Leonard P. Leone Sr. died on 1 July 2013. Born 11 March 1924 in Brooklyn, New York, he was the Art Director at Bantam Books from 1955 to 1984. His innovations and the use of top illustrators helped to propel Bantam to become a giant in the paperback book world.

Illustrator Bob Larkin notes that Leone’s stable of contributors was “a Who’s Who list of artists, including James Bama, Bob Larkin, Fred Pfeiffer, Boris Vallejo, Lou Feck, Tom Lovell, Robert Maguire, Bob Peak, Barye Phillips, Robert Abbett, Dean Cornwall, Sandy Kossin, John Berkely, Vincent DiFate, Roger Kastel, James Avati, Ron Lesser, Bernie Fuchs, Mitchell Hooks, Howard Rogers, and many, many more.

“Doc Savage fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Len as he influenced the decision to reprint the pulp stories, designed the Doc Savage logo and book lettering, hired James Bama for the art, and directed Bama to give Doc his iconic widow’s peak and musculature.”

Courtney Rogers has a long article on Leone’s life and work on ThePulp.Net.