TOM MILLER CHECKIST 2 of 2

1971

Dell 6152 – THE MUSIC ROOM by W.E.D. Ross. PBO, 1971.

MILLER AT FAWCETT 1971-1982

Fawcett Crest M1507 – WITH SHUDDER -ING FALL by Joyce Carol Oates. 1st PB, January 1971.

Beginning a remarkable run, a decade of Fawcett covers from Tom Miller.

M1564 – THE CAPTIVE QUEEN OF SCOTS by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1971. Reprinted as Q2080 with same cover art.

Miller's signature is very faint, in the windowsill below her arm.

It quickly became obvious to Fawcett that Tom Miller excelled at historical romance covers.

M1602 – MARY by Vladimir Nabokov, 1st PB, 1971.

The author's first book, originally published in a Russian language edition in 1926 under the pseudonym V. Sirin, was translated into English in 1970. A transcendent story that deserved an equally beautiful and nostalgic cover, the first American paperback edition of MARY was graced with a dreamy pastel palette and a deceptively simple image.

 The portrait painter as cover artist.

Five Star (UK) – CHATEAU OF SECRETS by Julie Wellsley, 1972. Re-uses and flips the Tom Miller art for MARY showing more of the painting including Miller's signature (backwards at bottom left). Thank you to Sara at My Love-Haunted Heart.

T1640 – HOW FAR TO BETHLEHEM? by Norah Lofts, 2nd PB, 1971. Reprints t978 with new cover art.

1972

M1687 – THE CONCUBINE by Norah Lofts, 1st thus, 1972.

Norah Lofts was a British author of historical biographical novels. All of her books appeared first in British paperback editions. This story of Anne Boleyn first appeared in American paperback as Pocket 50037 in 1964, reprinted in 1969.

M1706 – THE LOST QUEEN by Norah Lofts, 2nd US PB, 1972.  Reprints M1398 with new cover art.

P1707 – THE MOONLIGHTER by Henry Kane, 1st PB, 1972.

P1730 – THE RICH CROWD by Alexander Fedoroff, 1st PB, 1972.

See “The Maybe File”. This is a maybe only because we don't find any artist signature on the cover. But it reminds me strongly of other Miller covers, most notably SATURDAY GAMES, where another poolside nude poses in the same stance.

P1736 – THE HARD BLUE SKY by Shirley Ann Grau, 1st PB, 1972. Not signed, but this was one of the paintings sold in Tom Miller's estate sale. The painting shows that Miller's signature, on the other side of the tree stump, was cropped off by the publisher.

P1745 – A ROSE FOR VIRTUE by Norah Lofts, 1st PB, 1972. From the maybe file. Compare to THE CONCUBINE.

The story of Napoleon's stepdaughter. When this was reprinted as X2781, Napoleon was missing. 

M1771 – THE WANDERING PRINCE by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1972. Jean Plaidy was one of the pseudonyms of Eleanor Hibbert, who also wrote as Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr. This is the first volume in her trilogy about Charles II.  Crest would reprint all three with Tom Miller covers.

P1781 – AVALON by Anya Seton, 3rd pr, 1972. Reprints t989 with new cover art. This brilliant cover was re-used on Q2211 and X2724.

Fawcett Gold Medal R2531 – CLAUDELLE INGLISH by Erskine Caldwell, 1st thus, 1972.

When Gold Medal started in 1950, it was designed to publish paperback originals only. That rule had changed by 1972. Both this book and the next one on this checklist were hardcover firsts in the 1950s, then paperbacks from two other publishers.

CLAUDELLE INGLISH was a 1958 hardcover, a 1960 Signet paperback and a 1965 Macfadden paperback. This 1972 Gold Medal edition is fairly obscure.

Fawcett Gold Medal M2580 – CANCEL ALL OUR VOWS by John D. MacDonald, 1st thus, 1972.

