ROD RUTH

When lllustration Meets the Comics No. 2

ROD RUTH

Rodney Ruth nasce a Benton Harbor, nel Michigan, il 21 settembre 1912. Crescendo in un’area agricola vicino al Lago Michigan, Ruth sviluppa una sintonia con la natura che durerà per tutta la sua vita.

Trasferitosi a Chicago, studia alla Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, alla Frederick Mizen School of Arts e all’Institute of Design.

Dopo aver eseguito lavori occasionali come illustratore, firma un contratto con la Ziff-Davis Publications, realizzando tavole e copertine per pulp magazines di fantascienza quali Amazing Stories e Fantastic Adventures tra il 1940 e il 1951. È particolarmente abile a realizzare illustrazioni interne in bianco e nero, usando di solito la matita grassa. Il suo forte è visualizzare creature aliene.

Nei primi anni Quaranta Ruth prende a lavorare anche nei fumetti. Dal 1941 al 1959 disegna la striscia per i quotidiani The Toodles, scritta da Betsy e Stanley Baer, per il Chicago Sun-Times.

Quando l’editrice Ziff-Davis trasferisce I suoi uffici a New York nel 1950, Ruth lascia la fantascienza e si concentra sulle illustrazioni di animali e per libri per bambini per editori quali Rand McNally, Follett, MacMillan e Golden Press. Alla fine degli anni Sessanta realizza illustrazioni per racconti pubblicati su The Golden Magazine.

Torna brevemente all’illustrazione di fantascienza con tre antologie per giovani lettori, pubblicate da Rand McNally tra il 1973 e il 1976.

Ruth scompare il 27 gennaio 1987 a Cook, Illinois.

Rodney Ruth was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on September 21, 1912. Growing in a rustic area near Lake Michigan, Ruth developed a lifelong devotion to nature.

After moving to Chicago, he studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, the Frederick Mizen School of Arts, and the Institute of Design.

After doing some freelance work, he signed up with Ziff-Davis Publications, contributing illustrations and cover art to such SF pulp magazines as Amazing Stories and Fantastic Adventures from 1940-51. He was especially good at drawing interior b/w illustrations, usually employing a grease crayon, his forte being alien creatures.

As of the early 1940s, Ruth was also working in other areas, including comics. From 1941-59 he drew the newspaper strip The Toodles, written by Betsy and Stanley Baer, for the Chicago Sun-Times.

When Ziff-Davis moved its offices to New York in 1950, Ruth left SF and concentrated on wildlife illustration and children’s book illustration for such publishers as Rand McNally, Follett, MacMillan, and Golden Press. In the late 1960s, he also contributed story illustrations to The Golden Magazine.

He briefly went back to SF illustration with three anthologies for young readers published by Rand McNally between 1973 and 1976.

Ruth passed away on January 27, 1987 in Cook, Illinois.

FUMETTI PER QUOTIDIANI / NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS

Editore/Publisher: CHICAGO SUN SYNDICATE/SUN AND TIMES COMPANY/FIELD ENTERPRISES

The Toodles – Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip Dec 4 1941-1959.

The Toodles – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page Dec 7 1941-1959.

Toodle Cut-Outs – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page Nov 15 1942-Sept 26 1943 [Topper].

ILLUSTRAZIONI PER RIVISTE / MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATIONS

Editore/Publisher: CLARK PUBLISHING COMPANY

Other Worlds Science Stories

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 01/1950.

Editore/Publisher: ULTIMATE PUBLISHING COMPANY

Amazing Stories

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 10/1965 [R Amazing Stories 1950], 10/1967 [R Amazing Stories 1942].

Fantastic

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 07/1966 [R Fantastic Adventures 1943], 10/1968, 04/1969 [R Fantastic Adventures 1950].

Science Fiction Adventures Classics

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 09/1973 [R Amazing Stories 12/1941], 11/1973 [R Amazing Stories 10/1947].

Space Adventures

Copertine / Cover art  – Winter 1970 [R Amazing Stories 12/1941].

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – Winter 1970 [R Amazing Stories 12/1941], Summer 1971 [R Amazing Stories 03/1950].

Editore/Publisher: WESTERN PUBLISHING COMPANY

The Golden Magazine

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 04/1966, 05/1966, 10/1966, 11/1966, 02/1967, 10/1968, 11/1968.

Editore/Publisher: ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING CO.

Amazing Stories

Copertine / Cover art – 08/1941, 12/1941.

