The I Am Legend Book Archive

New Year - New Books!

2012-01-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

I Am Legend aficionados are well aware of the publications from Gauntlet Press (including the 40th Anniversary limited edition of I Am Legend, Bloodlines, and Visions Deferred).

Gauntlet has announced their publication slate for 2012, which includes a new autobiographical novel (Generations) and a new edition of Matheson's I Am Legend screenplay, titled Richard Matheson's Censored and Unproduced I Am Legend Screenplay, to be released this summer.

I confirmed with publisher Barry Hoffman that the book will include material previously published in Bloodlines and Visions Deferred. As soon as the cover art is available I will post it here.

Official I Am Legend eBook

2011-07-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

I Am Legend is officially available as an eBook from Rosetta Books (along with several other Matheson titles, including a new collection with an unpublished short story, "Backteria" and a collection of Matheson's song lyrics titled (appropriately enough) "Lyrics"), so I had to buy a copy to 'officially' have it in the I Am Legend Archive.

Get it for your iOS device, or through Amazon for your Kindle.

Steve Johnson XFX I Am Legend Make Up Test

2011-04-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Following up on my post featuring the Kerry Gammill production art, Steve Johnson XFX has recently uploaded some 'hemocyte' Make Up Test footage on YouTube.

While it seems like it would have worked better than the almost cartoonish CGI we were treated to in the Will Smith/Francis Lawrence film, I still contend that the biggest mistake the filmmakers made was changing the creatures from being recognizable humans (i.e. Neville's neighbors).

That's my opinion, anyway. What do you think?

Last Call: I Am Legend Movie Tie-In Trade Paperback

2011-04-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Now's your chance if you want to pick up a copy of the I Am Legend movie tie-in trade paperback before they're all gone at only $5.98—a 63% savings! Or, it looks like you can grab the last of the Orb editions for only $5.47. Amazon indicates they're down to only 10 copies of that, and I'm hoping that the next time they have the book in stock, it will feature a new cover (I assume the one they are using for the mass market edition). Stock up now and save!

Illustrating I Am Legend: Jim Thiesen

2011-02-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

I first became aware of artist Jim Thiesen in 1995 when he painted the cover to TOR Books' first publication of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. I immediately fell in love with the cover, which I felt managed to capture the epic scope of Matheson's novel. I purchased the original art, and discovered that I was already familiar with a great deal of Thiesen's other art by sight, if not by name. I thought it as about time someone sat down to find out a little bit more about this artist who has provided artwork for such high profile writers as Stephen King, Brian Lumley, and Thomas Harris.

IAL Archive: Were you aware of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend before you got the cover assignment?

Jim Thiesen: No, I was not familiar with the book. The art director told me it was about vampires—lots of vampires!

IAL: What was your vision for the cover art? Were you pleased with the results? I'm of the opinion that it in many ways it's the best thematic representation of the novel of all the cover art that has been used.

JT: I wanted to create lots of vampires, but I wanted them to flow like one continuous entity. I wanted to give them a kind of H.R.Giger-like feeling. I appreciate your appreciation of the piece. But as with most of my work, I would like to keep working on it.

IAL: Were you aware when Tor digitally manipulated the art for their Orb trade paperback? What are your thoughts on that versus your original painting?

JT: I was not aware of any of the things that TOR was doing with my work—and not compensating me for, which by law they are supposed to do. As you know, last year I found out about quite a few of the things that TOR has been doing illegally with my art. Obviously I'm not happy about it. I'm not happy about not getting paid, nor with the way they have manipulated my work. Unfortunately prosecuting them would not be financially worthwhile.

IAL: That revised artwork (cropped - perhaps to remove a vampire baby, blurred, and one foreground head relocated) has gone on to be used in several countries around the world, second only to the Will Smith movie tie-in art. How does it feel to have your art (albeit in an altered form) seen by millions of readers around the globe?

JT: The art has changed so much it hardly feels like mine anymore.

2011 Post Script:
A new edition of I Am Legend is forthcoming from TOR, and if the cover shown in a recent Richard Matheson interview in Fangoria is accurate, it restores Jim Thiesen's original art, cropped to remove the horizon, and it appears once again manipulated to remove the baby.

Check out my full interview with Jim Thiesen, including an extensive gallery of his art.

Have You Seen This Book!

2011-02-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of Fangoria (#301) has a new interview with Richard Matheson, and one of the supporting illustrations (on page 44) appears to be a new paperback cover from Tor Books.

