Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from The Korshak Collection

by Amanda Zehnder (Contributor), David Brinley (Contributor), Guillermo del Toro (Foreword)

"The Korshak Collection is a portrait and biography of a man and his family, who once looked upon the dark skies and saw Immortals, gods hunting in the storm clouds. Stephen Korshak decided to dedicate his life to tell us all how the thunder sounded and preserve the outlines of the cosmos for the awe of us all. Enjoy, believe—be amazed." —Guillermo del Toro, from the Foreword

Icons of the Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from the Korshak Collection features artwork by pioneering artists from over 160 years of published works of science fiction and fantasy. The illustrations in the collection appeared on the covers of timeless novels such as the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs and classic pulp magazines from the 1930s through 1960s, such as Amazing Stories and Weird Tales. They accompany images of mischievous satyrs, ethereal mermaids, and spell-casting witches for texts ranging from The Tempest, Don Quixote, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to works by Edgar Allan Poe and H. G. Wells. Alongside essays about famous illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley, contributors engage in a critical reassessment of understudied artists such as José Segrelles, Wladyslaw Benda, Margaret Brundage, and Hannes Bok. The book includes a foreword by Guillermo del Toro, a preface by Kevin J. Anderson, an introduction by Michael Dirda, and an interview with renowned contemporary illustration artist Michael Whelan. 
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2025

Reviews

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t aware of the Korshak Collection and as an appreciator of fantasy art and an illustrator myself, I'm really glad I came across this book! Brace yourselves because this is a topic I'm passionate about 🤣

The Korshak Collection focuses on fantasy and sci-fi illustrations ranging from the 1890s to the 1980s. The book showcases these illustrations, along with some essays and interviews related to the art pieces.

Illustration has historically been disregarded in the art world as a lesser form of art. Since it’s often created for commercial or marketing purposes, illustration carries the stigma of being less profound or thought provoking, and requiring less skill to produce than fine art, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

I appreciate that this book highlights these art pieces that are usually undervalued.
In the hands of a skilled artist, a book cover will transport the reader to the fantasy world of that novel, it will evoke a feeling or mood that will complement the story and make it more immersive.
Looking at the pieces from this collection, I can picture what kind of stories they were meant to accompany, from the evocative illustrations of Le Morte d'Arthur to the whimsical art of Rip Van Winkle, to the dynamic covers of Tarzan paperbacks.

Along with the art, the book also includes a number of historical analyses of various pieces and artists careers. These essays and interviews are really interesting and complement the artwork nicely, giving historical context and juicy tidbits of trivia. They often made me go back and really observe an art piece after reading about the context of its creation.

I loved learning more about artists whose work I was already familiar with, such is the case of Aubrey Beardsley or Brian Froud, but I also really enjoyed reading about the history of book publishing and the lives of artists I didn’t know about.

It’s a pleasant book to look at, but also surprisingly interesting and informative. I recommend it for anyone who appreciates fantasy art and the history of fantasy and sci-fi book publishing.

Thanks to University of Delaware Press via NetGalley for providing an eARC

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science fiction and fantasy art from book and magazine covers and illustrations mostly from 1930s to 1960s. Also with essays about the collection and some on specific artists.

[Val~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC of Icons of the Fantastic. This is a collection of artwork by different artists and well-known literary texts that move between the genres of science fiction and fantasy. I love some works presented in this book. However, there are others that I do not enjoy that much. As it is very subjective, what you like, or you don't like, I find this book to be great for those who enjoy art.

[the-forest-library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is a gorgeous book that explores a stunning set of book art and illustrations. The art collection is varied in styles, artists, and time periods. Lots to love here.

[Brian Shevory]

