Oliver Elmes – A life in art and design

In 1975 Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., licensed by Collins, published an abridged edition of Running Blind in their Bulls-Eye series of paperbacks for young readers. The cover art commission for this edition was given to artist Thomas Oliver Elmes.

More commonly known by his middle name Oliver, Elmes was born on 24th October 1934 at Smirna House in White Notley, Essex. He was the younger son of Thomas Patrick Elmes (1896-1981) and Lucy Florence Maude Holmes (1905-1996).

His father, born in Melbourne, Australia, of Irish descent, joined the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 and came to Europe at the age of nineteen to fight in the Great War. He was already known as an artist and cartoonist, working in Sydney for the Cartoon Newspaper and he decided to remain in England after the war. Working under his professional name of ‘Rick Elmes’ he was soon a regular contributor to The Bystander, The Sphere, and in particular the Daily Herald. [1]

In 1926 he illustrated Stephen Graham’s London Nights: Studies and Sketches of London at Night (London: George H. Doran, 1926) and in 1927 worked for the Illustrated London News. In 1933 he illustrated Stephen Graham’s Twice Round the London Clock & More London Nights (London: Ernest Benn, 1933), and in this year, prior to his son’s birth, he also drew cartoons for the weekly magazine Punch. Rick was also responsible for drawing Bobby Bear in Mickey Mouse Weekly in 1936, and also drew the popular and long-running daily cartoon strip ‘All in a Day’s Work’, published in the Daily Herald, going on to provide cartoon illustration for the Happy Families Comic in 1938. It was therefore no surprise that Oliver would inherit his father’s talent and consider a career in art.

At the age of twenty-one months and weighing 27lbs, Oliver Elmes won the ‘Champion Baby in the Show’ award in the Bonny Baby Competition at the Clacton Carnival in August 1936. Elmes was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford from 1942 until 1948 and during that period showed early promise as an artist. In May 1944, as part of Chelmsford’s ‘Salute Week’, he won the Borough Schools Junior Section of the Children’s Poster Competition (judged by Mr Popham of Great Leighs and Miss Alexander, the art mistress at Brentwood High School). [1]

Elmes went on to study in London at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art  from 1950 to 1954. Leaving the polytechnic he started work for the prestigious advertising agency S.H. Benson Ltd, a job recommended by his girlfriend, and future wife, Donnatilla Glenn (whose genealogy has lineage to the famous Brontë family). Whilst working at Benson’s, Donnatilla had been responsible for Crosse and Blackwell’s Branston Pickle ‘Bring Out The Branston’ advertising campaign. Elmes took a flat in Victoria and became friends with sculptor Laurence Broderick (best known for his work ‘The Bull’, a public sculpture erected in 2003 at the Bull Ring in Birmingham), and artist Peter Kent, all of who socialised in the vibrant community of The Troubadour coffee house in Earl’s Court. Through the 1950’s and 60’s The Troubadour was one of the centres of London’s intellectual and artistic life:

It’s where Private Eye was first produced and distributed; where the early Ban the Bomb meetings were held (the precursor to CND); and where the Black Panthers met when they left Paris after the ’68 riots. The Troubadour was the first place where Bob Dylan performed in London. Paul Simon, Martin Carthy, Redd Sullivan, Charlie Watts, Sammy Davis Jr.and Jimi Hendrix have all played here. Richard Harris fell in love with his wife Elizabeth here (she was doing the washing up). Ken Russell recruited staff for his first shorts here, and it was here that he became friends with Oliver Reed. Led Zeppelin used to come and jam here after their Earl’s Court gigs. [2]

From 1960, and continuing throughout his working life, Elmes (often signing his work T.O. Elmes or TOE) took on cover art commissions on behalf of publishers: W.H. Allen; Anthony Blond; Cassell & Co Ltd; Chatto & Windus; Hurst & Blackett; Hutchinson & Co.; Jarrolds; John Long; Michael Joseph; G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Puffin; and Souvenir Press.

In addition to providing the cover art  for the Hutchinson Bulls-Eye edition of Running Blind Elmes also took on commissions for a number of the James Bond novels in the same series, written by Ian Fleming and abridged by Patrick Nobes.

An accomplished painter Elmes first exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1961 with a painting titled Roxana [catalogue ref: 863], his address recorded at that time as 34 Church Street, Coggeshall, Essex, less than ten miles from where he had been born. Elmes would go on to exhibit further paintings at the Royal Academy in 1964, 1967 and 1970. [3]

Elmes, ‘a fan of good cricket’, also provided artwork for the 78th Scarborough Cricket Festival, which took place on 2 – 4 September 1964.

