AN HERB AND SPICE COOK BOOK – Craig Claiborne, Bantam NE5427, 1970.

THE AFTERNOON WOMEN – Lael Tucker Wertenbaker, Bantam N5469, 1970. Reprints Bantam N3359 with different Morgan Kane cover photo.

Bantam Q5602: see 1971 Bantams.

WAITING FOR WINTER – John O’Hara, Bantam Q5776, 1970. Reprints Bantam N3537 with different Morgan Kane cover photo.

Bantam Q5794: see 1971 Bantams.

THE HOUND OF EARTH – Vance Bourjaily, Bantam N5928, 1970.

COMMANDER AMANDA – George Revelli, Dell 1338, 1970.

COUNTERFEIT WIFE – Brett Halliday, Dell 1528, 1970.

Pseudonym of Davis Dresser.

EROTIC LEGACY – Peter Hochstein, Dell 2377, 1970.

Peter Hochstein also ghosted books for his friend Lawrence Block using the pen names Andrew Shaw and Sheldon Lord.

FOURTH DOWN TO DEATH – Brett Halliday, Dell 2699, 1970.

House name used here by Robert Terrall. Paperback original.

HEADS YOU LOSE – Halliday, Dell 3515, 1970.

Pseudonym of Davis Dresser. This is a reprint of a 1943 Mike Shayne mystery originally called BLOOD ON THE BLACK MARKET.

THE MAN FROM CHARISMA – Ted Mark, Dell 5196, 1970.

Pseudonym of Theodore Gottfried.

NAKED IN GARDEN HILLS – Harry Crews, Dell 6345, 1970.

NICE FILLIES FINISH LAST – Brett Halliday, Dell 6361, 1970.

House name used here by Robert Terrall.

SHOOT IT – Paul Tyner, Dell 7841, 1970.

SIX SECONDS TO KILL – Brett Halliday, Dell 8001, 1970. Robert Terrall. Paperback original.

SUCCUBUS – Irving A. Greenfield, Dell 8410, 1970.

We recognize this model from COMMANDER AMANDA (also 1970) and other covers.

TICKETS FOR DEATH – Brett Halliday, Dell 8884, 1970.

Pen name of Davis Dresser.

We recognize the statue on the table from WAITING FOR WINTER (1970).

TRIXIE – Wallace Graves, Dell 9106, 1970.

THE VIOLENT WORLD OF MICHAEL SHAYNE – Halliday, Dell 9334, 1970. One of the 24 Brett Halliday books written by Robert Terrall.

WILDERNESS TREK – Zane Grey, Pocket 55323, 1970. There were 20 or so Zane Grey photo covers right before this from a different photographer. Was Morgan Kane the photographer of HORSE HEAVEN HILL, Pocket 55324? Maybe, but this cover was not found in his collection and could just as easily been that previous photographer. So we skip 55324 here for now.

LOST PUEBLO – Grey, Pocket 55325, 1970. The unmistakable male model Steve Holland appears in all five of Kane’s 1970 Zane Greys.

TO THE LAST MAN – Grey, Pocket 55326, 1970. Canadian printing shown here.

THE ARIZONA CLAN – Zane Grey, Pocket 55327, 1970.

KNIGHTS OF THE RANGE – Grey, Pocket 55328, 1970.

THE CASE OF THE CARETAKER’S CAT – Erle Stanley Gardner, Pocket 75507, 1970. Reprinting Perry Masons was a cash cow for Pocket Books for decades, and they employed a boatload of artists to provide the covers. In the 1970s, there were many photographers supplying photo covers for the books. One of those photographers was Morgan Kane.

Jeff Kane recognized the chair here from his father’s studio, We will see it again on numerous covers.

THE CASE OF THE DROWNING DUCK – Gardner, Pocket 75520, 1970.

THE CASE OF THE GLAMOROUS GHOST – Gardner, Pocket 75546, 1970.

THE CASE OF THE DARING DECOY – Gardner, Pocket 75555, 1970.

Unfortunately Pocket Books stopped their long tradition of crediting cover artists. So there are probably other Perry Mason books with Morgan Kane cover photos. The only other one we are sure of is THE CASE OF THE IRATE WITNESS in 1973, where Morgan Kane is credited on the copyright page.

THE CRAZY LADIES – Joyce Elbert, Signet Y4122, 1970.

THE CRAZY LADIES – Joyce Elbert,

NEL 2833, UK edition, 1971.

Signets were published by New American Library, and their UK counterpart was NEL, New English Library. The NEL edition of THE CRAZY LADIES used Morgan Kane’s five photos in a different layout.

