Richard M. Powers, February 24, 1921 – March 9, 1996 was an American science fiction and fantasy author. Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame (2008) and the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame (2016).
Richard Michael Gorman Powers was born in Chicago to a Catholic family. His mother and aunt supported him most of his childhood. Powers’ father died when he was young. Powers was eleven years old when his uncle gave him his first sketchbook. However, his uncle’s wife would later try to stop him from creating any art. After studying Greek at Loyola University, he switched to art and took classes at Mizen Academy Chicago Art Institute, Chicago Art Institute, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He enlisted to fight in World War II and took art classes at the University of Kentucky. He then worked in the Signal Corps in New York City. He got married and started a career as an illustrator for magazines and publishing houses. He also continued his art education at The New School. He became one of the most important science fiction and fantasy fiction authors of all time.
Although he started out in a pulp-derived style, he quickly developed a personal Surrealist idiom, influenced by Picasso and Yves Tanguy. He also tried his hand at abstract art and collage later in life, before he died in 1996 at 75.
He did many covers for Doubleday from the 1940s to the 1960s. He was an unofficial art director at Ballantine Books in the 1950s and 1960s.
Richard Powers, The Enemy Stars by Poul Anderson, 1959, acrylic and gouache.Richard Powers, Mountains of the Sun by Christian Leourier, 1974.Richard Powers, Nine by Laumer, Berkeley Medallion Edition, 1969.Richard Powers, The Shape Changer by Keith Laumer, 1972.Richard Powers, The Cosmic Rape by Theodore Sturgeon, Dell Books, 1958.Richard Powers, The Mindwarpers by Eric Frank Russell, Lancer Books, 1965.Richard Powers, Cosmic Engineers by Clifford D. Simak, Paperback Library, 1967.Richard Powers, Galactic Odyssey by Keith Laumer, Berkeley Medallion Books, 1967 (art 1966).Richard Powers, Far Rainbow/ The Second Invasion from Mars by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, Macmillan Books, 1979.Richard Powers, Messiah by Gore Vidal, 1954.Richard Powers, Our Children’s Children by Clifford Simak, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1974.Richard Powers, Mountains of the Sun by Christian Leourier, 1974.Richard Powers, The Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster, 1960, cover art.Richard Powers, Destination Infinity AKA Fury by Henry Kuttner, Berkeley Medallion Books, 1958. Also used for the cover of Algol 77-Summer, Fall.Richard M. PowersRichard Powers, The Star of Life by Edmond Hamilton, 1959.RICHARD M. POWERS – art for E. Pluribus Unicorn by Theodore Sturgeon – 1956 Ballantine BooksRichard Powers, frontispiece for The Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Easton Press 1990.Richard Powers, The View from the Stars, a collection of 9 stories by Walter M. Miller, Jr., 1965, cover art.Richard Powers, The Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, 1990.HEDONIA – Richard PowersThe Fool | 70sscifiart: Richard PowersRichard Powers, Wolfbane by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, Ballantine Books, 1959.Richard Powers, The Third Level by Jack Finney, Dell Books, 1959.Richard Powers, detail of Hell’s Pavement by Damon Knight 1955.Richard Powers, The Quy Effect by Arthur Sellings, 1967.Richard Powers, Original cover art for War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Berkeley Books, 1982. I’d seen the paperback cover many times, but I never noticed the sexual imagery until I saw this.Richard Powers, Stardance II by Spider and Jeanne Robinson, cover art for Analog 78-09.Richard Powers, 1988 Annual Worlds’ Best.Richard Powers, Nebula Award Stories 8.Richard Powers, Caviar by Theodore Sturgeon 1962.Richard Powers, Wolfbane by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, 1959, acrylic on board.Richard Powers, The Thermals of August by Edward Bryant.Richard Powers, The Graveyard Reader (upper half cropped) edited by Groff Conklin, 1958.Richard Powers, Star Science Fiction Stories #1, 1953, back cover of the anthology.Richard Powers, ERBzine 4506.Hi-res image. Richard Powers, Zacherly’s Midnight Snacks, 1960.Richard Powers, Rissa Kerguelen by F.M. Busby, 1977.Richard Powers, Maske: Thaery by Jack Vance, 1976.Richard Powers, A Plague of Demons by Keith Laumer, 1965.Richard Powers, Zacherley’s Midnight Snacks 1960.Richard Powers, Night of Light by Philip Jose Farmer 1972.Rotated orientation vs. the published cover, Star Science Fiction No.1, 58-01 (only issue).Richard Powers, Budry’s Inferno, a collection of stories by Algis Budrys 1963.Richard Powers, “Tarzan the Magnificent,” 1964. This doesn’t look much like a Powers cover.Richard Powers, City at World’s End by Edmond Hamilton, 1957.Richard Powers, Tau Zero by Poul Anderson, 1976.Richard Powers, All Flesh Is Grass by Clifford D. Simak.Richard Powers, Hell’s Pavement by Damon Knight 1955.Richard Powers, First Contact by Damon Knight, 1971Richard Powers, The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, 1978.Richard Powers, At the Narrow Passage by Richard C. Meredith 1975.Richard Powers, Man of Earth by Algis Budrys 1958. Also used for the cover of His Share of Glory, the collected short works of C.M. Kornbluth (1997).Richard Powers, The View from the Stars, a collection of 9 stories by Walter M. Miller, Jr., Ballantine Books, 1965.Star Rangers – art by Richard Powers (1953)Richard Powers, Out of Their Minds by Clifford D. Simak, 1970. Virtually everything inside the flames was obscured by the book title.Richard Powers, Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke, 1953.The Science Fiction Gallery : PhotoRichard Powers, detail of The Day of the Shield by Antony Alban 1973.Richard Powers, Those Idiots from Earth by Wilson Tucker 1957.Richard Powers, Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1, 1962 Gold Key Comics.Richard Powers, The Day of the Shield by Antony Alban 1973.Richard Powers, The Ugly Swans by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, 1979.Richard Powers, A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn 1958.Richard Powers, Brain Wave by Poul Anderson 1954.Richard Powers, Wolfbane by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, 1959, acrylic on board.Richard Powers, The Shadow of Alpha by Charles L. Grant 1976.Richard Powers, Star Bridge by James Gunn & Jack Williamson 1977. Story first published in 1955.Richard Powers, Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke 1954.
