And what does he think happened to his "Jaws" painting? Turns out the Doubleday concept, if not the execution, was not so bad after all. (Scribner Books, 2013) 7. In fact, the original paperback cover was banned in some parts of the United States due to the clearly (well, almost clearly) visible nude breasts of the swimmer. She was 91. According to an article by the New York Post, the original painting of the Jaws cover was created by artist Roger Kastel. They really should report it as stolen.". "Boy was I ever wrong. (Penguin Modern Classics, 1973) 6. Artist: S. Neil … The famous Peter Benchley book cover with a swimmer innocently paddling above a giant shark. That artwork would be quite valuable today. ", "It was stolen," asserts Minor flatly. This is one of the most powerful images of the last century, and the fact that it's not just the art for a tawdry movie poster but also for a proper book would broaden its appeal. To read in its entirety, head here. "The cool blue water situated opposite the blood red title just seals the deal," he says. The initial covers of Peter Benchley’s Jaws were so memorable in their dread-inducing power that they made their way to the film’s branding, and today are inseparable from it. The Godfather. The original hardcover for Jaws has a familiar layout, but couldn't feel more different. But the artist credited with creating the quintessential “Jaws” image is Roger Kastel , who became famous in the 1970s for his movie posters , including “The Empire Strikes Back.” hardcover (1974,c.1974) in black boards with silver shark title decorations on spine, DJ with J. Jaws 2: Now with more teeth. Buy now at Amazon. I would estimate a sales price north of $20,000, with a much higher price quite probable. He talked about the excitement generated by the book. The news of Fierro’s death was reported by the Martha’s Vineyard Times. Scary Monsters! It was great for book sales. Internet Explorer won’t be supported for long. Although the title of the "Jaws" movie poster has been translated into numerous languages, the proximity of swimmer to shark needs no interpretation. "It was hanging at the Society of Illustrators in New York," he says. $6.95 price protected in clear book jacket cover, 2 titles listed rear of front fly: Time and A Ticket (1964) and Jaws (1974), code p36 on page 311, numbers written in pen on… Even her hair changed color! He designed covers for books by authors like Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and this iconic cover for Jaws by Peter Benchley. You can even see the similarity in the typography. That's happened to me in the past, too, where a piece of artwork will disappear and then it'll show up on eBay, or something. So for the first edition paperback, he commissioned illustrator Roger Kastel to improve it. Great deals on Jaws Book In Antiquarian & Collectible Books. Kastel produced the oil-on-board painting that became the cover of the Bantam paperback (above, center) and the Universal Studios "Jaws" poster that followed (above, right). ", "Antiques Roadshow" appraiser Rudy Franchi wholeheartedly agrees. “It will look like a sardine.” Finally they decided to go with a typographical jacket, the title and the author in stark lettering against a black background. Paul Bacon, one of the foremost book illustrators of the 20th century, created the original black-and-white image for the Doubleday hardcover (above, left). in this case, of being chomped to death by untold rows of unseen teeth, Warning! The most common original jaws poster material is paper. It was 311 pages long, and the original retail price was $6.95 . This weekend marks the 45th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s breakout adaptation of the book, and we’re looking back on the development of its iconic pair of covers. Kastel was commissioned for … There are some fanatic 'Jaws' collectors out there who would rent their soul to have this. The next book cover, Stay Out of the Basement, was illustrated by artist Jim Thiesen. With his shark image clear in his mind, Kastel took five minutes at the end of a photo shoot for Good Housekeeping to place the model onto a stool and get her to do an approximation of the front crawl. Title. "Most original art for movie posters does not do that well," he explains. As new iterations of the book and film have been released, so has the girl, slowly fading into a fog of sea foam. ", "A sketch that I did years ago for 'The Empire Strikes Back' was auctioned off recently for a lot of money," says Kastel simply. Chrissie through the years. Whalen also gives props to the unnamed graphic artists at Universal who placed Kastel's image amid the typography required to promote a movie. "The only direction Oscar and Len gave