If this is in fact the latest edition of the book from Tor, what's particularly interesting is that for the first time since 1995, they have reverted to Jim Thiesen's original cover art (albeit cropped to elimiate the horizon), rather than the photoshopped version that has been used internationally in the interim. Unfortunately, if this image is accurate, it appears that the painting has been manipulated yet again to remove the baby which would be in the second row - between the two female vampires.

If you happen to see this new cover in the store, please drop me a line (john [at] iamlegendarchive.com) or feel free to post a comment here, so I know it is in fact for real.

And while you're at it, if you happen to see a physical copy of the Steve Niles comic adaptation with the following cover, please let me know that as well!

Happy Birthday Richard Matheson

2011-02-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take a moment to wish Richard Matheson a very happy 85th birthday!

portrait by Harry O. Morris for The Richard Matheson Companion

I Am Legend Production Art

2011-01-24T21:55:00.000-08:00

We recently acquired an original Kerry Gammill "Hemocyte" concept illustration and production copy from the unproduced Ridley Scott version of I Am Legend.

From the Steve Johnson XFX archives.

In the blood...

2010-12-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

In my continuing search for editions of I Am Legend from around the globe, I stumbled across these interesting cover designs online.

University of Brighton Graphic Communication student Madelaine Crampton had a cool idea: "Creating a book sleeve design for 'I Am Legend' the idea of using blood cells and bacteria imagery to create a repetitive pattern."

On Madelaine's blog you can see the evolution from initial concepts to these three final designs. While not actual published book covers, they were too cool not to include here.

Stock Up On I Am Legend!

2010-10-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Every now and again, Amazon places I Am Legend on sale, and I always make a point to buy a handful of copies so I have extras on hand to give to new readers (and they make great stocking stuffers).

Here's your chance to pick up the trade paperback of the novel and selected stories for less than the cost of the mass market edition.

The first review of I Am Legend?

2010-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

The November 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction includes Richard Matheson's short story, "The Test," along with what is very likely the first review of his just-published novel, I Am Legend:

Most rewarding of 1954's new novels this month is Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (Gold Medal, 25¢), an extraordinary book which manages to do for vampirism what Jack Williamson's Darker Than You Think did for lycanthropy: investigate an ancient legend in terms of modern knowledge of psychology and physiology, and turn the stuff of supernatural terror into strict (and still terrifying!) science fiction. Matheson has added a new variant on the Last Man theme, too, in this tale of the last normal human survivor in a world of bloodsucking nightmares, and has given striking vigor to his invention by a forceful style of storytelling which derives from the best hard-boiled crime novels. As a hard-hitting thriller or as fresh imaginative speculation, this is a book you can't miss.

Illustrating I Am Legend: Patrick Jones

2010-10-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

Interview by John Scoleri

In 2009, the Easton Press released a five-volume set titled The Day After Doomsday, including Earth Abides by George Stewart, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, On the Beach by Nevil Shute, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, and Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. As described on their website:

By virulent disease...by nuclear war...by catastrophic natural disaster. These are the breathtaking novels that envision the end of the world as we know it and incisively portray the effects on the handfuls of survivors. Each book features an original frontis illustration by renowned science-fiction artist Patrick Jones.

As a huge fan and collector of all things I Am Legend, I sought out artist Patrick Jones to discuss his work on that book and the others in the Day After Doomsday series. You can read the full interview over at bare•bones. I have excerpted the portion on creating his I Am Legend illustration below.

bb: Had you read the book prior to the assignment?

PJ: I had only read I Am Legend and was a big fan of Richard's work, especially Legend and The Shrinking Man, so that was the real thrill for me, with the other books as a bonus (I'm intrigued by tales of the last people on Earth).

bb: Can you walk me through the specific process with the creation of the I Am Legend illustration. I'm interested in the order in which the concepts were created, and what led to the changes. It appears that you had three distinct concepts: Neville in the pit, Neville on the car, and Neville standing with the rifle. I'm also interested in the approximate size of the pieces.

PJ: The warm up sketch is A4 and is the earliest taste of what's to come. This stage is the most changeable as the art director never sees it, it's just my first feelings when reading the script. The art director comps are usually four rectangles on an A4 sheet in pencil, I then scan them and add tone on computer. If I have time enough to do the art in oils then all these stages are done with paint.

