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Virgil Finlay (1914 – 1971) was one of the dominant speculative fiction magazine artists of his day; he started doing illustrations for Weird Tales in the ’30s, spent the ’40s doing an impressive job for low-market reprint mags like Famous Fantastic Mysteries, then worked his way through the surplus of science fiction magazines in the ’50s. When he lost a long struggle with cancer at the age of 56, he had already won a Hugo award for his impact on SF during the pulp era, having created over 2,600 illustrations in a 35-year span. Finlay is best known for his iconic black-and-white interior drawings that make up the bulk of his work, featuring intricate detail and fine crosshatching to create impressive depth and shading. I don’t think his color pieces can hold a candle to his black and white illustrations—you’re welcome to disagree, of course—but many of these are mighty fine. Such as the first two, some of my favorites from this batch. Let me know your favorites—and any I forgot—in the comments.

“The Golden City” – Virgil Finlay – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Dec 1942
Weird Tales, September 1952
Famous Fantastic Mysteries, December 1947
Famous Fantastic Mysteries – June, 1942
“Captain Ahab of Space” – Galaxy, September 1957
“The Lamia in the Penthouse” – Virgil Finlay – Weird Tales, May 1952
“A Brand New World” – Virgil Finlay – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, September 1942
“The Grove of God” – Other Worlds, June 1956
“Palos of the Dog Star Pack” – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, October 1941
“The Metal Monster” – Virgil Finlay – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, August 1941
“The Spot of Life” – Virgil Finlay – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, February 1941
“The Globe of Memories” – Virgil Finlay – Weird Tales, Feb 1937
“Rendezvous with Destinty” – Fantastic Universe, March 1958
“The Elixir of Hate” – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, October 1942
“Project Barrier” – Virgil Finlay – Fantastic Universe, January 1958
Famous Fantastic Mysteries, June 1948
“Minimum Man” – Famous Fantastic Mysteries, August 1947
“How to Hypnotize” – Virgil Finlay – Fate, July 1954
“Martian Canal” – Virgil Finlay – Fantastic Universe, Oct 1957
“The Sand Painters” – Virgil Finlay – Fantastic Universe, April 1957
“Swords and Sorcery” – Virgil Finlay – Pyramid R950, 1963
“The Ballad of Lost C’Mell” – Galaxy, October 1962
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