Original Artwork

1967, gouache on board, 56cm X 81cm

Cover illustration commissioned by Corgi for a Mickey Spillane novel first published in 1965.  The “pulpiest” of all pulp fiction writers, Spillane clearly hit on a formula that worked.  His books have sold more than 225 million copies worldwide and seven of his books feature in the 15 bestselling books of all time in America.  Eye-catching cover illustrations were critical to the sales strategy of moving large quantities of books off shelves quickly and, as a result, illustrators had extraordinary impact.

c.1967, gouache on board, 54cm x 46cm

Fratini produced a number of options for Mickey Spillane’s second novel in the Tiger Mann, secret agent, series; this is the option that was selected for publication by Corgi Crime Books. Another version which did not make the final cut is also exhibited here.  The character of Tiger Mann was believed to have been created by Spillane to compete with the popularity of James Bond.

The original artwork is sold with an original copy of the Bloody Sunrise paperback featuring the Renato Fratini illustration.