The previous year, on Friday 13th December 1963, Elmes had married Donnatilla and had embarked on a career with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as a graphic designer. He remained with the BBC until retirement rising to the position of senior graphic designer. During his employment with the BBC he was responsible for graphics, programme titles and logos, on some popular programmes.

Design magazine (May, 1969 issue) comments on Elmes’ logo design for Mogul, the fictional oil giant in BBC tv’s The Troubleshooters:

The bold diagonal forms of the Mogul symbol suggest speed, efficiency, forward thinking – all of which point ineluctably to one magic word in the persuasion business: power. [6]

Elmes’ graphics, programme titles and logos for the BBC also included:

The Mind of the Enemy, 1965; North and South, 1966; Outlook – How to Start, 1966; Troilus and Cressida, 1966: Workshop, 1966; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – The Mystery of Cader Ifan, 1967; Boy Meets Girl, 1968; The Goodies, 1970; Elizabeth R, 1971; Play School, 1986; Bedtime Stories – Hansel and Gretel, 1974; Multi Coloured Swap Shop, 1976-1982; Star Signs, 1979; The British Rock and Pop Awards, 1980; Count Me In, 1986; Pie in the Sky, 1986; Screen Two, 1987; and Animal Album, 1989.

Ravensbourne University London, who have worked closely with over 150 BBC graphic designers, curate an on-line BBC Motion Graphics Archive showcasing the history and development of motion graphics across the BBC.  Their archive contains a section dedicated to Oliver Elmes, and the videos can be streamed or are downloadable for non-commercial educational or research purposes only under the terms of the BBC’s Content Licence for the Motion Graphics Archive.

Click here or select the image above to view videos of Elmes’ graphic design in this excellent archive.

Interestingly one of the episodes of Elizabeth R, ‘Sweet England’s Pride’, was written by scriptwriter Ian Rodger who was later commissioned to write the screenplay for the ill-fated 1973 Rank film adaptation of Running Blind. Rodger visited Iceland for a research trip in May 1973 however Rank ran into financial difficulties due to an overspend in production on Alistair Maclean’s novel Caravan to Vaccarès, so the Running Blind adaptation was never made. Read more about the ill-fated film adaptations of Running Blind here. Coincidentally, Donnatilla’s brother, Rodney Glenn, worked as assistant editor on Caravan to Vaccarès and subsequently worked as a sound engineer on many film and television productions.

Elmes is perhaps best know for his work on the The Good Life in 1975, the BBC ident logos and the title sequence for the 24th season of Doctor Who, which introduced the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy in 1987.

Inspiration for the titles used in the well-loved comedy series The Good Life, written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, came from the title sequence from a UPA cartoon of James Thurber’s A Unicorn in the Garden:

The title sequence was a little bird that would fly around the screen going upside down as it reached the top, which was very novel and I thought it was genius, you know. So it stuck in my mind and I thought well this is the thing we’ll do for The Good Life. [7]

When the first episode aired Elmes cringed a little thinking the title appeared a little more naive than he had expected, however it captured the humour and tenor of the series and worked perfectly. Another factor behind the success of the credits, as far as the BBC was concerned, was the low cost of their production.

‘My department was trying to cut costs at that particular time, so we were being persuaded to use our own resources, otherwise I might have gone outside and ended up with a completely different conception,’ remarks Oliver. ‘I used an in-house animator, Janet Pimlott, Who did a great job.’

‘Once everyone was happy with the plans, I took them along to Zephyr Films, the company in Chiswick that owned the rostrum cameras we used. I took all the artwork over there and we shot the opening title sequences. Beforehand, I would have marked out a camera chart with all the moves and someone would film it all,’ explains Janet. [8]

From the early transmission days of the BBC, its clocks and idents were mechanical models filmed by a black and white camera, with colour added electronically. In 1974 Elmes became the Senior Designer for Presentation and introduced the colour and typographical variations of the mirrored globe from 1974 to 1985. He was also involved in designing the festive ident depicting a revolving Christmas pudding, which replaced the traditional world globe. [9]

The turn of the decade and progressing into the 1980’s saw the introduction of futuristic striped lettering idents, which didn’t exist on either film or as models, instead the symbol was played out from a solid-state device, created by BBC engineers. This technique had the benefit that it could produce both a still image and a moving sequence, animated by the BBC Computer Graphics Workshop. The first ident to be changed, and designed by Elmes, was for BBC 2 and he was later to be involved in the implementation of the ‘COW’ – Computer Originated World design, launched in 1985.