CANCEL ALL OUR VOWS was a 1953 hardcover. There were two Signet editions and two Pyramid editions before this, the first of many Gold Medal printings. P3178 from 1974 used the same Tom Miller cover art.

1973

Fawcett Crest M1777 – CRY OF THE DAUGHTER by Kit Reed, 1st PB, 1973.

Miller's signature is hard to see without a good magnifying glass.

At Fawcett in the 70s, Miller mastered portraying the fashions of different eras. His cover for CRY OF THE DAUGHTER allowed him to show four of those eras in one painting.

M1788 – GLORY by Vladimir Nabokov, 1st US PB, 1973.

The last of Nabokov's Russian-language novels to be translated into English, GLORY was published here in 1971 with a translation by the author's son Dmitri. The first US paperback edition remains the best - thanks to cover art by Tom Miller. 

M1801 - THE KING'S PLEASURE by Norah Lofts, 1st thus, 1970 Reprints M1478 with new cover art. Reprinted as Q2160 in 1974 and 2-3718-4 in 1978.

The story of Katharine of Aragon.

M1820 – THE OPTIMIST'S DAUGHTER by Eudora Welty, 1st PB, 1973. No visible signature, but compare the woman touching the flowers to Miller's MARY. I think Tom Miller was able to convey deep reverie with these deceptively simple   images.

M1846 – THE BLACK PRINCE by Shirley Ann Grau, 1st thus, 1973.

THE BLACK PRINCE was a 1955 hardcover and previously appeared in paperback as Signet S1318 in 1956.

Q1972 – DECISION AT DELPHI by Helen MacInnes, nn, 1973.

DECISION AT DELPHI (1960) was reprinted many times by Fawcett Crest. The editions before this one have Harry Bennett cover art of the same scene from the book.  The Tom Miller cover appears again on C2790, R2523, and 2-4015-0 in 1979. That last one is listed as a 27th printing.

No signature, but this was one of the paintings auctioned at the Miller Estate sale.

P1985 – MARRIAGES AND INFIDELITIES by Joyce Carol Oates, 1st PB, 1973. From the “maybe file”. Looks like Miller to some of us. 

P2019 – A HEALTH UNTO HIS MAJESTY by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1973.

The second volume in the Charles II trilogy.

Fawcett Gold Medal M2824 – ROGUE BLACK by Raymond Giles, PBO, 1973.

1974

Fawcett Crest P2039 – THE LUTE PLAYER by Norah Lofts, 2nd Crest printing, 1974.

The 1951 hardcover first appeared in American paperback as Bantam A1137 in 1953. The 1964 Bantam cover just shows an empty helmet – it is always amazing to note how vastly superior Miller's cover ideas are to other editions of the same book. UK PB is a 1969 Corgi. Reprints Crest M1525 with new cover art. This cover was used again on 2-2948-3 in 1976.

A novel of Richard the Lionhearted.

6256847

M2053 – TARA'S HEALING by Janice Holt Giles, 1st thus, 1974. Apparently the first paperback edition of the 1951 hardcover. Reprinted as 2-3012-0 in 1976.

Just as the cover predicts, TARA'S HEALING is a heartwarming story. It required a warm, blissful cover image, and Miller nailed it.

P2098 – HERE LIES OUR SOVEREIGN LORD by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1974.

The final volume in the Charles II trilogy. No signature visible, but this was one of the paintings auctioned at the Tom Miller estate sale in 2005.

Q2187 – THE VENETIAN AFFAIR by Helen MacInnes, nn, 1974.

The 1963 hardcover went through multiple paperback printings before this new cover appeared in 1974. It was then re-used many times including X2743, 2-3667-6 and 2-4196-3. This cover art also appeared on a GK Hall large print hardcover edition in 1987. Not signed, possibly a Miller cover.

Maybe file.   

P2218 – RED ADAM'S LADY by Grace Ingram, 1st PB, 1974.

