Kelly Freas - Tops in Science Fiction - Spring 1953

Very early double title page spread by one of the true masters of science fiction illustration, the great Kelly Freas. This illustrates "Citadel of Lost Ships" by Leigh Brackett. This novelette was published in the digest magazine Tops in Science Fiction - Spring 1953 issue. My friend and fellow collector Doug Ellis and I both wanted this when it came up for auction recently, so rather than bid each other up on it, we purchased it together. It has just come back from the restorer where we had a replacement stat created. The art is accomplished with conte crayon on a heavy textured paper and the image size is a very generous 12.5 X 16.5 inches.

Kelly Freas career in science fiction illustration spanned over 50 years and he won 11 Hugo Awards for best artist. He was one of the most beloved illustrators in the history of science fiction and passed in 2004.