In 1987 Elmes was commissioned by Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, to develop the new title sequence to mark the arrival of the seventh ‘re-generated’ Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. Elmes designed the the earliest example of a fully rendered computer generated (CGI) Doctor Who title sequence. The rendering was executed by Gareth Edwards at CAL Videographics Ltd., chosen because the company already had some space effects, which had been used previously for Halley: A Comet Returns (York Films/CAL Videographics Ltd., 1985).

The title sequence had to be fed into the computer a frame at a time, with every frame taking 30 minutes to prepare. With 50 seconds screen time for the opening titles and 60 seconds for the closing titles it took a long time to generate the sequences. To reduce cost some of the elements from the opening sequence were taken directly from the computer and manipulated on a digital edit suite named HARRY for the closing sequence. [10]

Elmes’ storyboards for the Seventh Doctor’s title sequence, which show how the new logo would be formed from letters tumbling through space, were reproduced in Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition No.10- The Complete Seventh Doctor. [11]

Elmes also provided graphic design for ‘Paradise Towers’, the second serial of the 24th season of Doctor Who. First broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 to 26 October 1987 it starred The Good Life’s Richard Briers.

Oliver Elmes from the BBC’s Graphics Unit created the skyscraper montage graphic seen at the start of every episode except for part one. Using distorted perspective photographs of existing skyscrapers, he assembled an image of a huge multiplex of buildings edged with greenery along their roofs.

Overlaid with an electronic glow of sun-light, and backed by a sky coloured bright blue, it was a prefect establishing symbol for the programme. [12]

Elmes retired from the BBC and moved to Barnes taking a room with fellow artist Roy Pettit where he settled down to enjoy his love of nature, the countryside and painting. He liked to paint landscapes, particularly skyscapes in oils, and portraits in pastels and oils. It was Elmes’ daughter, Carlotta, who introduced her father to the London Sketch Club. Carlotta had been a model for the club and had mentioned to members Roy Pettit and Dennis Gilbert her father’s interest. Elmes spent many happy years in the sketch club and became their model master (responsible for booking models) between 1996 and 2005. He was introduced to the Chelsea Arts Club from the London Sketch Club and in addition to his exhibitions at the Royal Academy he exhibited art at the following galleries:

Pastel Society, Mall Galleries (1992, 1994, 1995, 1997); ROI, Mall Galleries (1994, 1995); Park Lane Fine Arts Gallery (2005, 2007); Bartley Drew (1996); Barnes Art Gallery (1995, 1996); Alton Gallery (1993, 1994); New Grafton (1995); Piers Feetham Gallery (2005, 2007). He also took on portrait commissions for Doug Haines in 1998 and 2007, Jane Fleming in 2006 and W. Saunders in 2006. [13]

Elmes passed away on 4th May 2011 and three weeks later a memorial tribute was held in his honour at Chelsea Arts Club. With both Elmes and his wife Donnatilla having a love for, and careers in both art and graphic design, it is perhaps no surprise that their five children (Charlotte [Carlotta], Dervorgilla, Orianna, Donovan and Olivia) were all subsequently involved in the Arts.

Addendum January 2024

A condensed version of this feature article has been included in Adventures in Type and Space – A Celebration of Classic Doctor Who Title Sequences, published by Ten Acre Films.

Adventures in Type and Space is a charity bookazine exploring the title sequences of classic Doctor Who from 1963-1989, released to mark 50 years of the beloved ‘diamond’ logo.
Highlights include new in-depth interviews with Bernard Lodge (title designer 1963-1979), Peter Govey (special cameraman 1970-1979), Gareth Edwards (titles animator 1987-1989), along with contributions from Sid Sutton (title designer 1980-1986) and the family of Oliver Elmes (title designer 1987-1989).
Illustrated throughout with rare and unseen imagery, Adventures in Type and Space is a celebration of the artistry and ingenuity that went into creating Doctor Who’s extraordinary title sequences, told by the people who made them, and includes a foreword by Mark Gatiss.
Proceeds will benefit Unicef, Bernard Lodge’s chosen charity.
Created by Graham Kibble-White, Jack Kibble-White and Stuart Manning it is available to purchase from Ten Acre Films here.