P2269 - HORIZON by Helen MacInnes, 2nd Crest printing, 1974.

The oft-reprinted HORIZON was a 1945 UK hardcover. There were several Dell paperback editions. Crest issued M1650 in 1971. The P2269 cover from 1974 by Tom Miller was re-used on 2-3123-4 in 1977 and 2-3434-7 in 1978. The 1980s Crest editions have a different cover.

Q2279 – AFTER by Robert Anderson, 1st PB, 1974.

From its impossibly colored sky to its soft flesh tones, Tom Miller's AFTER is a magical, beautiful painting.

Fawcett Gold Medal P2911 – JEDCROW by Mark Elder, PBO 1974.

Fawcett Gold Medal Q3140 – SABREHILL by Raymond Giles, PBO 1974.

Re-used on 1-3506-3 in 1976, the printing shown here.

Also used on X3506, and 1-2413-4 (1982).  

1975

Fawcett Crest P2338 – CROWN OF ALOES by Norah Lofts, 1st PB, 1975.

Q2345 – THE RAJ by Donald H. Robinson, 2nd PB, 1975. Reprints Crest P1721 with new cover.

P2454 – THE FRENCH INHERITANCE by Anne Stevenson, 1st PB, 1975.

P2477 – THE RUN TO MORNING by James Graham, 1st PB, 1975. Pseudonym of Harry Patterson.

Q2543–THE BLADE OF CASTLEMAYNE by Anthony Esler, 1st PB, 1975.

C2562 – GLORY AND THE LIGHTNING by Taylor Caldwell, 1st PB, 1975.

Also used on 2-3972-1 and 2-0468-5

Fawcett Gold Medal X3236 – GOLDEN STUD by Lance Horner, PBO 1975. This was Lance Horner's final novel. It was to be completed by Lawrence Blochman, but when Blochman also passed away, the final draft was completed by Harry Whittington, who then took over the franchise, using the pseudonym Ashley Carter. If you look on the last page of the book, where the author lists the place he wrote it, there are three different cities. That is because three different men worked on this book.

Also used on 0-3236-1 and 1-3666-3

Fawcett Gold Medal X3272 – BANNER BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL by Ann Forman Barron, PBO, 1975.

Fawcett Gold Medal X3304 – SLAVES OF SABREHILL by Raymond Giles, PBO 1975.

Also used on 1-3304-4, 1-3970-0. and 1-2662-5.

1976

Fawcett Crest C2689 – A BOOK OF RUTH by Syrell Rogovin Leahy, 1st PB, 1976.

Maybe file.

Q2693 – SATURDAY GAMES by Brown Meggs, PBO, 1976.

Although cut off on many copies, Miller's signature is at the bottom right corner.

X2748 – THE ROMANCE OF ATLANTIS by Taylor Caldwell with Jess Stearn, 1st PB, 1976.

Also used on 2-2748-0, and 2-3787-7

X2772 – EDEN by Julie Ellis, 1st PB, 1976.

Fawcett Crest changed to the 10-digit ISBN numbering system in mid-1976. Previous numbers were a letter followed by sequential numbers, first three then four.

X2772 became 0449-22772-3. The copy shown here is a later printing, same cover price, from after the numbering change. (Since the 0449 prefix is uniform, we will omit that on this checklist rather than just repeat it over and over, just as the publisher chose to on the front cover of editions such as this one.)

C2791 – THE EXPLORER by Frances Parkinson Keyes, nn, 1976. 1964 hardcover. Reprints M906 (multiple printings) & P1424 with new cover.

Maybe Miller.

C2862 – THE GOLDEN MISTRESS by Basil Beyea, 1st PB, 1976.

2-2891-6 – THE GOLDSMITH'S WIFE by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1976.

The 1950 hardcover first appeared in American paperback as THE KING'S MISTRESS, Pyramid G42, in 1952.  First Canadian PB was Harlequin 178 in 1952. There is a 1970 UK PB from Pan.