Many thanks to Rutgers University Press, University of Delaware Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of an incredible collection of pulp, sci-fi, and fantasy artwork from the Korshak Collection from the book Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from The Korshak Collection. This was an incredible collection, and I thoroughly enjoyed the images, drawings, paintings, and other artwork selected from this incredible collection. I was not previously aware of the Korshak Collection, however, I love the art work from pulp novels, comics, and other works of sci-fi and fantasy. Beyond the amazing images contained in this book, I also loved learning about some of the artists prominently featured in the book, and especially about those artists whose work I was previously unfamiliar with: Hannes Bok, Margaret Brudage (my personal favorite), and Jose Segrelles, whose artwork for Well’s War of the Worlds influenced not only the film version’s spacecraft, but also apparently was influential on Guillermo del Toro’s films like Pan’s Labyrinth. In fact, del Toro introduces the collection with a brief essay explaining the importance of the Korshak collection and how curation and collecting are a form of education as well as reflection and understanding. Other early essays also provide some insight into how important curation and collecting are, especially in a field where the art may not have always been part of a canon or deemed art worthy. Stephen D. Korshak, the son of Erle Korshak who started Shasta Publishing, which commissioned or used much of the artwork for this book, explains how the collection not only imagines ideas, but also brings them closer to fruition, and how bringing these fantastic and unique visions to the public can further inspire new ideas and concepts. Furthermore, these early essays provide a brief history of the publishing of fantasy and science fiction and how the artwork not only was used for covers to sell issues, but also to attempt to accentuate the story and to bring the words of the authors to life for readers. I loved many of the essays in the book detailed the lives and works of the artists in the Korshak Collection, spanning an array of time. These essays covered not only the influences on these artists and the literary works they conveyed, but also how their work would influence later artists and shift the nature of the artistry for other popular pulp and fantasy publications. It’s hard to determine which essay is the best. They are all relatively brief, but provide a great amount of insight into the artists’ work, inspiration, and later influence on other artists. For example, the essay on Aubrey Beardsley “The Illustrator Who Would Not ‘Illustrate’” explains that he refused to use the word “illustrate”, but instead sought other terms like “embroidered,” “embellished,” and “pictured” to represent how his work contributed to the meaning of the text. I also found it fascinating to learn about how Beardsley sought to challenge traditions in art by combining seeming disparities in his work like including a satyr of Greek mythology in an edition of Le Morte d’Arthur, the 15th century poem about King Arthur. The essay not only shared some thoughts about Beardsley’s artistic representation, but also that his work and life often challenged conventions of late Victorian England, like Oscar Wilde. I also loved learning about Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, two artists whose work I’m sure I encountered, but didn’t necessarily recognize their names. Both artists worked with texts, myths, and folklore, and transformed the texts with their work. In particular, Dulac’s “Full Fathom Five”, which is from The Tempest is an incredible work of art. I really enjoyed the essay about Segrelles’s work as well, learning more about how his work not only enhanced texts but als music. However, I think that the essay on Margaret Brundage “First Woman of Fantasy Art” by Lisa Yaszek was probably my favorite. Two of the Brundage works from the Korshak Collection (“The Altar of Melek Taos” and “The Witch’s Mark”) both immediately stood out to me. Yaszek frames Brundage’s work as reclaiming women’s power in these texts, often showing women as “sheroes” and their contributions to the stories and tales (and many times other works of art) that often subjugated or relegated them to victims, damsels in distress, or supplements for the male main characters. Yaszek’s essay helps to show how Brundage’s artwork empowered women in these stories and eventually influenced the work of modern female artists. The book ends with a visual checklist of works in the Korshak collection. I was surprised to find works from Gustaff Tengrenn, whose work on some Golden Book classics my kids loved. I didn’t realize he was also a contributor to the Korshak Collection.
Stephen D. Korshak mentions that “Collectors, propelled by a guiding vision for their collections, introduce or reintroduce works of individual artists to new generations of art enthusiasts who, in turn, educate and/or inspire yet another generation of authors and artists…” a cycle that he says informs his ideas for the Korshak Collection. I agree that this book provides an excellent introduction to many of the artists and works in this particular collection, and helped me better understand not only the art of literary and pulp texts, but also how these individual artists contributed to the style and interpretation of literature, helping to enhance and convey meanings and themes in the texts. This is an excellent book not only for the amazing artwork, but also for the interesting and educative essays. Highly recommended!

[East of Reality · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of fantasy book art … forever. I have several framed Edmund Dulac pictures, as well as Arthur Rackham. I have books on Whelan’s art, and Frazetta and books on 50s pulp art. This book was practically made for me, including artists I’m not familiar with as well as those I’ve already come to love, like Margaret Brundage whose pictures are luminous and beautiful.

Some of the new ones are Harry Clarke who did art for The Pit and the Pendulum. It’s wonderfully atmospheric with the suffocating ribbons, the helpless look on the face, the gathering of rats below and the pendulum above, wafting through trails of smoke. Then there’s Kay Nielsen whose Book of Death I and II illustrations are equally beautiful, and equally gothic.

It’s also worth noting that (almost) every image here was done without the help of digital tools. These are and were actual paintings and sketches. I swear, those older fantasy and scifi books had the best art. So much vibrant color, so much creative whimsy; people fighting tigers and dragons, space ships that looked like nothing before and each cover felt like a scene from the book, letting you know exactly what you were getting.