THE RAG DOLLS – Simon Cooper, Signet Q4185, 1970.

BITTER FRUIT – Roy B. Sparkia, Signet T4340, 1970.

THE 6-WEEK MAKE YOURSELF OVER PLAN – Dolly Reed Wageman, Signet Q4244, 1970.

Morgan Kane could provide covers for any genre of book, and at Signet he proved that.

A LOVING WIFE – Violet Weingarten, Signet Q4449, 1970.

OF ALL THE BLOODY CHEEK – Frank McAuliffe, Ballantine 02175, 1971.

Second printing, reprints Ballantine U5023 with new cover.

RATHER A VICIOUS GENTLEMAN – McAuliffe, Ballantine 02176, 1971.

Second printing, reprints Ballantine U6126 with new cover.

FOR MURDER I CHARGE MORE – McAuliffe – Ballantine 02174, 1971.

First printing paperback original.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY IN THE CHILD – Jean Piaget, Ballantine 02338, 1971.

THE CHILD’S CONCEPTION OF TIME – Piaget, Ballantine 02371, 1971.

THE CHILD’S CONCEPTION OF MOVEMENT AND SPEED – Piaget, Ballantine 02372, 1971.

THE BALLAD OF THE SAD CAFÉ – Carson McCullers – Bantam NM4216, 1971.

Reprinted as Bantam 10259-4.

ANGELIQUE AND THE KING - Sergeanne Golon, Bantam Q5602, 1971. Reprints Bantam N3009 with new Morgan Kane photo covers. Front cover and back corner photo are shown here.

THE TEMPTATION OF ANGELIQUE – Sergeanne Golon, Bantam Q5794, Jan 1971. With slightly different photo on back cover.

THE VIOLATED – Vance Bourjaily – Bantam Q5921, 1971.

ANGELIQUE IN LOVE – Golon, Bantam Q5966, 1971. Reprints Bantam N3003 with different Morgan Kane photo covers. Front cover and back cover photo shown here..

The second printing of THE COUNTESS ANGELIQUE, Bantam Q6511, appeared here in 1971 as part of this uniform edition. All have front and back Morgan Kane photo covers. See Bantam N4367, 1969, the first printing with identical cover.

Next:

ANGELIQUE IN BARBARY – Golon, Bantam Q6530, 1971. Reprints Bantam N3010 with different Morgan Kane covers. Front and back covers shown. Each book had a different photo on the back next to “Have you met Angelique?” Kane picked two of them for his mailer. See THE COUNTESS ANGELIQUE for a look at the full back cover. These photos were each in the upper left of the back cover.

ANGELIQUE IN REVOLT – Golon, Bantam Q6531, 1971. Reprints Bantam N3011 with different Morgan Kane covers. Front and back cover photos shown.

ANGELIQUE – Golon, Bantam Q6538, 1971. Reprints Bantam N3008 with new Morgan Kane covers. Front and back cover photos shown.

THE SUPER-JET GIRLS – Bernard Glemser, Bantam Q6904, 1971. Front and back covers shown.

The popularity of COFFEE, TEA OR ME? generated a whole new genre of stewardess books including THE FLY GIRLS by Bernard Glemser. THE FLY GIRLS has an uncredited photo cover, but the cover proof for its sequel THE SUPER-JET GIRLS turns up in Morgan Kane’s proofs file.

ARMED… DANGEROUS… - Brett Halliday, Dell 0299, 1971. Ghosted by Robert Terrall.

BODIES ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM – Halliday, Dell 0668, 1971. Pseudonym of Davis Dresser. This book - one of the best Mike Shaynes - was the basis for a fabulous 2005 Shane Black movie called KISS KISS BANG BANG. One of the many delights of the movie is a set of mock Mike Shayne-style paperback covers done by Robert McGinnis, the same artist who painted the real Mike Shaynes for Dell during the decade before they switched to these photo covers.

COUNT BACKWARDS TO ZERO – Brett Halliday, Dell 1507, 1971.

Paperback original. After 1958, all Mike Shayne “Brett Halliday” books were written by ghostwriters. The author of COUNT BACKWARDS TO ZERO was Robert Terrall, a top-tier hardboiled writer who had many pen names.

FOR LOVE OF IMABELLE – Chester Himes, Dell 2697, 1971. First American paperback was a highly censored version, Gold Medal 717 in 1957. The first unexpurgated American paperback was a 1965 Avon, retitled A RAGE IN HARLEM.

FRENCH LESSONS – Jeffrey Marlin, Dell 2750, 1971.

THE GOLDEN BOX – Sam Ross, Dell 2959, 1971.

THE GOLDEN FLEECE – William Shears, Dell 2967, 1971.

