Pollen's Action

Samson Pollen (1931–2018) was one of the greatest illustration artists whose work appeared in vintage men's adventure magazines (MAMs) from the 1950s to the 1970s . Pollen's specialty was action—dynamic, explosive, outrageous action. Illustrating work from authors Mario Puzo, Martin Cruz Smith, Richard Stark, Norman Mailer, Ed McBain, Richard Wright, Don Pendleton, Erskine Caldwell, Walter Kaylin, Robert F. Dorr, Pollen's immersive illustrations transported adventure-hungry readers from tropical jungles to brutal battlefields to raging seas and mean city streets. Samson Pollen painted it all—spectacularly.

The Men's Adventure Library follows the first-ever collection of Samson Pollen's illustrations, Pollen's Women, with Pollen's Action, a  deluxe new volume collecting the cream of Pollen's high-octane action paintings. Includes history and commentary by the editors and an introductory essay by the artist.

A lifelong New Yorker, artist SAMSON POLLEN (1931-2018) established his career in the 1950s, creating lush, oil-painted covers for paperback potboilers by authors like Erskine Caldwell and Orrie Hitt. He concurrently worked as a pulp illustrator for men's adventure magazines (MAMs), contributing hundreds of illustrations over three decades and becoming one of the genre's most prolific contributors until the mags' eventual demise in the mid-1970s. He subsequently returned to paperback covers for the third stage of a long and varied career at the easel. A few key elements have defined the illustration art of Samson Pollen: He created tremendously effective presentations of action and movement, paired with an equally inventive approach to perspective that gives many of his images an immersive, 3-D effect. As a visual storyteller, he was adept as any author his paintings illustrated. And he had a particular gift for depicting all manner of memorable, physically appealing women.

A lifelong New Yorker, artist SAMSON POLLEN (1931-2018) established his career in the 1950s, creating lush, oil-painted covers for paperback potboilers by authors like Erskine Caldwell and Orrie Hitt. He concurrently worked as a pulp illustrator for men's adventure magazines (MAMs), contributing hundreds of illustrations over three decades and becoming one of the genre's most prolific contributors until the mags' eventual demise in the mid-1970s. He subsequently returned to paperback covers for the third stage of a long and varied career at the easel. A few key elements have defined the illustration art of Samson Pollen: He created tremendously effective presentations of action and movement, paired with an equally inventive approach to perspective that gives many of his images an immersive, 3-D effect. As a visual storyteller, he was adept as any author his paintings illustrated. And he had a particular gift for depicting all manner of memorable, physically appealing women.

ROBERT DEIS has worked as a teacher, an artist, a musician, a logger in the Maine woods, a magazine writer and a state government bureaucrat.Eventually he fell into a long-lasting career as a political consultant. Nowadays, he blogs and writes about things that interest him, such as famous quotations and men's adventure magazines. He created MensPulpMags.com, and co-founded The Men's Adventure Library. His books include WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH!, HE-MEN, BAG MEN, & NYMPHOS, CRYPTOZOOLOGY ANTHOLOGY, BARBARIANS ON BIKES, and A HANDFUL OF HELL.

WYATT DOYLE is ringmaster of New Texture, and he edits and designs most releases. His own books include STOP REQUESTED (illustrated by Stanley J. Zappa), DOLLAR HALLOWEEN, I NEED REAL TUXEDO AND A TOP HAT!, BUTY-WAVE IS NOW CLOSED FOREVER, and JORGE AMAYA DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. A retrospective of his photography was presented by Gallery 30 South in Pasadena, CA. With Robert Deis, he edits the Men's Adventure Library series, exploring vintage pulp fiction, art, and history. With Jimmy Angelina, he created THE LAST COLORING BOOK and THE LAST COLORING BOOK ON THE LEFT, as well as BE ITALIAN. Together with Hal Glatzer and Norman von Holtzendorff, he produced THINGS THAT WERE MADE FOR LOVE, collecting the songsheet art of Sydney Leff. He assisted in the publication of Georgina Spelvin's memoir, THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, and published Josh Alan Friedman's BLACK CRACKER and TELL THE TRUTH UNTIL THEY BLEED via his Wyatt Doyle Books imprint. He administers the creative estate of Rev. Raymond Branch, and curates RevBranch.com. His screenplay with Jason Cuadrado, I'M HERE FOR YOU, was produced as DEVIL MAY CALL. A member of The Stanley J. Zappa Quartet, a recording, THE STANLEY J. ZAPPA QUARTET PLAYS FOR THE SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS, has been released.