What A Collection - Ken Kelly!

It's the artist Ken Kelly's birthday and when I did a tweet and facebook post about it,

I realized - you know what? I am positive that Ken Kelly has done more book covers that I own than anybody else - and that's a lot considering I typically buy every Frazetta I can find. Kelly is such a work horse and has done so many Conan's and other sword and sorcery related covers that it is staggering. He has done a lot of heavy metal covers too, but I don't think I have any of those but when it comes to book covers wow -its staggering.

I just did a count in my office I have about 30+ books with Frazetta covers. And I am not counting doubles - just one individual cover per book.

But I've got 70+ Ken Kelly covers - loads of Conan and Robert E. Howard, but also some Kane, Karl  Edward Wagner books like his Bran Mak Morn - Legion From the Shadows, the Robert Adams Horseclans series and John Maddox Roberts Stormlands series, and then even a variety of standalones and anthologies.

Happy Birthday Ken, and thanks for the bigger than life barbaric art!

Posting over at On An Underwood 5

In case you missed it, I did a guest post over at the On An Underwood 5 blog

Talking about my affinity and kinship to Robert E. Howard.
 Thanks to Todd Vick for inviting me over.

A Glass Raised: Robert E. Howard

The Phoenix on the Sword

What do I know of cultured ways,

the gilt, the craft and the lie?

I, who was born in a naked land

and bred in the open sky.

The subtle tongue, the sophist guile,

they fail when the broadsword sing;

Rush in and die dogs-

I was a man before I was a king.

Robert E. Howard

January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936