Robert Kennedy Abbett (January 5, 1926 – June 20, 2015) was an American artist and illustrator. He was best known for his illustration of Tarzan comic books in the 60s and 70s.
Biography Abbett was born in 1926 in Hammond, Indiana.
During the late-1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Abbett illustrated book covers for war novels, detective novels, thrillers, historical fiction and science fiction. Today, Abbett is best known for his paintings of wildlife (in particular, dogs), wilderness, sporting, and fishing.
His illustrations have been featured in a large number of books, magazines, and advertising. He has also authored or been featured in several art-related books, including A Season for Painting: The Outdoor Paintings of Robert K. Abbett and Wings from Cover: The Upland Images of Robert Abbett and Ed Gray.
Abbett was a graduate of both the University of Missouri and Purdue University. In 1953, Abbett moved to rural Connecticut where he built a house on an old farm (namely, Oakdale FarmAbbett illustrated books for Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs wrote a novel called The Oakdale Affair.). There, Abbett was inspired by the untouched wilderness and forests, and began painting what he has become famous for today: animals and country life.
He died on June 20, 2015, at the age of 89 at his home in Bridgewater, Connecticut.
Book covers illustrations
Robert K. Abbett was an illustrator for Ballantine Books, Pyramid Books and Ace Books, as well as gold medal, Avon, Permabook, and Pocket Books. He illustrated Edgar Rice Burroughs' books, including the Tarzan series, Barsoom series, and Pellucidar series.
Books The Quiet American by Graham Greene, Bantam Books, 1957 The Devil to Pay by Ellery Queen (pseudonym), Pocket Books, 1958 Spearhead by Franklin M. Davis, Jr., Permabooks, 1958 Justice, My Brother by James Keene (pseudonym of William Everett Cook), Dell Books, 1959 The D.A. Cooks a Goose by Erle Stanley Gardner, Pocket Books, 1959 Turn on the Heat by A.A. Fair, Dell Books 1959 Colonel Hugh North Solves The MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR MURDERS, by F. Van Wyck Mason, Cardinal Edition, 1960 Fear is the Key by Alistair MacLean, Permabook, 1960 Kiss Off the Dead by Garrity, Gold Medal, 1960 Mark Kilby and the Miami Mob by Robert Caine Frazer, Pocket Books, 1960 Plot It Yourself by Rex Stout, Bantam Books, 1960 The Fix by Jack Usher, Pocket Books, Inc., 1961 The Grave's in the Medal by Manning Lee Stokes, Dell 1961 The Counterfeit Courier by James C. Sheers, Dell Books, 1961 Born of Battle by Robert Crane, Pyramid Books, 1962 Cry, Baby by Jack Ehrlich, Dell 1962 The Girl From Midnight by Robert Wade and Bill Miller, Gold Medal Books, 1962 Cleopatra, by Jeffry K. Gardner, 1962 Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart, Ace Books 1962 The Hate Merchant by Niven Busch, Macfadden Books, 1962 Tobruk by Peter Rabe, Bantam Books Acapulco G.P.O. by Day Keene, Dell Books The Life and Good Times of Randolf Hearst, by John Tebbel, Paperback Library, Inc., 1962 The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell, Paperback Library, Inc., 1963 The Bowl of Brass by Paul Wellman, Paperback Library, Inc. Assignment—Stella Marni (Sam Durell Series) by Edward S. Aarons, Gold Medal Book, 1965 Bats Fly at Dusk by A. A. Fair, Dell, 1966 Bedrooms Have Windows by A. A. Fair, Dell, 1966 Some Women Won't Wait by A. A. Fair, Dell, 1966 A Woman of the People by Benjamin Capps, Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1966 Chicago 11 by Day Keen, Dell, 1966 The Dark Fantastic by Whit Masterson (pseudonym of Robert Wade and H. Bill Miller), Avon Books, 1966 In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (pseudonym of Carolyn G. Heilbrun), 1966 () The Bull Whip Breed by J. T. Edson, Bantam Books, 1969
Tarzan Tarzan of the Apes, Ballantine 1969 The Return of Tarzan, Ballantine, 1969 The Beasts of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969 The Son of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar, Ballantine 1969 Jungle Tales of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan the Untamed, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan the Terrible, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan and the Ant Men, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan and the Lost Empire, Ballantine 1969 Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan the Invincible, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan Triumphant, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan and the City of Gold, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan and the Lion Man, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan and the Leopard Men, Ballantine 1970 Tarzan's Quest, Ballantine 1974 Tarzan and the Foreign Legion, Ballantine, 1964 Tarzan and the Madman, Ballantine 1965 Tarzan and the Castaways, Ballantine, 1965
Barsoom (Mars)
A Princess of Mars, Ballantine 1963 The Gods of Mars, Ballantine 1963 The Warlord of Mars, Ballantine 1963 Thuvia, Maid of Mars, Ballantine 1963, 1969 (new painting) The Chessmen of Mars, Ballantine 1963 The Master Mind of Mars, Ballantine 1963 A Fighting Man of Mars, Ballantine 1963 Swords of Mars, Ballantine 1963 Synthetic Men of Mars, Ballantine 1963 Llana of Gathol, Ballantine 1963 John Carter of Mars, Ballantine 1965
Pellucidar Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Ballantine 1974
References
External links Robert K. Abbett official website, with paintings and a biography.
AskART Robert Abbett biography A large version of the 1962 painting by Robert Abbett for the Ace Book Earth Abides Painting for the 1969 cover of The Convenient Marriage, by Georgette Heyer. This page has an interview/biography of Robert K. Abbett that talks about his career as a book illustrator.