me was to make the shark bigger, and very realistic. **1/2 So, what was I really expecting from a novelization of "Jaws 2"? This interest grew greater after reading a 1964 news story about fisherman Frank Mundus catching a great white shark weighing 4,550 pounds (2,060 kg) off the shore of Montauk, New York. Nonetheless, the book found its way to publication … but Dystel remained unhappy with the cover, even as Jaws became a smash hit. The catchphrases ("you're gonna need a bigger boat"). PRINT (founded 1940) is where creative people gather to inspire and build design dialogue. The artwork shows Quint's ORCA boat, a great white shark chewing through the line for barrels that were shot at him, and Chief Brody's iconic quote, You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat! Paul Bacon, one of the foremost book illustrators of the 20th century, created the original black-and-white image for the Doubleday hardcover (above, left). "He wanted me to read the book to pick out a new part to illustrate. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at eBay.com. For general questions about PRINT or PRINT Holdings, LLC contact. Peter Benchley had a long time fascination with sharks, which he frequently encountered while fishing with his father Nathaniel in Nantucket. Logo. This article has been excerpted with permission from Collectors Weekly. Original Price: $6.95 Pages: 311. JAWS Peter BENCHLEY / JAWS EARLY PRINTING Hardcover BOOK Original Vintage 1974. I expected it to come back, but it never did. “Without an image,” he said, “No one would know what, “Why can’t we have a swimmer as well to have a sense of disaster and a sense of scale?” Gotfryd asked. It gets straight to the point. The article touches on the book’s cover—beginning with art director Alex Gotfryd, “an urbane man with a Polish cavalry mustache who turns out 700 jackets a year.” Gotfryd initially commissioned Wendell Minor to illustrate Benchley’s own idea for the jacket: “to show a peaceful unsuspecting town through the bleached jaws of a shark.” There are exceptions, of course, and the artwork for 'Jaws' would be one. As a result, for years, he had considered writing "a story about a shark that attacks people and what would happen if it came in and wouldn't go away." It was our concept, based on our original design'. Depicting that fear, or at least the very moment before it, was a key part of the book's and film's marketing. Attack of the Mexican B-Movie Ads, Welcome to the Retro-Futuristic World of Laurent Durieux, Sea-Monkeys and X-Ray Spex: Collecting the Bizarre Stuff Sold in the Back of Comic Books. In 1974, following the massive success of the book, The article touches on the book’s cover—beginning with art director Alex Gotfryd, “an urbane man with a Polish cavalry mustache who turns out 700 jackets a year.” Gotfryd initially commissioned, Benchley’s own idea for the jacket: “to show a peaceful unsuspecting town through the bleached jaws of a shark.”, At the sales conference at the Taliment Country Club in the Poconos, six regional sales managers sat around a table listening to the editors make their presentation, and a slide of the jacket was projected on a screen. "The art world treats it as commercial flotsam, while poster collectors believe that if it isn't on paper, it's not a movie poster. With the exception of Stay Out of the Basement, the only other book to not be illus… The original “Jaws” returned to select theaters nationwide on June 21 and 24, giving today’s moviegoers a rare chance to see it on the big screen. The sales managers were given the one-sentence sales “handle,” which in practically all the salesman, who usually have an hour to sell a buyer 60 or 70 titles, will have time to say, “the handle for Jaws” was: “The exciting tale of a resort town fighting for its life against a Great White Shark.” …, [Doubleday Senior Editor Tom] Congdon rose and made his presentation: “Of all the fish in the sea, the fiercest is the Great White Shark,” he began. As research, Kastel went to New York’s Natural History museum and took photos of Great White exhibits that were lying on easels for cleaning. "I wasn't all that thrilled about the concept, I didn't think it worked, but that was the direction they wanted me to go in.". 20 Yards Brodart Fold-On Book Jacket Covers Combo Pack - Two 10 Yard Rolls (10 & 12 inch) - Center-Loading, Clear Mylar, Adjustable 4.7 out of 5 stars 20 $29.95 $ 29 . When Oscar Dystel of Bantam saw the jacket, he was unhappy. This also seems to be from a time when men with chiseled jaws graced the front of books. There are 250 original jaws poster for sale on Etsy, and they cost $30.30 on average. “We realized that the new version looked like a penis with teeth,” Congdon said.