date printed on the pages outer edge & not interfering with the work. The only small downside of the whole book is that it can be a bit baffling matching the description with the right work on a busy page.. It really is all about the art & the variety & quality on show here is staggering. Full page illustrations abound & there are a fair few double page spreads too. The multi-image pages are well chosen & I really feel that there is just about as little quality v quantity compromise as you could possible hope for.
The robots, the seascapes, aliens & most of all spacecraft of Chris Foss are ageless & objects of terrible beauty. A quick flick of this book nearly always seems to be turned into yet another hour gone by in the company of a true genius.
I find myself swept back to those days of my early teens when I first really fell in love with all things sci-fi & yet, unlike so much else I once felt cutting edge, this huge collection retains a sharp & edgy quality that refuses to age.
This is not just for those into sci-fi but rather anyone with a love of art will be thrilled by this stunning work.
A collection of timeless classics from a true master of the genre.
by Nyle Creese
This book is definitely well put together and feels properly solid & heavy; good thick hardback covers too. Lots of associated information and background to go with the artwork.
As I’ve only read a few pages I’ll focus the review on quality & impression. Chris Foss is one of my all time favourite artists and this is the first book of his I’ve bought. From the first few minutes I’d seen many paintings I’d never seen before. At £18 the value IMO is great as an addition to my small collection. It matches up to the overall quality and design of artbooks published by companies like Taschen, which is good to see. There is no sleeve on the cover (unlike all my other hardback artbooks) but the cover itself is solid enough that it doesn’t matter. Its also among the biggest of my artbooks, which to me is a big deal.
My only niggle is there are some scuffs and gouges on the covers, but other than that, I’m very happy!
by J. M. Reilly
This book spans a number of years worth of gorgeous subjects with a number of different techniques. Candy for the eye. Big desktop book, big glossy pages, lots of pictures, bit of a bargain.
by Duncurin
This is the definitive work on Chris Foss and his tantalising skills, about which superlatives seem inadequate. I bought it for my nephew’s Christmas present, but in truth, I am wondering about getting another! It’s larger and thicker than the previous work “Dragon’s Dream” and surpasses it on every level: the colour `plates’ reminiscent of the original `Eagle’ annual have a majestic, deep, rich and vivid quality that gives life to the artwork of arguably the best SF artist. It contains more Foss artwork than one’s mind can compass and some breathtaking double pages of some of his finest work including my all time favourite SF image on page 130/131.
Given our somewhat overcrowded world that is supporting, I wonder, just about as many humans as it can: I suspect that mankind’s continued existence will depend on spaceships with faster than light drive. Though I cannot see this breakthrough occurring in my lifetime I wonder if when men do journey beyond Saturn’s rings to distant colonies in far flung planets, orbiting unimagined stars, whether any of those men will know of Chris Foss whose inventive mind has seen and given life to some of those things they will view and the technology they’ll have used to get there! Wonderful.
by Return of Mr. No
What’s here is great but it’s certainlly NOT definitive. There are quite a few of Foss’s book covers that I know are not included (books that I have).
Great to see all of this artwork collected together in one place so well worth getting hold of.
by Retro Brit
I absolutely love the artwork of Chris Foss and the colour scheming of his many spaceships with decals and weathering, etc.