GUILTY AS HELL – Brett Halliday, Dell 3291, 1971. Ghost written by Robert Terrall.

HAUNTED LOVERS – Brad Steiger, Dell 3458, 1971.

I COME TO KILL YOU – Brett Halliday, Dell 3984, 1971. Written by Robert Terrall. Paperback original.

LOCO – Lee Hoffman, Dell 4901, 1971.

THE MEMOIRS OF DOLLY MORTON – Anonymous, Dell 5563, 1971.

Morgan Kane never worked for any of the “adult” paperback publishers, but his work for mainstream publishers like Dell and Berkley led to assignments for some adults-only book covers. Due to Supreme Court rulings about what was permissible, and due to the sexual revolution causing sweeping changes in what was acceptable, many of the books with their flashy nude covers were strictly adult. And THE MEMOIRS OF DOLLY MORTON is in fact a pornographic book, first published in London in 1899. By the early 70s it was common to see such books from mainstream houses.

MERMAID ON THE ROCKS – Brett Halliday, Dell 5581, 1971. Written by Robert Terrall.

MURDER IN HASTE – Halliday, Dell 5970, 1971. Written by Robert Terrall.

PLEASE TOUCH – Jane Howard, Dell 6910, 1971.

RIP IT OFF, RELEVANT! – Ted Mark, Dell 7371, 1971. The Man From Charisma #2.

RIGHT ON, RELEVANT! – Mark, Dell 7385, 1971. The Man From Charisma #3.

SEX BLACK & WHITE – Robert Brooks, Dell 7877, 1971.

SO LUSH, SO DEADLY – Brett Halliday, Dell 8055, 1971.

Written by Robert Terrall.

UP ALL THE WAY – William Shears, Dell 9304, 1971.

ALL GRASS ISN’T GREEN – Erle Stanley Gardner, Pocket 75585, 1971.

Pocket reprinted 15 of these in a uniform edition, all in a row, in 1971. All have similar photo covers. Five of them are found in Morgan Kane’s cover proof file. He might have done the other photos in the series, but for now there is no way to verify that.

KEPT WOMEN CAN’T QUIT – Gardner, Pocket 75593, 1971.

These Cool & Lam mysteries were originally published under the pen name A.A. Fair.

PASS THE GRAVY - Gardner, Pocket 75594, 1971.

THE COUNT OF NINE - Gardner, Pocket 75595, 1971.

BEWARE THE CURVES - Gardner, Pocket 75598, 1971.

THE EXPERIMENT – Patrick Skene Catling, Pocket 77031, 1971.

Reprints the 1969 Pocket Book, which used the photo cover from the hardcover edition by Milton Charles.

STAR MONEY – Kathleen Winsor, Signet W4545, 1971.

THE DEEP – Mickey Spillane, Signet T4634, 1971.

THE WALTER SYNDROME – Richard Neely, Signet Y4766, 1971.

GROWTH GAMES – Howard R. Lewis & Dr. Harold S. Streitfeld, Bantam T7051, 1972. Later reprinted as Bantam X2561 ($1.75 cover price). .

HELL HOUSE – Richard Matheson, Bantam N7277, 1972.

The first printing of Bantam N7277 had a painted cover that looked like a Gothic romance. Somebody decided it was the wrong cover for this horror story and later printings that same year used this appropriately spooky Morgan Kane photo cover.

THE P.R. GIRLS – Bernard Glemser, Bantam Q7553, 1972. Front and back photos.

THE CARELESS CORPSE – Brett Halliday, Dell 1064, 1972.

CAUGHT DEAD – Halliday, Dell 1535, 1972.

Robert Terrall writing as Brett Halliday. Paperback original.

THE HOMICIDAL VIRGIN – Halliday, Dell 3698, 1972.

After the original Brett Halliday stopped writing Mike Shaynes in 1958, ghost writers carried on the series. We are not sure who wrote this 1960 mystery.

THE LOVING SON – Barney Parris, Dell 5051, 1972.

NEVER KILL A CLIENT – Brett Halliday, Dell 6300, 1972.

PAY-OFF IN BLOOD – Halliday, Dell 6858, 1972.

A REDHEAD FOR MIKE SHAYNE – Halliday, Dell 7329, 1972.

RESORT TO WAR – George Revelli, Dell 7369, 1972. Commander Amanda #2.

SHOOT TO KILL – Halliday, Dell 7843, 1972.

DEAD HEAT – Richard S. Prather, Pocket 75659, 1972.

GAT HEAT – Prather, Pocket 75661, 1972.