Bibliography of known dust-jacket illustrations by Oliver Elmes

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Murder Queen High by Wade Miller, (London: W. H. Allen, 1958)

Girl From Moscow by Mark Corrigan, (London: Angus & Robertson Ltd., 1959)

No End to Fear by Harry Hossent (London: John Long, 1959)

Tamiko by Ronald Kirkbride (London: Cassell, 1959)

Amelia Rankin by Charles O. Locke (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1960)

Catch as Catch Can by Francis Richards (London: John Long, 1960)

Leave it to the Hangman by Bill Knox (London: John Long, 1960)

Man Without a Face by John Eugene Hasty (London: John Long, 1960)

One Star General by Al Morgan (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1960)

Every Night And All by William Miller (London: Anthony Blond, 1961)

Look Behind You by Jay Barbette (London: John Long, 1961)

Memory of Treason by Harry Hossent (London: John Long, 1961)

Show Red For Danger by Francis Richards (London: John Long, 1961)

The Dancing Horse by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1961)

The Killers of Karawala by Edward Lindall (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1961)

Valley of No Escape by James Preston (London: John Long, 1961)

Copy Boy by Terence Carroll (London: Jarrolds, 1962)

Death in the Dog Watches by ‘Sea-Lion’ (London: John Long, 1962)

Dig For a Corpse by Max Mundy (London: John Long, 1962)

Hour of the Rat by John Manchip White (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1962)

If Anything Should Happen by Kevin O’Hara (London: John Long, 1962)

Prison Feud by James Preston (London: John Long, 1962)

Teach Yourself Treachery by Jonathan Burke (London: John Long, 1962)

The Big Season by Maurice Gee (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1962)

The Killings of Kersivay by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1962)

The Undetective by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1962)

Axes of Hate by James Preston (London: John Long, 1963)

Death’s Foot Forward by George Brown Mair (London: Jarrolds, 1963)

Fail Safe by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1963)

Fugitive’s Road by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1963)

Moonlight Flitting by Maurice Procter (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1963)

My Feet Upon a Rock by W. H. Canaway (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1963)

Springs of Violence by Edward Lindall (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1963)

Suddenly in Vienna by Hugh McCutcheon (London: John Long, 1963)

That Men Should Fear by John Naish (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1963)

The Hammers of Fingal by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1963)

You’re a Big Boy Now by David Benedictus (London: Anthony Blond, 1963)

A Kind of Justice by Edward Lindall (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1964)

Criminal Tendencies by Jonathan Goodman (London: John Long, 1964)

Dead on Departure by Allan MacKinnon (London: John Long, 1964)

Longstephen by Gabriel Chanan (London: Anthony Blond, 1964)

Only Lovers Left Alive by Dave Wallis (London: Anthony Blond, 1964) [Jacket designer]

Mission to Samarkand by Felix Godwin (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1964)

Mister by Michael Burgess (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1964)

Shattered Steel by James Preston (London: John Long, 1964)

The Animal Killers by Colin Willcock (London: Andre Deutsch, 1964)

The Grey Shepherds by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1964)

The Rich Pay Late by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1964)

The Six-Eleven by Al Morgan (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1964)

The Slate Landscape by James Turner (London: Cassell & Company Ltd., 1964)

Two Men in Twenty by Maurice Proctor (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1964)

Where Love Has Gone by Harold Robbins (London: Anthony Blond, 1964)

Wrath of the Lion by Harry Patterson, [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1964)

Assassins Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1965)

Black Samson by Humphrey Harman (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1965)

Breakdown by James Preston (London: John Long, 1965)

Death Has a Shadow by Maurice Proctor (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1965)

Friends in Low Places by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1965)

Murder at the Open by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1965)

Skinner by Hugh C. Rae (London: Anthony Blond, 1965)

The Hands of Innocence by Jeffrey Ashford (London: John Long, 1965)

The Taste of Proof by Bill Knox (London: John Long, 1965)

A Backward Glance by Alan Cowan (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1966)

Death Walks in Shadow by  Lee Thayer (London: John Long, 1966)

Eliza Lynch: Regent of Paraguay by Henry Lyon Young (London: Anthony Blond, 1966)

Gaol in Conflict by James Preston (London: John Long, 1966)

His Weight in Gold by Maurice Proctor (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1966)

