Astounding Stories 'Beyond the Vanishing Point' Cover, Ray Cummings, 1930s

Rendered in the bold, high-drama gouache style typical of Astounding Stories house artists of the early 1930s, this cover depicts a muscular, bare-chested man forcing his way through a rocky crevice with desperate urgency, his face contorted in effort and fear. The warm ochres and purples of the surrounding rock create vivid contrast against his flesh tones. A tiny group of figures visible at the lower right hints at the size-manipulation premise of Ray Cummings' classic shrinking-adventure story.