THE CHEIM MANUSCRIPT – Prather, Pocket 75662, 1972

KILL ME TOMORROW – Prather, Pocket 75663, 1972.

THE SHELL SCOTT SAMPLER – Prather, Pocket 75664, 1972.

Note: statue from WAITING FOR WINTER.

DEAD-BANG – Prather, Pocket 75666, 1972.

DEAD MAN’S WALK – Prather, Pocket 75671, 1972.

THUNDER MOUNTAIN – Zane Grey, Pocket 75693, 1972. Jeff Kane: “I recognize the man in the red bandana as Alex Stevens, a stunt man my father liked to use as a model. He also played the werewolf on “Dark Shadows”.

BOULDER DAM – Grey, Pocket 75694, 1972.

CODE OF THE WEST – Grey, Pocket 75695, 1972.

THE DEER STALKER – Grey, Pocket 75696, 1972.

THE DRIFT FENCE– Grey, Pocket 75697, 1972.

BLACK MESA -– Grey, Pocket 75698, 1972.

THE FUGITIVE TRAIL – Grey, Pocket 75699, 1972.

RAIDERS OF SPANISH PEAKS – Grey, Pocket 75700, 1972.

WYOMING - Grey, Pocket 75701, 1972.

THE BORDER LEGION - Grey, Pocket 75702, 1972.

THE TROJAN HEARSE – Richard S. Prather, Pocket 75705, 1972.

KILL HIM TWICE – Prather, Pocket 75706, 1972.

THE MEANDERING CORPSE – Prather, Pocket 75707, 1972.

THE KUBLA KHAN CAPER – Prather, Pocket 75708, 1972.

THE SWEET RIDE - Prather, Pocket 75728, 1972. Paperback original.

Of course, these Shell Scott covers had the same problem the Dell Mike Shaynes did. The male model does not look like anything remotely like the Shell Scott described in the books as a big ex-Marine with a white buzz cut.

THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER – Terrence Lore Smith, Pocket 77438, 1972. Sideways cover.

SQUANDERING – Dorothy Monet, Pocket 77521, 1972.

Pretty good example of a paperback with a very nice cover photo, except the publisher has chosen to make the image so small you can’t see it. Most of the rest of the cover is just wasted space. 

THE ORGANIZATION – David Anthony, Pocket 77570, 1972.

THE DRUM-BEATERS – William Hegner, Pocket 78119, 1972.

A CRY OF ABSENCE – Madison Jones, Pocket 78185, 1972.

PEOPLE TOUCH – Alan Caruba, Pocket 78186, 1972.

TWICE UPON A TIME – Carolyn Jones, Pocket 78189, 1972.

Carolyn Jones was an actress and a movie star remembered by Baby Boomers everywhere as Morticia on “The Addams Family” TV series.

THREE LOOSE WOMEN – William Hegner, Pocket 78205, 1972.

SUMMER OF THE RED WOLF – Morris L. West, Pocket 78563, 1972.

THE PUSHBUTTON BUTTERFLY – Kin Platt, Pyramid N2681, 1972.

THE YOUNG DOCTORS – Adrian Gray, Signet T4959, 1972. Wild.

A BIRTH IN THE FAMILY – Elisabeth Bing & Gerald S. Barad, MD, Bantam T7574, 1973.

SHEILA LEVINE IS DEAD AND LIVING IN NEW YORK – Gail Parent, Bantam T7633, 1973.

Morgan Kane’s cover photo is reduced to a tiny size on the front cover. A better look at it is available on the back.

THE LOVOMANIACS – Rona Barrett, Bantam T7650, 1973.

THE GIRLS OF HUNTINGTON HOUSE –Blossom Elfman, Bantam Q7691, 1973. Reprinted as Bantam 12738-1 in 1981.

LOOSE ENDS – Barbara Raskin, Bantam Q8201, 1973. Front and back covers are shown.

THE HAPPY HOOKAH – Rosemary Santini, Berkley 02360, 1973.

GUNILLA KNUTSON’S BOOK OF MASSAGE – Gunilla Knutson, Berkley 02374, 1973.

SEX IN THE EXECUTIVE SUITE – H. Paul Jeffers & Dick Levitan, Berkley 02375, 1973.

BIG IN THE SADDLE – Gary Blumberg, Berkley 02413, 1973.

THE LAST FIX – Ellen Russell, Berkley 02462, 1973.

BLUE MURDER – Brett Halliday, Dell 1856, 1973. Written by Robert Terrall.

Paperback original. Mike Shayne looks for a missing woman – and finds her starring in a porn movie.