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 11/1941, 12/1941, 01/1942, 02/1942, 03/1942, 05/1942, 09/1942, 11/1942, 12/1942, 01/1943, 02/1943, 11/1946, 12/1946, 02/1947, 09/1947, 10/1947, 11/1947, 12/1947, 03/1948, 04/1948, 05/1948, 06/1948, 07/1948, 09/1948, 11/1948, 05/1949, 06/1949, 07/1949, 10/1949, 12/1949, 01/1950, 03/1950, 04/1950, 07/1950, 09/1950, 12/1950, 01/1951, 03/1951, 05/1951, 09/1951.

Fantastic Adventures

Copertine / Cover art  – 06/1940, 08/1941, 12/1941

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 12/1941, 10/1943, 12/1943, 06/1945, 10/1945, 12/1945, 02/1946, 05/1946, 07/1946, 09/1946, 11/1946, 05/1947, 09/1947, 12/1948, 03/1950, 05/1950, 07/1950.

Mammoth Adventure

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 09/1947.

Mammoth Detective

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 08/1943, 11/1945, 09/1946, 01/1947, 02/1947, 07/1947, 08/1947,

Mammoth Mystery

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 08/1947.

Mammoth Western

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – 01/1946, 06/1947, 10/1947, 11/1947, 02/1948, 03/1948, 02/1949, 04/1949, 09/1949.

Mammoth Western Quarterly

Illustrazioni / Illustrations – Winter 1949.

South Sea Stories

Copertine / Cover art  – 12/1939.

ILLUSTRAZIONI PER LIBRI / BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

[Copertina e illustrazioni, se non altrimenti indicato / Cover art and illustrations, unless otherwise noticed].

Editore/Publisher: CREATIVE EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY

Cactus Fox (1971).

Cascade Cougar (1972).

Eagles of the Valley (1972).

Glacier Grizzly (1972).

Editore/Publisher: FOLLETT

Alligator Hole (1969).

Editore/Publisher: GOLDEN PRESS/WHITMAN/WESTERN PUBLISHING COMPANY

[Copertina e illustrazioni, se non altrimenti indicato / Cover art and illustrations, unless otherwise noticed].

Animals (A Golden Exploring Earth Book, 1973).

Birds (A Golden Exploring Earth Book, 1973).

Dinosaurs – Giants of the Past (A Big Golden Book, 1974).

Feelings from A to Z (A Little Golden Book #200-6, 1979).

The Golden Book Encyclopedia (1969).

Golden Book of Cat Stories (1946).

Humpty Dumpty and Other Nursery Rhymes (A Golden Tell-a-Tale Book #2610, 1976).

The Marvelous Monster (A Tell-a-Tale Book #2632, 1977).

My Little Book of Cats (1982).

My Little Book of Dinosaurs (A Tell-a-Tale Book #2482, 1972).

Nature Hikes (A Golden Exploring Earth Book, 1973). Copertina / Cover art

Rocks and Minerals (A Golden Exploring Earth Book, 1974).

The Santa Claus Book (1976).

The Sleepytime Book (1978).

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (A Big Golden Book, 1963).

The Time to Sleep Book (1978).

Whales (A Big Golden Book, 1978).

Whales (A Little Golden Book #171, 1978).

Editore/Publisher: HAWTHORN BOOKS

These Islands Are Alive (1971).

Editore/Publisher: MACMILLAN COMPANY

[Copertina e illustrazioni, se non altrimenti indicato / Cover art and illustrations, unless otherwise noticed].

Mutt (1952) [R in 1965].

Editore / Publisher: RAND McNALLY & COMPANY

[Copertina e illustrazioni, se non altrimenti indicato / Cover art and illustrations, unless otherwise noticed].

Album of Astronomy (1979) [R in 1987].

Album of Birds (1982).

Album of Dinosaurs (1972) [R in 1987].

Album of Prehistoric Animals (1974).

Album of Prehistoric Man (1975) [R in 1976].

Album of Reptiles (1978).

Album of Rocks and Minerals (1981) [R in 1987].

Album of Sharks (1977) [R in 1987].

Album of Snakes and Other Reptiles (1987).

Album of Whales (1980) [R in 1987].

Baleful Beasts and Eerie Creatures (1976).

More Science Fiction Tales: Crystal Creatures, Bird-things & Other Weirdies (1974).

Science Fiction Tales: Invaders, Creatures and Alien Worlds (1973) [R in 1977].

What Do You Know! Mind Boggling Questions! Astonishing Answers! (1981).

Editore / Publisher: SCOTT, FORESMAN

More Roads to Follow (The New Basic Readers, Curriculum Foundation Series, 1964)

Editore / Publisher: SILVER DOLLAR CITY

The Day Toys Came to Silver Dollar City (1978).

Zeke Hatfield and the Ghost Named Rocky (1978).

Editore / Publisher: YOUNG SCOTT BOOKS

Islands of the Tiny Deer (1972).

ADVERTISING ART

Greyhound 1940s