Wed 11 Nov 2009
TMF Review: TOM ADAMS – Agatha Christie: The Art of Her Crimes.
Posted by Steve under Artists , Reviews[3] Comments
TOM ADAMS [Artist] – Agatha Christie: The Art of Her Crimes. The Paintings of Tom Adams, with a Commentary by Julian Symons. Everest House, hardcover, 1981.
Paperback cover art reaches a new high with this deluxe hardcover edition of over ninety Tom Adams paintings, all done for various editions of Agatha Christie’s mysteries, both in this country and in Britain.
Those expecting numerous repeated portrayals of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, two of Christie’s most well-known detective characters, will come away disappointed, however.
Adams leans more to the symbolic and to surrealism in his work, and the commentary provided by both himself and by noted mystery critic Julian Symons reveals just how many clues he managed to work into the overall design of each of the covers here.
Tastes in art being what they are, it is amusing to note that one of the paintings Adams considers one of his best, Symons slides over as nothing out of the ordinary.
The subject matter of Christie’s works being what it is, it is not surprising that the overall effect is rather a dour one — lots of skulls, bloody instruments, and other paraphernalia of murder.
Nevertheless, given the double-barreled insights into the works of perhaps the most famous mystery writer of all time, Agatha Christie’s many fans will find this more than a must for browsing.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
This was a lovely book. I associate Adams with Christie in my mind the way I do McGinnis and Brett Halliday, Richard Chopping and Ian Fleming, or Teason and those Berkley Sherlock Holmes titles from the 1960’s.
Adams also did a fine job on Julian Symons handsome The Great Detectives that featured new stories featuring Holmes, Poirot, Miss Marple, Philip Marlowe, Maigret, Ellery Queen, and Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
I admit there are more than a few books in my collection that are there more for the cover than the text — probably true of many of us. It’s a shame today design has trumped illustration outside of westerns and sf/fantasy, though at least Hard Case and those recent Harlequin reissues are trying to do something about that.
When I started reading and collecting in the early sixties the stands were overflowing with the likes of McGinnis, Frazetta, McGuire, Teason, James Bama, Mitchell Hooks, Frank McCarthy, Bob Abbett, Harry Bennett, Gray Morrow, Bayre Phillips, and so many others. Many of them are still my favorites long after.
The book stands aren’t half as enticing today.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
You’ve named a dozen or so of some of my own favorites, too, David.
They were giants back then, and those days aren’t coming back, in terms of either the artists or the writers.
Times change, though, and things change with them. No disrespect meant to the artists and writers trying to make a living in today’s bad times!
But getting back to Tom Adams, might I correct the tense in the verb you used in your first sentence?
It’s still a lovely book.
April 29th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Hello,
I’m wondering if you are the Tom Adams that is fantastic water color artist who had a book published with your amazing fish and great back drop art.
If so, congratulations your work is great,more than great.
I am trying to find a copy of your book.
This site is the only one even remotely close.
An Admirer.
Mary Leslie