My first comp focused on Neville's loneliness so the comp order started with the pit idea, then moved to a more heroic idea, having Neville use an overturned car as a vantage point, but with the same sense of loneliness. In the end I came back to my original musings showing him walking the lonely streets defiant. Luckily the art director choose that comp.

bb: With Legend, were you familiar with any of the cover art that had been used on prior versions? If so, did that influence you in any way, either inspiring you to go a certain direction or in fact avoid a particular concept?

PJ: I think I first read the Corgi edition many years before with Neville standing over his wife by the pit but can't be sure, I was more aware of the Gold Medal Book art for some reason, so the pit was in my mind to begin with. I remember the Charlton Heston movie tie in image from way back so maybe that influenced me toward the heroic (I was a huge fan of The Omega Man as a kid).

To find out more about Patrick Jones and his work, I encourage you to check out his website. His I Am Legend illustration is available in his store as signed and numbered giclee limited to 100 copies.

I Am Legend SALE!

2009-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

If you need to upgrade your personal copy, or pick up some future loaners or Christmas gifts, the trade paperback of I Am Legend (and additional short stories) is now available for the bargain price of $5.98 - cheaper than the mass market paperback edition. If you order through the I Am Legend Archive Store link on the right, we get a small percentage to help cover the fees of maintaining the site. Act quickly, as these bargain prices are often available in limited quantities!

Richard Matheson's The Night Creatures

2009-08-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Previously only available in the hardcover limited edition of Bloodlines, Richard Matheson's 1957 screenplay adaptation of I Am Legend (The Night Creatures) is now available in an affordable trade paperback from Gauntlet Press. Visions Deferred is now shipping. You can order your copy through the I Am Legend Archive Store through the link on the right.

It's fascinating to read how Matheson handled the challenge of adapting his seminal novel, as compared to the re-written version filmed as The Last Man on Earth, or the more drastic departues: The Omega Man and the recent I Am Legend. I must admit that certain elements surprised even me as I read the script for the first time.

The cover art, by Harry O. and Christine Morris, beautifully echoes the original 1954 I Am Legend Gold Medal paperback original cover by Stan Meltzoff. I've had the opportunity to examine the art in a larger size and unencumbered by the text and it truly is amazing.

Unfilmed screenplays for The Distributor and Sweethearts and Horrors (also reprinted from prior Gauntlet hardcover volumes) round out the collection, however it goes without saying that the primary reason to pick it up is for the opportunity to read the author's take on his classic I Am Legend.

Paul Koslo interview

2009-03-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since I posted the Charlton Heston interview we conducted back in 2001 - here is the long awaited companion interview with Paul Koslo - Ducth from The Omega Man. Both were conducted for our aborted book project The Last Man on Film: The film adaptations of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. Enjoy!

I Am Legend BBC Radio Adaptation

2009-01-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

If you hurry, you can catch the BBC radio adaptation of I Am Legend online at the BBC website.

Thanks to Mike J. for the tip that this was back online.

Richard Matheson's I Am Legend screenplay adaptation

2009-01-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

This Spring, Gauntlet Press will be releasing Visions Deferred, an affordable trade paperback containing Matheson's original screenplay for I Am Legend (previously only available in the hardcover limited edition Bloodlines - also still availble in extremely limited quantities). Check out the amazing cover by Harry O. Morris. Ordering information can be found here: http://www.gauntletpress.com

Tor Books 2007 Movie Tie-in

2008-11-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Tor reissued I Am Legend (with collected stories) to coincide with the release of the Will Smith film in 2007. The content is identical to the previous Tor paperback.

This is currently the in-print mass market edition of the book, which has already gone into multiple printings.

Tor Books with collected stories

2008-11-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

In 1995, Tor Books published I Am Legend. For the first time, rather than being sold as a standalone novel, 10 additional short stories were also included.

Featuring one of my personal favorite Legend covers by artist Jim Thiesen (and the one I'm proud to own the original painting for) that would go on to be re-used (in a digitally manipulated form) on future domestic and international versions; the image cropped so as to remove the vampire baby, the head of the reaching vampire replaced with the skull like head below it, and all other vampires blurred.

Berkley Book The Nightmare Classic

2008-11-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

In April 1979, Berkley brought I Am Legend back into print as part of their series of Matheson titles with matching covers. The same artist provided covers to The Shrinking Man, Stir of Echoes, The Shores of Space, Shock I, II, III and Shock Waves.