It’s easy to see why Korshak chose these pictures, and interesting to learn more about the hows, whys and wherefores of art collecting, as well as to learn about the careful curation that the Korshak Collection maintains. The book also gives brief biographies of several of the artists, along with more examples of their work — not necessarily book related — which was almost as interesting as the art itself.

If you’re a fan of old fantasy and science fiction covers, this will be an excellent addition to your library. And if you just like looking at pretty pictures, this book can be that for you, too. I certainly enjoyed finding new artists to enjoy. Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars both for enjoyment and quality, because I'm not the intended audience for this book and there were aspects that could have been organized better.

I'm a sci-fi reader and enjoy discussion about the genre nearly as much as I do the books themselves, so this sounded like a fun topic. The intended audience is, however, more knowledgeable than me in both art history and early science fiction. I ended up skimming about half the book, as the detailed discussion of a illustration and the single story it accompanied was less my speed.

A few essays discussed the work of a single artist more generally and included several examples; these were the most enjoyable and easiest to follow. Essays that discussed at length only a single work were too intricate-- and were less enjoyable, since paging back and forth in an eBook isn't super-convenient.

I was previously unaware of the Korshak Collection. The various front-matter rather overinflates the collection, which focuses specifically on the work of European and American artists. It is, of course, fine for a private collector to focus their interests on whatever they want, but to not mention in the introduction the contributions of non-European authors and illustrators or direct readers to appropriate comparable resources seems like a weird but purposeful decision. The essays focus overwhelmingly on very early works, so over-represent male authors.

Readers without a background in art, or who have cobbled together a non-academic education in science fiction, are unlikely to connect deeply with this work.

eARC from NetGalley.

[Aly A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of the books from the publisher on Netgalley and I specifically requested this one because I love the fantastic and art books. Also, for the podcast-website and social media, we often have to source pictures of the fairytales we are sharing. However, even though I requested the book, I was not expecting it to be as thorough as it was! The Korshak collection is truly spectacular and it was interesting to see the mix of traditional fantastical works to futuristic ones, but where it truly shines is the authors' work on bringing them to life with context.

I will say Amanda T, Zehnder's section on Edmund Dulac was my favourite part- not just because I have always found Dulac's style whimsical, but because of Zehnder's excellent essay on "The Tempest- Full Fathom Five" and "The Snow Queen." She grounds both works in history, technique and the storytelling tradition they belong to respectively.

Just as I was excited by the works of illustrators I recognized like Gustaf Tenggren, Kay Nielsen, and Arthur Rackman, I was equally as excited with the introduction to new artists and their works. Particularly, Lauren Stump's piece on José Segrelles and Lisa Yaszek's on Margaret Brundage's Weird Tales covers. Honestly, even as I flip through to write the review, I keep noticing more and more sections to comment on. It really is a great art book that goes into the icons of the fantastic and explores them in their depth.

[Zazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Icons of the Fantastic tells the story of the Korshak Collection - the first art collection that focuses on book covers and illustrations from SF and fantasy works. Edited by Amanda Zehnder and David Brinley, the book consists of essays about the collection itself and the artists whose works are featured in it.

What first drew me to the book was the wonderful cover (an illustration from the 1910 edition of the Snow Queen, by Edmund Dulac) and the subtitle promising "Illustrations of Imaginative Literature". I have to admit I never heard about the Korshak Collection before, but I knew some of the artworks in it from vintage books.

The introduction by Guillermo del Toro starts by pointing out the paradox of an art collection dedicated not to "high art", but to illustrations from pulp magazines and books. It's an effort to conserve a form of art that is both ephemeral and printed in thousand of copies. What makes it even more interesting is that the artists themselves are not usually famous, the focus is mostly on their characters. You probably don't know about J. Allen St. John or Jose Segrelles, but you certainly heard about Tarzan, John Carpenter, Conan the Barbarian or Rip van Winkle.

Just like science-fiction literature, the art that decorates these stories says more about the world they were created in than those they imagined: ”... captured in them is the World of Tomorrow before it became today; the original, untarnished dream of a new frontier among the stars.”
As for the art in fantasy stories - it's a way to escape geographical and chronological constraints ”functioning like a power source connected directly to the imaginations of generations of readers”.

In an essay written by the author of the collection, Stephen D. Korshak, we find out more about the way it's structured (in 6 categories from Turn-of-the-century European Art to Comics & Gaming Art) and his vision for it.

