What do you think? Is this a spaceship? Because it reminds me of a toy my little sister had as a baby… or maybe a cat toy. A hamster ball?

Let the dust jacket copy of this 1958 adventure convince you:

SPEED-AND MORE SPEED-go into the mammoth project of completing Tom Swift Jr.’s newest type of spaceship. It is a race against time and the stakes are high. First, Tom’s foreign enemies appear ready to launch a manned moon rocket of their own. Second, the young inventor’s friends on another planet propose a rendezvous in outer space, in the desperate hope that Tom and his scientist associates can help them conquer the unknown disease that threatens life on their planet.

From the first test flight to the day the Challenger roars moonward, Tom meets with frustrations and sinister perils, more challenging than he has ever encountered. In a neck-and-neck race with the enemy’s rocket ship, Tom’s fabulous invention, the super-repelatron, plays a dramatic part in heading off a crash landing on the bleak planet. One of the greatest thrills of the young space pioneer’s life comes when he guides the Challenger alongside his planet friends’ spaceship.

In this fast-moving, gripping drama of Tom’s double victory in outer space you will find all the exciting elements that have made the Tom Swift Jr. series the Number One choice of boys who thrill to mystery and adventure.
— TomSwift.info

Opinions? Please comment! Do you have a scan of a less-spaceship-y spaceship? Please share!

Found this fantastic pulp cover in a box of fantastically-AWFUL pulps over the Christmas holiday. As can be seen, the prerequisite hot-space-babe/crewmember is being revived from stasis/cryogenic freezing/whatever, and is already being hit upon by the first human she comes in contact with… the doctor. “Hey baby, can I buy you a drink?” I am, of course, kidding. Sortof. Anyway it’s a terrific cover.

Art circa 1995. Illustration by John Berkey (1932-2008)

A beautiful illustration by John Berkey, later used as a book cover for the Chronicles of the Lensman Vol 2 compilation of E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman novels, published in 1999 by the US Science Fiction Book Club. (Thanks to Sebastian for the info on this piece!)

Another interesting find, hat tip to Etherbrian for sharing! :D

David B. Mattingly is a very talented artist, perhaps best known for his book covers for David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. (Also the Animorphs series for kids.) Pictured here are a couple of science fiction works not attached (to my knowledge) to either series. (The top one reminds me of Moonraker, actually.)

A gift from Etherbrian, this collection of 1950s Spanish sci-fi novel covers is both fascinating and highly amusing. Great stuff.