"I first encountered Jim Pitts' work in the anthology, SAVAGE HEROES back in 1983. Along with some glorious gems of stories, I was captivated by his ethereal and bizarre interior artwork. They more than matched the contents which consisted of Clark Ashton Smith, Ramsey Campbell, Henry Kuttner, and others.
In this retrospective, we get a fascinating glimpse into his lengthy career, from the fanzines of the early '70s through to the present day. We also get to see his work for such luminaries as Adrian Cole and Brian Lumley. There are some great pieces written about Jim here, from his long term childhood friends (some of them old band mates!) as well as the afore mentioned Cole and Lumley. Jim did a lot of illustrative work on the legendary semi-professional U.K. publication, FANTASY TALES, which helped launch the career of FANTASY MASTERWORKS editor, Stephen Jones. Jones himself offers up a great insight into those D.I.Y. underground days. This book is packed full of illustrations from the past to the present day and is a great read to boot.
And Jim? Well, he's still getting on with it. Although (officially) retired, his output is as voracious as ever. He still delivers artwork for fanzines that wouldn't be half as good without him as well as providing work on top horror anthology publications. Unlike many artists whose work tapers off after their initial youthful burst, Jim just keeps getting steadily better and better. Without a doubt, this book will need to be updated or we'll need a totally new retrospective in the next ten years."
