Bilbiomancer Comments: So as I understand it fish started walking upright, evolved into robots, evolved into birdmen, evolved into women, evolved into Human? Got it! Published 1954
Apparently (top half man, bottom half not known)
Probably (woman)
Unlikely (at least 30% chicken)
Possibly (spacesuit hides a multitude)
Definitely not (fish with legs)
Perhaps in a former life (wispy ghost)
I like to think that this parade continues off-screen…
Say what you will, but this cover was clearly ahead of its time. Not only does it have a non-white hero (sort of) in the foreground, but also: Uma Thurman! Free-range chicken! Full citizenship for domestic appliances! Uplifted fish!
To me it looks like the dude front and center is looking off screen at the art director saying “Really? They actually pay you to come up with ideas like this? With money? Àctual, real möney?”
Is the guy in front wearing the modern version of the stethoscope? Or is it some contraption for him to send sound back to his throat so that he can feel the vibrations of his voice?
The robot appears to have a lazy eye, same ol’ decent lazy eye, and notice how the quality goes down as the line goes back. A subtle reference to the degenerating effect of de-evolution on the part of the artist, yes? Eh, probably not.
The fella front and center appears to be gazing off screen, perhaps at the art director?
“They pay you to come up with ideas like this? Really? Pay, as with actual real money? Really?”
There’s so much *here* here. The blurb, judging by its use of capitalization, may have been written by Emily Dickinson. The Unrevealed 15, who, apparently by being published in the anthology, became, by that very fact, the best 15 science-fantasy writers in the world, but not even one of whose names should grace the book’s cover. The stories—with 15 different authors, just what could a theme like “Humans?” mean anyway? Did the editors have the cover in mind ahead of time? (MERRIL: Ok, so far so good. Now we need a story about a lazy-eyed robot with a perfectly spherical head who stands on a burning lava conga line between an upright-walking Fishphibian and a rather androgynously-built Birdman, 2000 words tops. Call Ellison.) Or, did they finish they cover first, and then . . . just wait until the stories were written?
This cover is one of my all-time favorites! I want to read this book. Or possibly try to write a story that incorporates everything in this parade-o-weirdness. Or both.
If Amazon reviews are to be trusted, this book contains stories by the likes of Asimov and H.G. Wells. It also contains a story about someone’s memories about participating in a spitting contest…The cover promises randomness and it delivers.
March 20th, 2013 at 9:27 am
I assumed we had to answer the question, “Human?”
So, from left to right:
Apparently (top half man, bottom half not known)
Probably (woman)
Unlikely (at least 30% chicken)
Possibly (spacesuit hides a multitude)
Definitely not (fish with legs)
Perhaps in a former life (wispy ghost)
I like to think that this parade continues off-screen…
March 20th, 2013 at 9:32 am
Or Dancer?
March 20th, 2013 at 9:59 am
Anybody else seeing Steve-O from Jackass?
March 20th, 2013 at 11:08 am
So, if he gives her cheek, she pulls on the neck wozmit and his head falls off?
March 20th, 2013 at 11:20 am
Say what you will, but this cover was clearly ahead of its time. Not only does it have a non-white hero (sort of) in the foreground, but also: Uma Thurman! Free-range chicken! Full citizenship for domestic appliances! Uplifted fish!
March 20th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
The robot looks happy at least… but the man fish looks a bit disturbed!
March 20th, 2013 at 12:22 pm
Many men have trouble finding a ‘bro’ that fits.
March 20th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
“Want to wear a bra but don’t want to wear a woman’s bra?” I think human in front is answering “Mom!”
March 20th, 2013 at 2:16 pm
Which nipples would one need to tweak to turn him on?
March 20th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
@dloburns, that’s the first thing I thought of when I saw the cover! 🙂
March 20th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
Steve-O looks terrified by Betty Page. Wonder what was said just before what’s recorded on the cover.
March 20th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
In the future, fashion show catwalks are suspended over hot lava for extra entertainment.
March 20th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
To me it looks like the dude front and center is looking off screen at the art director saying “Really? They actually pay you to come up with ideas like this? With money? Àctual, real möney?”
March 20th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Fishman went on to Hollywood and headlined ‘Horror From Party Beach’ and ‘Humanoids From the Deep’.
March 20th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
@Tom Noir. That is actually a very good idea…
March 20th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Is the guy in front wearing the modern version of the stethoscope? Or is it some contraption for him to send sound back to his throat so that he can feel the vibrations of his voice?
March 20th, 2013 at 4:03 pm
@Anti-Sceptic – I think it’s Apple’s new product – the iVest. Music player, phone and stethoscope all in one handy garment.
(iBra was already trademarked by the Swedish footballer)
March 20th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Thats not Steve-O its Tiger Woods!
Why does the robot have cookie monster googly eyes?? Cookie, cookie, cookie, um-yum-yum.
March 20th, 2013 at 5:12 pm
The robot appears to have a lazy eye, same ol’ decent lazy eye, and notice how the quality goes down as the line goes back. A subtle reference to the degenerating effect of de-evolution on the part of the artist, yes? Eh, probably not.
The fella front and center appears to be gazing off screen, perhaps at the art director?
“They pay you to come up with ideas like this? Really? Pay, as with actual real money? Really?”
March 20th, 2013 at 5:48 pm
In the future, telemarketing gets weird.
March 20th, 2013 at 9:21 pm
@Rags: Googly eyes? Not so much Cookie Monster as… Mister Blobby. Ye gods!
March 21st, 2013 at 10:23 am
It’s the new gameshow from the makers of Sale of the Century.
March 22nd, 2013 at 5:10 am
There’s so much *here* here. The blurb, judging by its use of capitalization, may have been written by Emily Dickinson. The Unrevealed 15, who, apparently by being published in the anthology, became, by that very fact, the best 15 science-fantasy writers in the world, but not even one of whose names should grace the book’s cover. The stories—with 15 different authors, just what could a theme like “Humans?” mean anyway? Did the editors have the cover in mind ahead of time? (MERRIL: Ok, so far so good. Now we need a story about a lazy-eyed robot with a perfectly spherical head who stands on a burning lava conga line between an upright-walking Fishphibian and a rather androgynously-built Birdman, 2000 words tops. Call Ellison.) Or, did they finish they cover first, and then . . . just wait until the stories were written?
March 22nd, 2013 at 9:23 am
Good to see that the new BEHIND YOU tag is coming in useful. I always said it would!
July 27th, 2013 at 8:06 pm
This cover is one of my all-time favorites! I want to read this book. Or possibly try to write a story that incorporates everything in this parade-o-weirdness. Or both.
If Amazon reviews are to be trusted, this book contains stories by the likes of Asimov and H.G. Wells. It also contains a story about someone’s memories about participating in a spitting contest…The cover promises randomness and it delivers.
September 27th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
[A]bort, [R]etry, [I]gnore, [H]uman?
September 29th, 2013 at 10:56 am
Can you buy this book and still call yourself…
HUMAN?
May 19th, 2014 at 8:57 pm
STUPID?
May 22nd, 2014 at 8:26 am
@SirExal: One year, two months, two days later, and I get the joke. 😐
November 3rd, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Is that you, Jerry Seinfeld?
November 3rd, 2017 at 5:28 pm
Frederic Brown one through 204 refused to write an introduction for the book.