STEPHEN FABIAN OBSCURITY

"In every sense of the words, Stephen Fabian is a self-made artist, fashioning himself into a specialist of most pleasing quality with wide appeal to the appreciative of the aesthetic in the art of illustration."

- Writer and historian Sam Moskowitz

For many years, one wouldn't have to look very hard to find an illustration by Stephen Fabian in any fantasy, horror or science fiction book or magazine. During his career, Fabian created an immense body of work that included paintings, prints, portfolios and other media. A self-taught artist, he didn't begin his career until he was age 44. His first semi-professional sale was to Gerald Page's WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY. His first professional sale was a cover for the November 1974 issue of the science-fiction digest GALAXY.

I found this 5-page illustrated prose poem tucked away in FANTASTIC SCIENCE FICTION July 1979. It was co-created by Chip Fabian (his brother? son?) and apparently there was a series of these. To my knowledge, I haven't seen it published anywhere else and it is not listed in The Speculative Fiction Database.

After Fabian's passing on May 6, 2025 at the age of 95, an estate sale was held at his home on 4 Sussex Road, Wayne NJ. Here is an excerpt from the lot listings:

I’d like to invite you to the home of famous, published sci-fi artist and illustrator : Stephen Fabian. Amongst the last few of his original paintings being for sale Stephen has plenty of drawing/painting tools that a professional artist would have. At Mr. Fabian's request we will be auctioning off about 3 original signed paintings, original signed transfer tracings, Stephen's signed desk, signed chair, and lamp, limited signed prints, signed book covers of his published work, and counting...  But that’s just the BEGINNING! 

So much to choose from you are bound to find something that you love. This is not the type of sale where there are thousand dollar pieces staring you in the face. It’s the type of sale where countless hours was spent sorting through the rubble to uncover some beautiful gems. 

• 600-900 books and comics in excellent condition 
• Lots of vintage /antique bric-a-Brac
• Unique vintage furniture pieces 
• Tools 
• Records 
• Books!
• Vintage electronics 
• Some cameras and stereo equipment Electronics
• Pool table 
• Vintage ride on lawnmower (yellow!)
• TONS of sewing and knitting supplies and equipment 
• Glass ware 
• Crystal ware
• DVDs
• VHS
• Tape

Stephen’s wife was a professional seamstress so there is thousands of dollars worth of: yarns, threads, how to books, sewing machine, vintage loom patterns Buttons Material and more.

Stephen Fabian's final five paintings:

VINCENT PRICE'S 'FRIDAY CHICKEN'

To the world at large, Vincent Price is known as one of Hollywood's fine actors whose career spanned decades. To monster fans, he's famous for his villainous roles in numerous William Castle and Roger Corman films. But besides all that, Price had many interests, including collecting art and cooking.

In 1974, Price and his wife Mary published a cookbook entitled, "A Treasury of Great Recipes" which has since become both highly-regarded and highly-collectible.

One of the recipes in it is for Price's "Friday Chicken", a variation on a spatchcock or butterfly chicken. Ashia Aubourg, a food writer for AllRecipes, tells us how to make the dish. After that is a story by a woman who coveted the copy of the famed cookbook that her grandmother owned.

Bon Appétit!

Vincent Price's Famous Chicken Recipe Is as Legendary as He Is

By Ashia Aubourg | May 5, 2026 | allrecipes.com

This recipe begins with capon, a type of chicken prized for its tender, juicy, and flavorful meat. Popular in the United States since the 1940s, it often appeared on holiday dinner tables. These days, it's much harder to find, so I used a whole chicken from the grocery store instead.

Now for the fun part. Most whole chicken recipes suggest lifting the skin and tucking in a bit of compound butter. But Price's Friday Chicken takes a different approach: a seasoned stuffing is placed between the skin and the meat rather than inside the cavity.

To make the stuffing, remove the crust from 5 slices of white bread—or use half a baguette as I did—and place them in a bowl with 1/2 cup water. Let that sit until the bread softens, about 3 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture, then mix the bread with 4 lightly beaten eggs, 1 small onion, grated, 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon thyme or crumbled sage leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Gently loosen the skin of the chicken by sliding your fingers over the breast and around the thighs to separate the skin from the meat. Fill the space between the skin and meat with the stuffing, covering the breast and filling the leg pockets.

Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Rub with 1/2 cup softened butter, then season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, basting every 20 minutes. Then flip the chicken over and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 15 minutes more.

Remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest briefly before carving, and enjoy.

A newer cookbook with a foreword by Victoria Price.

This Vintage Cookbook Is the 1 Thing I Asked My Grandma to Leave Me

Interestingly, it was written by a classic horror movie star and his wife.

By Alice Levitt | October 17, 2024 | allrecipes.com

My grandmother was far from a collector. She was known for throwing out anything that didn’t bring her joy long before Marie Kondo, even if it didn’t belong to her. My mother will never forgive her for all the Mary Quant and Rudi Gernreich fashions that ended up in a landfill. But somehow, among the four or five cookbooks she kept on her shelf was the one that outlasted practically everything else in her home. 

