Exotic Ladies — Collins, Artist Archives 1999

📖 Exotic Ladies by Max Allan Collins (1999, Collections Press) — A curated gallery of classic pin-up and calendar art from the Golden Age of American illustration, presented as part of the Artist Archives series.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Max Allan Collins (b. 1948) — mystery novelist, filmmaker, and comic book creator
• Publisher: Collections Press, Inc., distributed by Universe Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 1999 (First American Edition)
• Format: Paperback, large format
• Pages: [ii-vii], 23 pages text + full-color plates throughout | ISBN: 1-888954-36-0
• Condition: Fine — full report below

THE STORY

The “Artist Archives” series from Collections Press celebrates the Golden Age of American illustration, spanning the 1920s through the 1940s. This volume, Exotic Ladies, focuses on the pin-up and calendar art tradition — the stylized, idealized depictions of women that adorned everything from magazine covers to wartime barracks walls. Max Allan Collins provides historical commentary tracing the evolution from European-influenced “ideal women” illustrations of the early twentieth century through the confident, distinctly American pin-up style that emerged in the late 1930s and 1940s.

THIS EDITION

This is the First American Edition, printed in Hong Kong on acid-free matte stock with advanced color imaging technology. The book is part of a series that includes companion volumes covering other aspects of Golden Age illustration. Published by Collections Press, Inc. and distributed in the United States by Universe Publishing, Inc. and in Canada by McClelland & Stewart. Design by Priscilla Graphica, edited by Ann Graning Bennett.

COVER ART & ILLUSTRATIONS

The front cover features a striking Art Deco illustration: a glamorous woman reclining on an ornate Egyptian-style chariot wheel, adorned with pearls, with a leopard at her side and pyramids silhouetted against a deep blue sky. The palette is rich — deep blues, vibrant reds, and golds. The spine displays “ARTIST ARCHIVES” and “EXOTIC LADIES” in white serif type on black.

The interior presents full-page color plates of classic pin-up and calendar illustrations spanning multiple styles: theatrical Art Deco dancers in flowing red fabric against dramatic black backgrounds; glamorous blonde women in sequined bodices and flowing robes in the Hollywood pin-up tradition; Art Deco-era figures in red fringed costumes captured mid-dance; and mythological scenes with ethereal figures in moonlit settings. Artists represented include illustrators working in the style of Gil Elvgren, Rolf Armstrong, and other Golden Age masters. Several plates bear artist signatures, including “G.C. Orde” (1988).

WHY IT MATTERS

• Max Allan Collins is best known as the creator of Road to Perdition (adapted into the 2002 Academy Award-winning film) and author of the Quarry and Nathan Heller mystery series — his art commentary work is a lesser-known but significant part of his bibliography
• The “Artist Archives” series preserves and contextualizes commercial illustration art that was produced for mass distribution (calendars, magazines, advertisements) and is now collected as fine art
• The book documents the shift from European-influenced idealized illustration to the distinctly American pin-up style that emerged during World War II, making it a useful reference for art historians and collectors of mid-century Americana

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First American Edition, 1999, by Collections Press, Inc. ISBN 1-888954-36-0. Library of Congress Control Number N8217.E6C66 1999.

What condition is it in? Fine — clean pages with no tanning, tight binding, vibrant color plates throughout. Full report below.

Is this part of a series? Yes — the “Artist Archives” series from Collections Press includes multiple volumes covering different aspects of Golden Age illustration.

FOR COLLECTORS

The intersection of Max Allan Collins’ commentary with Golden Age pin-up art makes this an unusual crossover collectible — appealing both to Collins completists and to collectors of vintage illustration art. The large format and acid-free paper stock were designed for the book to serve as both reference and display piece.

#### **Condition Report**

Overall Grade: Fine

Cover & Spine: Vibrant cover art with excellent color retention. Spine is uncreased and remains square.

Dust Jacket: N/A

Text Block & Pages: Pages are clean, off-white/cream with no evidence of tanning or significant toning.

Binding: Excellent; remains tight and apparently unread.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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