Henry Kuttner: Cover Gallery

Henry Kuttner was one of the finest science fiction writers of the American pulp era, active from the appearance of his first story in 1936 until his death in 1958. The best of his work, much of which appeared under pen-names, notably Lewis Padgett and Lawrence O'Donnell, was written to various degrees in collaboration with his wife, C. L. Moore, herself a noted SF and fantasy writer.

The assignment of stories to one or either author has been the cause of much debate, although it is generally noted that almost everything following their marriage in 1940 was a collaboration. Kuttner himself, writing to Donald B. Day, who was then compiling his Index to the Science Fiction Magazines 1926-1950, stated that stories appearing under his wife's name were exclusively written by her and that she was responsible for almost all stories as Lawrence O'Donnell, with the exception of "This Is The House" (Astounding, February 1946), which was by Kuttner, and "Fury" (Astounding, 3 pts., May–July 1947), which was by Moore & Kuttner.

I was fortunate to have a reasonably good education in old American pulp stories: during the 1970s boom in SF, when I was reading everything I could lay my hands on, Kuttner was a regular in many anthologies. And you could still get hold of some of his older collections (back in the day before charity shops began throwing pre-decimal books out as worthless junk). There have, in recent years, been several substantial reprint volumes of Kuttner's work published in the USA (Two-Handed Engine from Centipede Press, various titles from the Haffner Press) but nothing here in the UK; there's not a single Kuttner book in print over here. It's about time Kuttner was rediscovered.

Fury [with C. L. Moore, uncredited] (New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1950)
Digit Books R413, 1960, 156pp, 2/6. Cover by Ed Emshwiller (US reprint)
Mayflower 2779, 1963, 190pp, 3/6. Cover by unknown
Mayflower-Dell 2779, Jun 1966, 190pp, 3/6. Cover by unknown
Hamlyn 0600-33651-4, 1978, 208pp, 80p. Cover by unknown
---- [2nd imp.] 1981, 208pp, £1.25. Cover by unknown
Gollancz 0575-07141-9, 2000, 208pp. Cover: design

The Murder of Ann Avery (New York, Permabooks, 1956)
Banner Books 106, n.d. (1960), 2/-.

Man Drowning (New York, Harper & Brothers, 1952)
Four Square Books 341, 1961, 160pp, 2/6. Cover by Josh Kirby

Ahead of Time
Four Square Books 371, 1961, 160pp, 2/6. Cover by Josh Kirby
----, 2nd imp., 1964, 2/6.
New English Library 1990, [3rd imp.] Oct 1967, 160pp, 3/6. Cover by unknown [in the style of Rene Magritte]

No Boundaries, with C. L. Moore
Consul Books SF1025, 1961, 159pp, 2/6. Cover by unknown

Mutant (New York, Gnome Press, 1953)
Mayflower B27, 1962, 192pp, 2/6. Cover by unknown
Hamlyn 0600-36320-1, 1979, 214pp, 90p. Cover by Peter Elson

Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Lewis Padgett
Consul Books 1265, 1963, 106pp, 2/6. Cover by unknown

The Far Reality by Lewis Padgett
Consul Books 1266, 1963, 155pp, 2/6. Cover by Josh Kirby

Bypass to Otherness
Consul Books 1269, 1963, 154pp, 2/6. Cover by unknown (signature indecipherable)

Return to Otherness
Mayflower 7401, 1965, 288pp, 5/-. Cover by unknown (Josh Kirby?)

The Best of Kuttner 1
Mayflower 0547, Nov 1965, 286pp, 5/-. Cover by Jacks (Josh Kirby)

The Best of Kuttner 2
Mayflower 0547, 1966, 288pp, 5/-. Cover by Jacks (Josh Kirby)

The Dark World
Mayflower 1657, 1966, 127pp, 3/6. Cover by unknown (Josh Kirby?)

Clash by Night [with C. L. Moore, selected by Peter Pinto]
Hamlyn 0600-32150-9, 1980, viii+215pp. Cover by Chris Moore?

Chessboard Planet, and other stories [with C. L. Moore]
Hamlyn 0099-33270-1, 1983, 187pp.

The Proud Robot: The Complete Galloway Gallegher Stories (as by Lewis Padgett, New York, Gnome, 1952)
Hamlyn 0600-38404-7, 1983, 189pp. Cover by unknown