BLUE MURDER provided the framework for a wonderful 2016 Shane Black movie, THE NICE GUYS, although Robert Terrall only gets a “special thanks” credit. KISS KISS BANG BANG, the earlier re-imagining by Mike Shayne fan Shane Black, used mock paperback covers by Robert McGinnis. THE NICE GUYS uses mock 70s porn posters and a mock “Cavalier” centerfold by veteran photographer Arny Freytag.

KILL ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS – Brett Halliday, Dell 4463, 1973. Robert Terrall. Paperback original.

MURDER SPINS THE WHEEL –Halliday, Dell 6123, 1973. Robert Terrall.

MURDER TAKES NO HOLIDAY –Halliday, Dell 6126, 1973.

VIOLENCE IS GOLDEN – Halliday, Dell 9316, 1973. Robert Terrall.

THIS MUCH AND MORE – Michael Drury, Pocket 77585, 1973.

The copyright page says “Cover art by Bob Schulz”, a publisher’s error. Pocket 77584 had cover art by Schulz and this is definitely a Morgan Kane photo cover.

THE CASE OF THE IRATE WITNESS – Erle Stanley Gardner, Pocket 77883, 1973. Pocket reprinted 40 of the Perry Mason books in 1973, and Morgan Kane might have been the cover photographer on some of them. We are sure he did this one because he is credited on the copyright page.

KING CORSO – William Hegner, Pocket 78279, 1973.

THE HAPPY HAIRDRESSER – Nicholas Loupos, Pocket 78654, 1973. An original Canadian Pocket Book. US edition shown below.

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH – Jacqueline Susann, William Morrow hardcover, 1973. See Bantam T4933, 1983.

THE CHEERLEADER – Ruth Doan MacDougall, Bantam T7800, 1974.

This is Morgan’s copy of the cover proof, courtesy of Jeff Kane.

BELOVED INFIDEL – Sheila Graham & Gerold Frank, Bantam T8071, 1974.

We recognize that chair in Morgan’s studio. Jeff Kane now has his telephone at home resting on that elephant table.

Bantam Red Rose Romance #142:

WHISPER OF DANGER – Clarissa Ross, Bantam S8142, 1974.

“From the Publisher of Emile Loring.”

#143: HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Joan Sargent, Bantam S8143, 1974.

#146: HAWAIIAN INTERLUDE – Dorothy Francis, Bantam S8146, 1974.

#147: EAGLESCLIFFE – Marjorie McEvoy, Bantam S8147, 1974.

SUPERBALL – Nicole Warfield, Bantam Q8299, 1974. Front and back covers shown.

A HOT PROPERTY – Judy Feiffer, Bantam Q8311, 1974.

THE CASE OF KITTIE OGILVIE – Jean Stubbs, Bantam Q8423, 1974.

Late in 1974 Morgan Kane switched back from all-photo covers to creating painted covers. In 1974 he painted two for Bantam and one for Berkley (see Berkley 02625). He would continue to provide photo covers from time to time, but most of his work for the remaining 20+ years of his commercial career was painted cover art.

THE FORGETTABLES – Jay Acton, Bantam T8483, 1974.

Original art for THE FORGETTABLES. Courtesy of Jeff Kane.

I’VE GOT VIKTOR SCHALKENBURG – William Mulvihill, Berkley N2454, 1974.

THE FIRST DEADLY SIN – Lawrence Sanders, Berkley 02506, 1974.

I wonder if one of the reasons Morgan Kane stopped doing photo covers in 1974 was because the art directors started asking for covers that look like these last two. There are dozens like them, all interchangeable, boring as hell, and anyone could have made them.

THE TROUBLE WITH EDEN – Jill Emerson, Berkley 02517, 1974. Pseudonym of Lawrence Block.

THIS YEAR’S DEATH – John Godey, Berkley 02538, 1974.

THE BLACK CHILD – Dr. Phyllis Harrison-Ross & Barbara Wyden, Berkley D2580, 1974.

THUNDER ROCK – Anita Allen, Berkley 02625, 1974.

Proof that he could work in every genre, even Gothic Romance. I never knew Morgan Kane painted covers like this one, but he is credited here on the back cover.

BARCA – Lou Cameron, Berkley 02627, 1974.

THE CLOSING CIRCLE – Lou Cameron, Berkley D2707, 1974.

Lou Cameron and Morgan Kane were destined to cross paths again in 1978.

THE HUMAN AURA – Nicholas M. Regush, Berkley Z2733, 1974.

THE ADOPTERS – William Hegner, Pocket 78632, 1974.

Kane’s final photo cover for Pocket Books was not found in his files but there is that big chair that we recognize from other covers. He would work for Pocket Books again, in 1985, as an illustrator of painted covers.

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