Each time I went to her house, from the time I was in my teens, I sat on her couch with that tome as if I had been magnetized to it. At 456 pages, it weighed me down so that I couldn’t go anywhere until I absolutely had to—usually to stake out my place in line by the cheese plate that always included chèvre just for me.

I always told my grandmother I only needed her to will me one thing: Her copy of Mary and Vincent Price’s "A Treasury of Great Recipes." Ultimately, she gifted it to me before she passed on in 2017. She said she wanted to see me enjoy it. And I have. 

'A Treasury of Great Recipes' Earns Its Title

People say not to judge a book by its cover, but the Prices’ magnum opus is a worthy one. Shiny light brown with gold writing, the original edition, from 1965, is every bit as weighty as its contents' merit. 

And the names on that cover? One will likely ring a few bells to horror fans. Vincent Price starred in more than his share of horror classics, including everything from vintage Poe-based Roger Corman joints such as “The Masque of the Red Death” and William Castle’s schlocky “The Tingler” to playing Edward Scissorhands’ creator in Tim Burton’s film of the same name. His wife Mary was perhaps less notorious, but I would have loved to spend time in the kitchen—and international dining rooms—with her. 

When I first picked up the book, it was as a film aficionado seeking to enjoy a quirky novelty. I was rewarded with the most impressive time capsule of 1965 dining in existence. Today, budding culinary historians can rely on the "Eating History" Facebook page to find vintage menus from around the world. For me in the 1990s, "A Treasury of Great Recipes" stoked my already burning desire to read every menu I could, from any era. 

What’s Inside the Cookbook?

The fact that, like the Prices, my grandmother had been an avid traveler in the same epoch made the photos of 1960s dining rooms and dishes even more of a joy. I could finally put contemporary images to my vegetarian mother’s story of being forced by a waiter to order duck at Paris’ La Tour d’Argent. I could imagine it on the menu—if only I could scrounge up a duck press, I could try replicating the Caneton Tour D’Argent at home. 

But the beauty of most of the book is that it’s approachable for home cooks. According to the couple’s daughter, Victoria Price, in a preface added to the 50th-anniversary edition of the book, Mary resisted the publisher’s wish to share Spanish restaurant Botín’s famous suckling pig recipe in favor of a modified preparation of fresh ham or leg of lamb in the same style. 

As someone who has owned too many cookbooks merely as objets d’art (I’m looking at you, "The French Laundry Cookbook"), I have a great appreciation for a book that I can actually cook from without major adjustments. I started especially simple with the tagliatelle verdi gratinate al prosciutto, or green noodle casserole with prosciutto. Who can argue with salty, meaty baked pasta?

The recipe from Harry’s Bar in Venice, a restaurant famous for creating the Bellini and carpaccio, is basically spinach fettuccine in cream sauce, baked with prosciutto and lots of Parmesan. 

Though the Prices’ travels were mostly limited to the United States and Western Europe, the book also pays visits to Mexico and Puerto Rico, only slightly problematic by today’s standards. After all, this was a time during which the Prices said, "Coconut milk is easy to come by—once you have a coconut, that is!" The definition of convenience has certainly changed in the last six decades—so has cuisine. In 1965, the New York Pierre Hotel’s Pierre Grill was considered wildly adventurous for its “best curries this side of Bombay,” wheeled out by “two East Indian boys in native costume.” But alongside it, the Eurocentric palate still craved Soufflé Pudding Pierre for dessert.

For a taste of the era (and eras long before the Prices’ own), one of my favorite sections of the book belongs to Lüchow’s Restaurant, called “The Gourmet’s Rendezvous since 1882.” There are recipes for German pancakes, sauerbraten, and herring in dill sauce, but it’s clear that Price was especially fond of the restaurant’s beef steak tartar, which he introduced with the line, “One of the pleasantest ways I know of to lose weight is to go on a raw meat binge for a few days.” So, for horror fans looking for hints of Price’s spooky side, there you have it!

But for me, it’s a different way of communing with the dead. Whenever I read or cook from "A Treasury of Great Recipes," my grandmother’s memory lives on. And happily, she did get to see me enjoy it.

HAPPY NATIONAL BURGER DAY

Is it time for another burger celebration already? Now is a good time to mention an anniversary that coincides with it: the legendary Los Angeles burger joint, Tommy's is enjoying its 80th birthday this month and today only they're giving away their famous chili burgers for free.

I have fond memories of the Tommy's on Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica (now closed). Before I moved up to Washington, my buddy and I crammed in all the concerts we could. The list is long, but some of them were Pink Floyd (twice),Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn (twice), Dire Straits, Jeff Beck, John Fogerty, Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, Mick Fleetwood, Jeff Healey and Bruce Springsteen.

After a show, we'd regularly stop at Tommy's and get what we called "gurney'd", that is needing to be rolled out, incapacitated from the food. The order usually went something like this: we'd have them take a fold-open serving box, put one half of the bun at each end, throw in a couple of patties and ladle in as much of their straight (i.e. no-beans) chili as the box could stand. That made for a fine midnight snack if there ever was one!

Don't let the photo above fool you; the regular chili burger was anything but neat-looking--when you opened up the wrapper, it was a frickin' mess!