Lot 96016: JAMES AVATI (American, 1912-2005) The Farmer's

JAMES AVATI (American, 1912-2005) The Farmer's Hotel, paperback cover, 1960 Oil on board 23 x 15 in. Not signed This illustration was used on the cover of a later printing of John O'Hara's novel, The Farmer's Hotel, Bantam Books, 1960. Avati only created six covers for Bantam in his early career (1949-50). During most of the period from 1949-1960 he worked almost exclusively for NAL/Signet. After 1960, her painted covers for a large number of publishers. "This unforgettable story of a handful of strangers, three women and five men, trapped by a blizzard into a shocking intimacy in a lonely roadside inn." From the Estate of Charles Martignette.