From the first illustration of John Carpenter, a gift from his father, Stephen spent over 40 years following his passion in a life-long scavenger hunt. His interests ranged from mythology, folk, and fairytales to SF and horror stories, adding to the collection works of art from American and European artists, spanning 160 years.

Stephen Korshak's publishing house - Shasta Publishing - also had an important role in growing the collection. It published mainly SF and fantasy books, and promoted some of the artists of the genre.

The second part of the book focuses on these specific artists that are appreciated in the SFF world. There are a lot of them and each chapter/essay delivers a biography, some considerations on their art and a lot of images, so you'll have to discover them yourself.

I'm going to focus on just three, that I liked best.

My favorite, by far, was Wladyslaw Benda's Army of the Dead. An illustration done in charcoal, a commission for a poster promoting the Polish Army in 1917, close to the end of the First World War and the Polish independence. It represents the ghosts of the Winged Hussars - a Polish-Lithuanian cavalry unit from the XVI century.

Not so troubling, but certainly fascinating were Jose Segrelles' works. I really liked his illustrations of pieces of music and classic works like Don Quixote, Divina Comedia and 1001 Nights.

Margaret Brundage, the ”Queen of the Pulp”, was an amazing discovery for me. With over 60 covers for the pulp magazine Weird Tales, between 1932-45, she's known for her female characters - ”fashionable and active subjects of both good and evil”.

”By filtering the techniques of commercial illustration and pinup art through the lens of radical race and ender politics, Brundage dramatized other people's stories while inserting her own perspectives on mythology, heroism, science, and futurism in ways still common to women's fantasy art today.”

In the end, the Korshak Collection is a time capsule that preserves for future generations a time when pop culture dreamed of a bright future, and books like Icons of the Fantastic serve as intermediaries and means of discovery.
What's more, it opens up a cultural dialogue about how we see possible futures today. It makes us think about the effort and imagination that go into imagining fantastical worlds.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publishing date: 14.10.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Rutgers University Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.


Quickfire likes and gripes //
Absolutely stunning art


The subject was a little too heavy for my little head


What you get //
In this book you get to look at stunning fantasy and sci-fi art collected over more than a hundred years. You get to learn about the creation, collaboration, and collection of said pieces.


Learned something new? //
Nothing really new to me, just reinforcement of something I already knew. Like going from Art Collection and appraisal stage 1 to 2


How it was to read //
A big part of the book is just the art pieces (with additional info like title, medium, artist, and date), and the other half is the history and art collection info. So some of it was easy and quick, literally just looking on in awe, while the other is trying to understand the subject matter better. Heavier, yes, but interesting for some.


Audience //
This is for the sci-fi and fantasy art nerds, the art collection enthusiasts, maybe some history whizzes as well. A good mix. If you love fantasy/sci-fi art you will probably enjoy this book. If only to look at it


Final Verdict //
This book was a treat for my eyes. Enjoyed it a lot. I will be recommending it to my fellow nerds as I know they too enjoy this kind of book. Maybe I will even consider grabbing a copy for myself

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Icons of the Fantastic, edited by Amanda T. Zehnder and David M. Brinley, is both an attractive and informative book.

While the size of a coffee table book, and it would serve that purpose nicely, this is also a very interesting look at fantasy and science fiction illustrations, using the Korshak Collection as the focal point. The essays included are each focused on a specific aspect, perhaps an artist or a style, which offers the reader a glimpse into what went into some of the images, whether artistic choices or literary inspirations. While written in a way that is accessible to an interested reader (such as myself with very little art training) it is also intended to appeal to those with more of a background. Something between academic and pop.

Frankly, the illustrations alone make this a volume one could enjoy endlessly, so the essays can be either a key element of the book for you or the parts you pick up and read occasionally when you are looking at the pictures.

This is also a book that lends itself to some very fruitful online searches. Pick an artist, or a publisher, or a keyword, and start searching. I found some very interesting material on Internet Archive as well as some specialized websites. Make it a complete experience.

Highly recommended for both those who simply love the illustrations as well as those with some formal or informal background in the art.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love with "Icons of the Fantastic", since I'm a huge fantasy and sci-fi lover, and I'm a big believer in the importance of (cover) art.

This is the kind of niche/ coffee table book that I could never justify to my working-class ass to spend money on, so I'm really thankful I got to read it and be introduced to the genius of Margaret Brundage, amongst so many others.

