Harry Steele Savage 1898 - 1970 (Heinlein covers) or “The things that make us happy make us wise. ” John Crowley

The other day my buddy Doug and I went to Cabin Fever Books and I picked up some Burroughs (Edgar Rice) and Asimov paperbacks, mainly for the covers. While there I came across a lovely copy of Rocket Ship Galileo.

This is the first (certainly not best) Heinlein novel I remember reading in the public school library in Windsor. The library had a number of Heinlein juveniles in the Scribner Library Editions. I recall providing the librarian Miss Bickerson (your mental image is probably accurate) the required verbal synopsis of the plot, this was intended to prove, we had read the book, not as a critical dissection of the literary merit of a particular title. I do recall she objected to my frequent use of the word guy to describe characters. However reading was possibly the only skill I emerged from Public School with and I still have trouble with names so we both got through the experience relatively unscathed and not much has changed in the almost fifty years since then. To say this in her favour, it was a wonderful library dripping with rocket ships, castles, swiss families, lightning rod salesmen, norse myths, the biographies of great men and women and novels about young people participating in the seminal events in both Canadian and World history. 

Looking at the book today I wanted to see what I could find out about the cover artist and what else they had done that I have on my shelves.

"The earliest known reference to Savage's life as an artist comes from his World War 1 draft card, where he lists his occupation as artist for the J.L. Hudson Company in Detroit, Michigan. He is probably best known for the illustrations in Edith Hamilton's Mythology."

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steele_Savage

Hamilton's Mythology is another title I remember fondly. ( I cannot find my copy at present) it seems inconceivable that I no longer own one.

J.L. Hudson Company was, according to wikipedia, associated with Hudson's department store in Detroit. Hudson's had the most impressive Christmas displays of any retailer that I can remember. Like many Windsor families, my family visited Detroit specifically to see them. The street level windows were full of toys and animatronic displays, I seem to recall a lot of elves and one floor (the 12th?) was devoted to the North Pole and Santa's workshop. 

If you want to see what Detroit once was see the link below.

http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/hudsons-department-store/

So here are some other Savage covers mainly for Heinlein's books (my bias). I love the bright colours and the collections of aliens, rockets and spacesuits featured. The style might be considered a bit childish today, but I was a child then, and as I said earlier, not much has changed. I can see on the isfdb database that there are a few titles I will have to keep my eyes open for.

And a shout out to the Little Red Reviewer who reposted an article on how to get the sticky tags off paperback book covers. (Hair Dryer)