Cover illustration commissioned by Corgi Crime for the Mickey Spillane novel published in 1967. 'The Long Wait' was first published in 1951.

The “pulpiest” of all pulp fiction writers, Spillane clearly hit on a formula that worked.  His books have sold more than 225 million copies worldwide and seven of his books feature in the 15 bestselling books of all time in America.  Eye-catching cover illustrations were critical to the sales strategy of moving large quantities of books off shelves quickly and, as a result, illustrators had extraordinary impact.

The original art work was 38cm x 43cm on art board. 

Fratini's illustrations used strong colour backgrounds to help focus in on a scene of the Spillane narrative. The stories were often violent, set in masculine and dark worlds on the edge 'normal' society where there was little respect for life. Women were often portrayed as innocent 'victims' or alternatively as working in prostitution or running illegal vice rings. 

Lever Gallery Print - paper size 59.5 cm X 42 cm 

A high quality Giclée print on 100% Rag ‘Hahnemühle’ 308gsm Fine Art Paper, using archival pigmented inks.

The print was created using a professional ultra high-resolution, colour adjusted scan of the original artwork. 

This print is available unframed or in an A2 wooden frame. The frames are available in 3 colours, black, white and plain oak.

Created from an original artwork; Renato Fratini, 1967, gouache on board