Midnight Never Comes by Martin Fallon [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1966)

Murder Starts From Fishguard by Howard Charles Davis (London: John Long, 1966)

Racing Axes by James Preston (London: John Long, 1966)

Shadows in a Hidden Land by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1966)

That Cold Day in the Park by Richard Miles [pseudonym of Peter Miles aka Gerald Richard Perreau-Saussine] (London: Souvenir Press, 1966)

The Iron Tiger by Harry Patterson, [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1966)

The Sabre Squadron by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1966)

The Serpent’s Smile by Olga Hesky (London: John Long, 1966)

Treacherous Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1966)

A Den of Savage Men by Bradshaw Jones (London: John Long, 1967)

Battle Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1967)

Black Samson by Humphrey Harman (London: Hutchinson Educational Ltd., 1967)

Currahee! ‘We Stand Alone’ by Donald Burgett (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1967)

Dark Side of the Street by Martin Fallon [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1967)

Exercise Hoodwink by Maurice Proctor (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1967)

Fielding Gray by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1967)

Forget What You Saw by Jeffrey Ashford (London: John Long, 1967)

Isle of Dragons by Robert MacLeod (London: John Long, 1967)

Johnny Blood by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1967)

Much Ado About Something by Bruce Graeme [pseudonym of Graham Montague Jeffries] (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1967)

Old Contemptible by Harry Beaumont (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1967)

South of Hell’s Gates by Richard Butler (London: John Long, 1967)

The One Day of the Year by Alan Seymour (London: Souvenier Press, 1967)

Time for Treason by Olga Hesky (London: John Long, 1967)

Touch Pitch by Leonard Peck (London: John Long, 1967)

But Ill He Lived by Bradshaw Jones (London: John Long, 1968)

Crashout by James Preston (London: John Long, 1968)

Deadlight by Archie Roy (London: John Long, 1968)

Death in the Scillies by Howard Charles Davis (London: John Long, 1968)

Fortunately in England by Alan Cowan (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1968)

It’s Locked In With You by Gael Mayo (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1968)

Leave of Absence by Eric Bailey (London: John Long, 1968)

Locust on the Wind by Raymond Collin (London: John Long, 1968)

Murder at Sundown by James Preston (London: John Long, 1968)

Murder of a Student by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1968)

Never Mix Business With Pleasure by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1968)

On The Yard by Malcolm Braly (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1968)

The Judas Boy by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1968)

Zion Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1968)

A Fine Night for Dying by Martin Fallon [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1969)

And Murder Won by Howard Charles Davis (London: John Long, 1969)

Backwash by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1969)

Blind Date for a Private Eye by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1969)

Bushfire by James Preston (London: John Long, 1969)

Duel in Glenfinnan by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1969)

Layers of Deceit by Bradshaw Jones (London: John Long, 1969)

Maniac by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1969)

Nameless Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1969)

Place of Mists by Robert MacLeod [aka William Knox] (London: John Long, 1969)

Smile and be a Villain by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1969)

The Dog Man by Maurice Procter (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1969)

The Curtained Sleep by Archie Roy (London: John Long, 1969)

The Innocent by Richard E. Kim (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1969)

The Mercenaries by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1969)

The Sequin Syndicate by Olga Hesky (London: John Long, 1969)

To Catch a Shadow by Bradshaw Jones (London: John Long, 1969)

Two or Three Questions by Alan Cowan (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1969)

A Little of What You Fancy by H.E.Bates (London: Michael Joseph, 1970)

All Evil Shed Away by Archie Roy (London: John Long, 1970)

A Property in Cyprus by Robert MacLeod [aka William Knox] (London: John Long, 1970)

Cry Hold! by Peter Harris (London: John Long, 1970)

Death Takes Revenge by James Preston (London: John Long, 1970)

Master of None by Hjalmar Thesen (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1970)

Naked to My Enemy by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1970)

On the Wings of the Storm by Richard Newhafer (London: Jarrolds, 1970)

Places Where They Sing by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond, 1970)

The Bloody Sun at Noon by George Beare (London: John Long, 1970)

The Bridge That Went Nowhere by Robert L. Fish (London: John Long, 1970)

The Delinquents by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1970)

The Different Night by Olga Hesky (London: John Long, 1970)

The Galileans by Frank G. Slaughter (London: Jarrolds, 1970)

The Gunmen of Gozo by Howard Charles Davis (London: John Long, 1970)

The Quiet Ones by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1970)

