Robert Kennedy Abbett (January 5, 1926 – June 20, 2015) was an American artist and illustrator.
Abbett was born in 1926 in Hammond, Indiana.
During the late-1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Robert Abbett, also credited as Bob Abbett, illustrated book covers for war novels, detective novels, thrillers, historical fiction and science fiction. Today, Abbett is best known for his paintings of wildlife (in particular, dogs), wilderness, sporting, and fishing.
His illustrations have been featured in a large number of books, magazines, and advertising. He has also authored or been featured in several art-related books, including A Season for Painting: The Outdoor Paintings of Robert K. Abbett and Wings from Cover: The Upland Images of Robert Abbett and Ed Gray.
Abbett is a graduate of both the University of Missouri and Purdue University. In 1953, Abbett moved to rural Connecticut where he built a house on an old farm (namely, Oakdale Farm). There, Abbett was inspired by the untouched wilderness and forests, and began painting what he has become famous for today: animals and countrylife.
He died on June 20, 2015 at the age of 89 in Bridgewater, Connecticut.
Robert K. Abbett was an illustrator for Ballantine Books, Pyramid Books and Ace Books, as well as Gold Medal, Avon, Permabook, and Pocket Books. He illustrated Edgar Rice Burroughs' books, including the Tarzan series, Barsoom series, and Pellucidar series.
The Quiet American by Graham Greene, Bantam Books, 1957The Devil to Pay by Ellery Queen (pseudonym), Pocket Books, 1958Spearhead by Franklin M. Davis, Jr., Permabooks, 1958Justice, My Brother by James Keene (author) (pseudonym of William Everett Cook), Dell Books, 1959Turn on the Heat by A.A. Fair, Dell Books 1959Colonel Hugh North Solves The MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR MURDERS, by F. Van Wyck Mason, Cardinal Edition, 1960Fear is the Key by Alistair MacLean, Permabook, 1960Kiss Off the Dead by Garrity, Gold Medal, 1960Mark Kilby and the Miami Mob by Robert Caine Frazer, Pocket Books, 1960Plot It Yourself by Rex Stout, Bantam Books, 1960The Fix by Jack Usher, Pocket Books, Inc., 1961The Grave's in the Medal by Manning Lee Stokes, Dell 1961The Counterfeit Courier by James C. Sheers, Dell Books, 1961Born of Battle by Robert Crane, Pyramid Books, 1962Cry, Baby by Jack Ehrlich, Dell 1962The Girl From Midnight by Robert Wade and Bill Miller, Gold Medal Books, 1962Cleopatra, by Jeffry K. Gardner, 1962Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart, Ace Books 1962The Hate Merchant by Niven Busch, Macfadden Books, 1962Tobruk (novel) by Peter Rabe, Bantam BooksAcapulco G.P.O. by Day Keene, Dell BooksThe Life and Good Times of Randolf Hearst, by John Tebbel, Paperback Library, Inc., 1962The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell, Paperback Library, Inc., 1963The Bowl of Brass by Paul Wellman, Paperback Library, Inc.Assignment—Stella Marni (Sam Durell Series) by Edward S. Aarons, Gold Medal Book, 1965A Woman of the People by Benjamin Capps, Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1966Chicago 11 by Day Keen, Dell, 1966The Dark Fantastic by Whit Masterson (pseudonym of Robert Wade and H. Bill Miller), Avon Books, 1966In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (pseudonym of Carolyn G. Heilbrun), 1966 (ISBN 0380545101)The Bull Whip Breed by J. T. Edson, Bantam Books, 1969Tarzan of the Apes, Ballantine 1969The Return of Tarzan, Ballantine, 1969The Beasts of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969The Son of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar, Ballantine 1969Jungle Tales of Tarzan, Ballantine 1969Tarzan the Untamed, Ballantine 1969Tarzan the Terrible, Ballantine 1969Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Ballantine 1969Tarzan and the Ant Men, Ballantine 1969Tarzan and the Lost Empire, Ballantine 1969Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Ballantine 1970Tarzan the Invincible, Ballantine 1970Tarzan Triumphant, Ballantine 1970Tarzan and the City of Gold, Ballantine 1970Tarzan and the Lion Man, Ballantine 1970Tarzan and the Leopard Men, Ballantine 1970Tarzan's Quest, Ballantine 1974Tarzan and the Foreign Legion, Ballantine, 1964Tarzan and the Madman, Ballantine 1965Tarzan and the Castaways, Ballantine, 1965A Princess of Mars, Ballantine 1963The Gods of Mars, Ballantine 1963The Warlord of Mars, Ballantine 1963Thuvia, Maid of Mars, Ballantine 1963, 1969 (new painting)The Chessmen of Mars, Ballantine 1963The Master Mind of Mars, Ballantine 1963A Fighting Man of Mars, Ballantine 1963Swords of Mars, Ballantine 1963Synthetic Men of Mars, Ballantine 1963Llana of Gathol, Ballantine 1963John Carter of Mars, Ballantine 1965Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Ballantine 1974