An illustrator, art teacher, fine artist and author, J. Allen St. John left an indelible mark on the world of fantasy and adventure with his classical, dynamic compositions and elegant figures. He is regarded as one of the greatest of all heroic fantasy illustrators and the creator of this genre of art. He was a major influence on later, notable fantasy artists in the 1960s including Frank Frazetta and is still considered a grand master of fantasy by modern day artists.

 

One of St. John’s earliest illustrations was for the book The Return of Tarzan (1915) by Edgar Rice Burroughs, one of the most successful popular fiction writers of all time. St. John’s illustrations for Burroughs’ Tarzan, Mars and Pellucidar series of books included the full color book jackets, interior illustrations, and often the lettering for the title pages.

 

By the early 1930s, St. John’s name had become synonymous with Burroughs’ heroic tales. Burroughs once credited, “St. John added considerably to whatever success I have had… His visualization of the nightmare creatures of my imagination is truly remarkable.” Despite this fact and after thirty-six books together, Burroughs started his own publishing company in 1931 and stopped using St. John. He found St. John’s rates too high and wanted to employ the artistic talents of his own son.

 

After losing his best client, St. John moved on to covers by Weird Tales and Magic Carpet magazines. He was eventually dropped from Weird Tales when the publisher decided to use artist Margaret Brundage’s sex-infused artwork for the covers, since those sold better than images of men and monsters. St. John remained industrious in the pulp genre during the 1940s and 1950s creating paintings for various magazines including those of editor Raymond Palmer such as Amazing Stories, Fate, and Other Worlds.

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