The Shadow That Caught Fire by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1970)

The Silent Cry by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1970)

Cry of Morning by Brian Cleeve (London: Michael Joseph, 1971)

Path of Ghosts by Robert MacLeod (London: John Long, 1971)

Power Failure by James Preston (London: John Long, 1971)

Sound the Retreat by Simon Raven (London: Anthony Blond 1971)

The Claws of Mercy by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1971)

The Eye of the Eagle by Dermot O’Connor (London: John Long, 1971)

The Fledglings by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1971) [Book illustrated by Elmes]

The House with Blind Eyes by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1971)

The Lady Doth Protest by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1971)

The Poison Chasers by Henry Calvin (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1971)

The Restless Quiet by Dermot O’Connor (London: John Long, 1971)

The Sound of Summer Voices by Helen Tucker (London: Michael Joseph, 1971)

The Syndicate by Anthony Masters (London: Michael Joseph, 1971)

The Very Breath of Hell by George Beare (London: John Long, 1971)

Toll for the Brave by Harry Patterson, [Henry Patterson aka Jack Higgins] (London: John Long, 1971)

A Black Horse Running by James Wood (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

A Killing in Malta by Robert MacLeod (London: John Long, 1972)

A Kind of Courage by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

Getaway by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

Sahara Road by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1972)

Star Witness by James Wood (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

Take Two Popes by Henry Calvin (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

The Bee Sting Deal by George Beare (London: John Long, 1972)

The Golden Venus Affair by Angus MacVicar (London: John Long, 1972)

The Killing Wind by John Lee (London: John Long 1972)

The Mustering of the Hawks by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

The Sand Pit by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1972)

The Shadow That Caught Fire by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1972)

The Sleeping Mountain by John Harris (London: Hutchinson Library Services, 1972)

Tomorrow’s Yesterday by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1972)

Write Off by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1972)

A Corner of the Playground by Simon Harvester (London: Jarrolds, 1973)

A Life for a Death by John Creasey as Gordon Ashe (London: John Long, 1973)

Covenant with Death by John Harris (London: Hutchinson, 1973)

Death in a Sunny Place by Richard Lockridge (London: John Long, 1973)

Murder in a Dark Room by Neill Graham (John Long: 1973)

Stay Hungry by Charles Gaines (London: Chatto & Windus, 1973)

Sunset at Sheba by John Harris (London: Hutchinson, 1973)

The Double Run by Jeffrey Ashford (London: John Long, 1973)

The Snake on the Grave by George Beare (London: John Long, 1973)

The Uist Project by James Wood (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1973)

Two and Two Make Five by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1973)

Assignment Murder by Neill Graham (London: John Long, 1974)

Contract with a Killer by Hamilton Jobson (London: John Long, 1974)

Death and Mr Gilly by William Murdoch Duncan (London: John Long, 1974)

Death on the Appian Way by Kenneth Benton (London: Chatto & Windus, 1974)

Killer’s Rope by John Cassells (London: John Long, 1974)

Smiling Willie and the Tiger by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1974)

The Big Killing by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1974)

The Green Days by Desiree Meyler (London: Hurst & Blackett, 1974)

Tiger in the North by Simon Harvester (London: Hutchinson Library Services / Jarrolds, 1974)

Action for the Picaroon by John Cassells (London: John Long, 1975)

Killer’s Blade by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1975)

Quest for Superintendent Flagg by John Cassells (London: John Long, 1975)

Running Blind by Desmond Bagley abridged by Michale Thomas (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1975)

The Victors by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1975)

Dragonship by Robert MacLeod [aka William Knox] (London: John Long, 1976)

Murder of a Cop by William Murdoch Duncan (London: John Long, 1976)

Night of the Savage by George Beare (London: John Long, 1976)

Search for a Missing Lady by Neill Graham (London: John Long, 1976)

The Dark Host by Archie Roy (London: John Long, 1976)

The Picaroon Gets The Run-Around by John Cassells (London: John Long, 1976)

The Water Gypsies by A.P. Herbert (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1976)

Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming abridged by Patrick Nobes (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1977)

Motive for Murder by Neil Graham (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1977)

The Big Deal by Peter Malloch (London: John Long, 1977)

The Damocles Factor by Roy Chester (London: John Long, 1977)

The Interceptors by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1977)

The Professionals by John Harris (London: Puffin, 1977) [Book illustrated by Elmes]