I went into this book thinking it was a collection of illustrations, with a cute intro by Guillermo Del Toro, and it ended up being a lot more educational and essay-based than I expected. This did feel very academic, with most contributors teaching at universities, but it's accessible to anyone with an interest in art and the fantastical.

I loved that all the pictures throughout were labelled, with the artists' origins, because it allowed me to see how their culture had influenced them, particularly the miniatures at the end. Sadly, those were very difficult to see digitally. I wish they had been bigger so we could take them in detail in all their glory.

Thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley, University of Delaware Press and Rutgers University Press for this DRC.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic, but not heavily so, this is a guide to the collection of fantasy and sci-fi art in an American archive, the Korshak Collection. We get a good selection of their major works, followed by essays regarding several of the more major pieces and/or creators, followed by the full thing in small form – nine artworks per page. To me almost the most recent work was one of the best (a Balrog), and I much preferred the influences here – the Rackhams, the Dore, and a skeletal cavalry – to the heart of the Collection. This shows us the pulp monthlies and their lurid, if sexism-trouncing, art – often people posing in manly stances, whichever gender they actually were, while some unlikely species joined them, feared them or just fought them. To me the colour works of Bok, which this raves over, are actually a bit naff.

None of the essays take too much of our time, and none require you to have swallowed a dictionary or gone to history-of-art school. It's as accessible as the visual contents, giving full respect to the art, however trashy so much of its genre could be said to be. It serves well for those both with and without access to the Collection.

[Kristin Silverman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing images! With stunning artworks throughout, it’s a fun challenge to try to pick out favorites.

Images range from fine art gouache paintings to pastel illustrations for pulp magazines. Some are beautiful, some captivating, some scary, some grotesque.

This book of fantasy art feels especially timely and needed when AI imagery is taking over the world. I love seeing how art styles vary from year to year.

As someone who loves fantasy fiction, I loved looking at the images in this book. But as someone who loves fantasy fiction, I found the text sometimes dry. Art history fans, though, should love both the pictures and text. A section of text and image combo I loved was the one on “dynamic symmetry.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital advance copy to enable an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Stefy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even by being an artist myself, I have never heard of the Korshak Collection before so everything was new to me and I liked to see the variety of art styles within the collection. It was very interesting to get to know some of these illustrators and I definitely got inspired by them and restored my ambition to create book covers, a big goal of mine. This showed me how big this field can be and how useful it is for readers. I have heard people say that they don’t buy art while getting a book so they don’t care about the cover. But personally a good cover can pull me so much towards a book that I usually end up reading it.
I would’ve liked a more visual explanation of the illustrations or at least to have them in the same page as the commentary. But I liked that you can explore them by the end.
In addition, It would be nice to know more about the creative process of each artist but I appreciate all the information delivered in the book.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful collection of classic SFF book covers & illustrations needs to be on every fantastical art lover's radar. Filled with gorgeous art and thoughtful essays, Icons of the Fantastic introduces the reader to the Korshak Collection which includes a wide range of artists from the famous to the lesser-known, but all worthy of being remembered and celebrated. I absolutely love classic SFF book covers, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book highlighting some of the best of the last several decades. It is well worth a read if you love fantastical art or literary history.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks to netgalley and University of Delaware Press for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I didn't expect it to be more than talking about the illustrations and their connection to the books/fantasy world. I personally didn't really care for the other essays or topics the writers are talking about but these two stories stood out to me Margart Stetz's "Aubrey Beardsley" & Ashley Rye-Kopec's "A Hint and and an Opportunity".

But it's also neat to see the earlier illustrations of the classic fantasy books we have back then and how they changed into now. It's also neat to see Michael Whelan, one of my favorite fantasy cover illustrator, interviewed at the end.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t like giving lower ratings when I know much time and effort has gone into a project, but the vast majority of the writing of this book went over my head. I don’t believe I am the correctly target audience for it.

The book covers the Korshak Collection featuring artists published work spanning 160 years in science fiction and fantasy.

While I wasn’t the right fit for the essays, the art was beautiful

[Anastey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley, Rutgers University Press, Amanda T. Zehnder, and David M. Brinley for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a stunningly beautiful book. There was a wide variety of art styles, and I recognized a few from books I've read in the past, especially the fantasy and sci fi ones. I hope some of these styles make a comeback, because they are so gorgeous.


I really enjoyed learning about each author, and their history. It really adds a lot of depth to the gorgeous artworks they have created.

This would make a fantastic coffee table book, and it would also be fun to collect some of the books that have the artwork on them to display together too.