At first glance I mistook this as a Crest cover by Stuart Kaufman. Kaufman's Crests usually have groups of people standing about as if posing for a group photo. But this is one of the covers Tom Miller made a copy of for his home collection.

2-2964-5 – VERONIQUE by Virginia Coffman, 1st PB, 1976.

2-3026-0 – MADONNA OF THE SEVEN HILLS by Jean Plaidy, 1st thus, 1976.

First Crest printing of a 1958 hardcover.

2-3034-1 – MY THEODOSIA by Anya Seton, 1st thus, 1976.

The 1941 hardcover first appeared in paperback as Ace K177 in 1963. Pyramid T1559 appeared in 1967, Pyramid A3440 in 1974. MY THEODOSIA was a bestseller for Coronet in UK PB editions starting in 1968.

2-3036-8 – THE BLACK PEARLS by Robert Kerr, 1 st PB, 1976.

Back cover credit: Painting by Tom Miller.

2-3037-6 – THE BRITTLE GLASS by Norah Lofts, 1st thus, 1976.

First appearing around 1941, THE BRITTLE GLASS was reprinted several times in hardcover. The UK PB was a 1967 Corgi.

Fawcett Gold Medal C3514 – RAFE by Peter Gentry, PBO 1976.

MANDINGO was such a huge bestseller that the publisher began bringing out new books in the same “plantation” genre. Each one promised to be more shocking and savage than MANDINGO. If you worked for Fawcett in the 1970s, you were asked to paint a lot of “plantation” covers.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3585-3 - MASTER OF BLACKOAKS by Ashley Carter, PBO 1976. Pseudonym of Harry Whittington.

UK Hardcover – W.H. Allen, 1977.

Uses Tom Miller's cover art from the Gold Medal paperback, omitting his signature.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3695-7 – REBELS OF SABREHILL by Raymond Giles, PBO 1976. 

1977

Fawcett Crest 2-3108-9 – LIGHT ON LUCREZIA by Jean Plaidy, 1st US PB, 1977.

2-3132-1 – THE GOLDEN FLEECE by Norah Lofts, 1st thus, 1977.

First was a 1943 UK hardcover. First US PB was Armed Services Edition J288.

2-3170-4 – LORD LIBERTINE by Anthony Esler, 1st PB, 1977.


2-3413-4 – THE CAPTIVE OF KENSINGTON PALACE by Jean Plaidy, 1st PB, 1977.

1972 UK hardcover. A novel about Queen Victoria.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3842-9 – SWORD OF THE GOLDEN STUD by Ashley Carter, PBO, 1977. Pseudonym of Harry Whittington.

UK Hardcover: as THE SWORD OF THE GOLDEN STUD, W.H. Allen, 1978. “Jacket illustration by Tom Miller.” Re-uses the cover painting from the 1977 paperback edition.

UK PB: as THE SWORD OF THE GOLDEN STUD, Star 0-332-32088-5, 1987. Re-uses Tom Miller cover art with Miller's signature cropped off.


Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3888-7 – THE FRENCH PASSION by Diane du Pont, PBO, 1977.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3924-7 – CREOLE SURGEON by Mitchell Caine, PBO 1977.

Copyright by Lyle Kenyon Engel and Mitchell Caine.

1978

Fawcett Crest 2-3550-5 – EULALIE by Julie Ellis, 1st thus, 1978.

EULALIE was a 1970 PBO from Avon.

2-3600-5 – HERE COMES A CANDLE by Jane Aiken Hodge, 1st PB, 1978.

2-3642-0 – THE GREEN SALAMANDER by Pamela Hill, 1st PB, 1978.

2-3910-1 – GILDED SPURS by Grace Ingram, 1st PB, 1978.


