Editorial

Magnifique! Redux
by Sheila Williams

My September/October 2024 editorial “Magnifique!” contains a doozy of an error. I was unclear about the provenance of the Korshak art collection and assumed that Erle Korshak started the collection. His son, Stephen, sent me a gracious correction, which I am happily printing below. On the one hand, I’m very sorry I didn’t do more research and perpetuated this historical misinformation. On the other hand, I’m delighted to set the record straight and to have an opportunity to publish more work from Stephen’s wonderful collection!

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Stephen writes:

My father, Erle, was a book publisher and book collector, but not an art collector. He never amassed a collection of Illustrations of Imaginative Literature (this is a title for the collection that I created when I started touring it.

Sometime after Shasta publishers came out with the Westmore beauty book its book business unfortunately collapsed. Erle put all of Shasta’s inventory into storage. Some twenty-five years later, I convinced my father to take his inventory out of storage so I could start an art collection. I provided my father with the money to pay for some current storage fees he owed, and in return he gave me four or five original Shasta book cover illustrations. These paintings were the beginning of the Korshak Collection. Although Erle was not an art collector, he did spend twenty enjoyable years traveling with me visiting other Illustration collectors. I always paid whatever monies were necessary to buy artwork from whom- ever we visited and were able to purchase art. During that time, my father always gave me his insightful advice and counsel on the various art purchases. The next twenty years after that my wife, Alma, accompanied me in my art journeys and similarly provided her advice and counsel.

In one important sense my father did help inspire the collection when he placed the March 1941 J. Allen St. John Illustration for Amazing Stories in my bedroom when I was a very young man. (This illustration was a gift to Erle from Ray Palmer, the Amazing Stories editor.) Erle’s contribution in time and advice in building the collection were tremendous, and an indelible part of him is forever in the collection.

The collection will be exhibited at the University of Delaware Library (Old College Hall 18 East Main St. Newark, Delaware 19716) from August 28 to December 9, 2025. The cover of the fully illustrated catalog that will coincide with the display will feature one of my favorite pieces—Edmund Dulac’s The Snow Queen. I am thankful to Stephen for letting us showcase another favorite—Frank Schoonover’s A Princess of Mars—as well. I hope to make it to Delaware to visit with both paintings once more!

 

Copyright © 2025 Sheila Williams