The Triffids by John Wyndham abridged by Patrick Nobes (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1977)

Two-Faced by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1977)

Devil in the Darkness by Archie Roy (London: John Long, 1978)

Double Trouble by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1978)

Lift-off at Satan by Richard Butler (London: John Long, 1977)

The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming abridged by Patrick Nobes (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1978)

The Revolutionaries by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1978)

The Sea Shall Not Have Them by John Harris (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1978)

Mather Again by Bruce Graeme (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1979)

The Pillars of Hell by Roy Chester (London: John Long, 1979)

The Quest of Julian Day by Dennis Wheatley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1979)

Morgan’s Passing by Anne Tyler (London: Chatto & Windus, 1980)

The Victors by John Harris (London: Puffin, 1980)

Goldfinger by Ian Fleming abridged by Patrick Nobes (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1984)

[List updated 17 August 2023 – 225 covers]

Addendum October 2020

I am indebted to Dr David Roy, from the University of Newcastle, Australia, for sending me an image of an original cover artwork painted by Oliver Elmes. The cover artwork, currently in David’s possession, was commissioned by the publishing house of John Long Ltd., for their 1970 publication of All Evil Shed Away written by David’s father, Archie Roy. The artwork by Elmes also comprised of a transparent cell overlay which included the books title and author lettering.

Professor Archie Edmiston Roy, physicist, astronomer and teacher, authored six novels in addition to many works of non-fiction and scientific papers. Elmes was commissioned by John Long Ltd., to paint the covers for five of Archie Roy’s novels:

Deadlight, 1968; The Curtained Sleep, 1969; All Evil Shed Away, 1970; The Dark Host, 1976; and Devil in the Darkness, 1978.

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Notes

Images: © Cassell & Company Ltd., [Octopus Publishing Group]; © Hutchinson & Co., [Penguin Random House]; © John Long [Simon & Schuster, Inc.]; © W.H Allen; © Anthony Blond Ltd. [Penguin Random House];  © Jarrold Publishing; BBC Worldwide;  © Marvel Comics;  © Ten Acre Films Ltd., & © T.O. Elmes.

Acknowledgements: My thanks to Laurence Worms from Ash Rare Books for providing additional information for both the biography and bibliography of dust-jacket illustrations by Oliver Elmes. Laurence has a Twitter feed and also a Pinterest page on Oliver Elmes.

My thanks also to Jamie Sturgeon from JRS Books for providing additional information and images of dust-jacket illustrations by Oliver Elmes. Jamie also displays dust jacket covers on his Flickr and Instagram accounts.

1. Worms, L. (2019) pers. comm 4th Feb 2019.

2. Troubador Properties Ltd (2019) ‘Troubador – Our History’ URL [Accessed 22nd January 2019].

3. Sarant-Hawkins, K. (2019) Royal Academy archivist pers. comm 16th January 2019. (Bloomsbury – 1926 catalogue ref 523, Still Life catalogue ref 366, First Light catalogue ref 291).

4. ‘T.N. Pearce talks Scarborough’: Tatler (London: Illustrated News Group, 26 August 1964, p.2).

5. Merritt, Douglas: Television Graphics – From Pencil to Pixel (London: Trefoil 1987 p.96)

6. ‘Mogul shows the way’: Design, (London: Design Council, May 1969 Issue 245 p.27).

7. BBC ‘All About The Good Life’ (Documentary, first broadcast 28th December 2010).

8. Webber, Richard A Celebration of The Good Life (Orion Books, 2000, pp.28-29).

9. Lucking (nee Elmes), C. (2016) pers. comm 6th May 2016.

10. Elmes, O. (1987) Doctor Who Magazine ‘Title Tattle’ (London: Marvel Comics Ltd., Autumn Special 1987, pp. 14-15).

11. ‘Crazy Crazy Nights’: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition No.10- The Complete Seventh Doctor (Tunbridge Wells: Panini Publishing Ltd., 2005, p.12).

12. ‘Post production’: Doctor Who In-Vision – Paradise Towers (Jeremy Bentham, October 2000, Issue 92, p.19).

13. The Small Paintings Group ‘Oliver Elmes (1934 – 2011) Biography’ URL [Accessed 22nd January 2019].

14. The Small Paintings Group ‘Oliver Elmes (1934 – 2011) Gallery’ URL [Accessed 22nd January 2019]. © T.O. Elmes & reproduced courtesy of the Elmes family.