This would be the last US mass market paperback of the book for 16 years.

Berkley Medallion S2041 - The Omega Man

2008-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

To coincide with the release of the film The Omega Man in August of 1971, Berkley Medallion thankfully acquired the rights to Matheson's albeit vastly different novel rather than hiring someone to write a novelization of the film.

The book sports a very nice cover image of Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe and the Family, and is kind enough to include the book's original title on the cover and spine, while giving the primary real estate on the cover and title page to the film title.

The first edition is recognizable by the inclusion of a TRUE cigarette advertisement between pages 88 and 89.

A second printing of the book was released in November of 1971, with a cover indistinguishable from the first printing, yet easily identified by the notation on the copyright page, as well as the absence of the cigarette advertisement fold-out that was present only in the first edition.

Bantam J2744 - The Last Man on Earth

2008-11-22T11:30:00.001-08:00

Several years passed before Bantam acquired the rights to reprint I Am Legend in March, 1964, obviously to tie-in with the release of the Vincent Price film adaptation The Last Man on Earth.

While the front cover doesn't reference the film (it being too busy with hyperbole), the back cover deliberately includes the phrase "I AM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH!" The artist's name, partially cut off on the front cover, is still difficult to read when presented in its entirety on the back cover.

This single printing would be the only Bantam edition of the book, and the last edition of the book until the next film adaptation was released in 1971.

Gold Medal 643 - Canadian Printing

2008-11-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

The second Gold Medal I Am Legend was also printed north of the border in Canada in 1956. Easily confused with the American second printing, it is quite easy to determine if you have a Canadian edition.

The clue on the front cover is the price - 35¢ instead of the 25¢ of the American edition.

The copyright page does not reference that the book is a second printing, however it does contain the line: PRINTED IN CANADA.

Finally, the back cover also includes the notation: LITHOGRAPHED IN CANADA.

Gold Medal 643 - Second Big Printing!

2008-11-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

After Gold Medal published Matheson's follow-up novel The Shrinking Man in 1956, they brought I Am Legend back into print. The cover trumpeted the fact that this was the 'Second Big Printing!'

Internally, there were a few other modifications from the first printing. Cover artist Stan Meltzoff's name was dropped from the title page, and the last page lost the notation about this never having been a book before.

Several years back I picked up a pristine copy of the book with a label on the inside front cover designating it as a file copy from the printer. Whether it truly was or not, it's an amazingly sharp copy for a 40+ year old paperback.

Gold Medal 417 - The First Edition

2008-04-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd use the blog to introduce the full collection in greater detail than I've been able to do on the website previously. I hope to provide valuable reference information about each edition. You can use the labels to quickly find and identify a particular edition.

To kick things off, we look at the original Gold Medal paperback original, number 417, published in July of 1954, weighing in at 160 pages with a cover price of 25 cents. (Click on images to load larger versions.)

The first science-fiction novel from a publisher known primarily for their crime fiction, I Am Legend was successful enough to warrant a second printing - under a new number (Gold Medal 643) that saw unique US and Canadian printings. Those editions will be photographed and indexed separately. The haunting cover painting is by artist Stanley Meltzoff (1917-2006).

Here's the descriptive text on the inside front cover:

I still recall the first time I met Richard Matheson, at an HWA convention in Redondo Beach, CA, where I had him sign my first edition. I have had the honor to meet a great number of the people who have inspired me through the years, and meeting Matheson was the first time I was at a loss for words. I'm sure I stammered something about how much this book and his others meant to me, and how it changed my life (at the ripe old age of 20). I've since had the opportunity to speak with him at subsequent appearances, where I think I've more successfully retained my composure.

As was customary for Gold Medal, the end of the book includes a brief note clarifying theirs is the first publication of this book. I can only imagine what an unsuspecting reader felt upon reaching this in the summer of 1954.

Welcome!

2008-04-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

This extension to the I Am Legend Archive website is going to (finally) allow me to update the site with much greater frequency. The fixed content will remain available on the primary site, and here you will see the latest covers, news bits, and pointers back to the site as new features are added. Look forward to a full indexing of the editions in the archive, including numerous photos and other details.

Now you can also sign up for notification when new posts are made, and also add comments directly. I've always wanted to provide a forum for fans of the book and the films, and I hope by way of this blog, we can succeed at that.

If you've just stumbled across this blog, please do check out the main site through the link on the right.

If there are things you'd like to see, please let me know!

John Scoleri