(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires de robot)
While researching the French SF author Gérard Klein, I discovered that he edited a themed anthology series La grande anthologie de la Science-Fiction with Jacques Goimard and Demètre Ioakimidis. This series covered SF stories on themes such as robots, aliens, machines, the galactic, the end of the world, time travel, etc. If you’re curious about the contents of any of the volumes in my post check out the handy Internet Speculative Fiction Database listing.
The famous French typographer, graphic artist, urbanist, and architect Pierre Faucheux—who worked primarily for the publishers Club Français du Livre and Le Livre de Poche—created the covers for Klein, Goimard, and Ioakimidis’ SF anthology series. And they are a varied and fascinating bunch…
I am not convinced I like all of them — but the 1974 edition of Histoires de machines, the 1974 edition of Histoires de fins du monde, and the 1975 edition of Histoires de voyages dans le temps certainly appeal to my artistic sensibilities!
I’ve included covers for all but one of the volumes published in the 1970s. For more on Pierre Faucheux (1924-1999) and many examples of his non-SF cover design see this wonderful article on his career [in French] from the indispensable resource on graphic design, Index Grafik: Ressources graphisme & typographie.
If you want to see some of my favorite of his non-SF art just ask! I’ll post links in the comments.
As always thoughts and comments are welcome.
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My other posts about French SF art include: Claude Lacroix’s Delicate Lines and Mutations (60s/70s covers for the French SF Magazine Fiction) and The Uncanny Bodies of Wojtek Siudmak.
For more cover art posts consult the INDEX
(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires d’extraterrestres)
(Cover for the 1975 edition of Histoires de demain)
(Cover for the 1975 edition of Histoires galactiques)
(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires de machines)
(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires de fins du monde)
(Cover for the 1975 edition of Histoires de voyages dans le temps)
(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires de mutants)
(Cover for the 1974 edition of Histoires de cosmonautes)
(Cover for the 1975 edition of Histoires de pouvoirs)
(Cover for the 1975 edition of Histoires de planètes)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 
These are fantastic! I want to read all of them!
Thanks for stopping by! Do you have a favorite cover from the bunch?
It’s hard to choose, but probably Histoires de Fins du Monde. I collect old Omni magazines, so I’m really into that style of artwork.
Those are *very* 1970s! I think I like Galatiques best!
So, back to your 1968 post… what SF are you thinking about including? hahaha
Pierre Faucheux was quite the typographer/graphic designer…. Here’s a sample from 1970-1973:
And… I love how he incorporates movement in the human figure by repeating the same image in various formulations.
Most probably a little MJH to start with! 🙂
That makes sense! Hmm…. My favorite SF novel, John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar, was published in 1968!
Well, that’s high praise indeed – I shall keep an eye out for a copy!
Well I look forward to whatever you put together!
I’d have to say Galactiques, but I’d be thinking, “That’s a funny color for Rose champagne and why is there a big bubble in it? Maybe I can pop it with my multi-axis reverse entropolizer, ha ha.”
I enjoy the background but not the spacecraft…. He needed something more unusual…
His artwork reminds me of a lot of album artwork of the seventies like these: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81qDCw6-gqL._SL1500_.jpg and https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81VLXe8BzQL._SX425_.jpg.
I’ve not seen either of these. Thanks for sharing.
Discogs tells me that both the Black Sabbath and the UFO album art is by Hipgnosis — little suprise there.
It rocks, nice vintage posters!
Posters? They’re book covers. They would make cool posters!
Sorry, I mean covers! Really nice!