Fawcett Gold Medal 1-3988-3 – JASMINE MOON by Frances Patton Statham, PBO 1978.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4018-0 – STORM OVER SABREHILL by Raymond Giles, PBO 1978.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4090-3 – TAPROOTS OF FALCONHURST by Ashley Carter, PBO 1978. Pen name of Harry Whittington.

also used on 1-2600-5

UK hardcover: W.H. Allen, 1979.

Re-uses Tom Miller's cover art, omitting his signature.

1979

Fawcett Crest 2-4131-9 – THE HAMPTON HERITAGE by Julie Ellis, 1st PB, 1979.

2-4151-3 – THE WIDOW OF WINDSOR by Jean Plaidy, 1st PB, 1979. The love affair of Queen Victoria and John Brown.

2-4211-0 – DARK AT NOON by Jill Tattersall, 1st PB, 1979.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4178-0 – WORSHIP THE WIND by Mitchell Caine, PBO 1979. “Produced by Lyle Kenyon Engel. Copyright by Book Creations, Inc. and Mitchell Caine.”

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4201-9 - DAUGHTERS OF THE SUMMER STORM by Frances Patton Statham, PBO 1979.

This cover painting was the one Tom Miller chose to accompany his 1998 profile and interview in the Transylvania Times, the newspaper in Brevard, in Transylvania County, North Carolina.

1980

Fawcett Crest 2-4300-1 – DANECLARE by Pamela Hill, 1st PB, 1980.

2-4318-4 – THE LION OF JUSTICE by Jean Plaidy, 1st PB, 1980. The saga of Prince Henry and Princess Edith.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4309-9 – EAST OF JAMAICA by Kaye Wilson Klem, PBO 1980.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4320-1 – THE PASSION AND THE RAGE by Elizabeth Godwin, PBO 1980.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4334-1 – SCANDAL OF FALCONHURST by Ashley Carter, PBO 1980. Pseudonym of Harry Whittington.

On the copy shown here, Miller's signature is almost completely cut off.

also used on 1-2601-3 1983

1981

Fawcett Crest 2-3996-9 – SAVAGE OAKS by Julie Ellis, 1st PB, 1980.

The signature is often quite small, but it is there if you look for it. Let me know if you find any Miller signatures like this on paperback covers not on this list.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4375-9 – JEMMA by Beverly Byrne, PBO 1981. 

2nd printing: Fawcett Gold Medal (Ballantine) 13268-4, 1987.

Six years after Tom Miller left Fawcett, his JEMMA cover painting was reused for this new edition. The different layout clearly shows the signature obscured on the original edition.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4387-2 – THE UNTAMED BREED by Gordon D. Shirreffs, PBO 1981. 

When Fawcett was acquired by Ballantine, this book was reissued as Fawcett Gold Medal 12352-9 with a $2.95 cover price.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4396-1 – THE OUTCAST by Beverly Byrne, PBO 1981.

THE GRIFFIN SAGA: Volume 1.

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4424-0 – HERITAGE OF BLACKOAKS by Ashley Carter, PBO 1981. Pseudonym of Harry Whittington.

The fifth Miller cover for an Ashley Carter story.

Signet E9718 - VERITY by Brenda Jagger, 1st PB, 1981.

I used to believe that when Tom Miller left Fawcett in 1981, he retired from paperback cover illustration. But the Miller family collection of his cover proofs includes this 1981 Signet.  The way the woman holds her hands as she looks off to one side reminds me a woman on THE ADVENTURER, his final cover for Fawcett.


1982

Fawcett Gold Medal 1-4452-6 – THE ADVENTURER by Beverly Byrne, PBO 1982.

The Griffin Saga Volume 2

Miller's final painting for Fawcett was done in 1981, but the publisher held release until 1982. Apparently the Griffin Saga was not as successful as Fawcett had hoped, for by the time the third and final book in the series (FIERY SPLENDOR) came out, after Tom Miller was gone, there is no mention of “The Griffin Saga” series on its cover. Somebody else was painting the covers for Fawcett by then.


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