Rick Berry (b. 1953)
Neuromancer
signed ‘RRB 85’ (bottom left)
cibachrome print, heightened in oil
14³⁄₁₆ X 11in. (36 X 28cm.)
painted in 1984

Original artwork for the cover of William Gibson’s Neuromancer: a groundbreaking work in the history of cover design, being the first digitally-produced book cover in worldwide publishing history.

'The new NEUROMANCER arrived and I love it. It's just wonderful [...] I can only hope you'll use this same artist again' (Gibson to his publisher).

Neuromancer, published in 1984, is a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre, exploring themes of artificial intelligence, corporate power, and the fusion of humanity with technology. One of the most influential science fiction novels of the 20th century, it won the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award, and has profoundly affected both literature and popular culture. The novel follows Case, a washed-up computer hacker hired for one last job in a world where powerful corporations and artificial intelligences dominate a globally interconnected cyberspace. Gibson's vivid portrayal of a dystopian future where the lines between physical reality and virtual space are blurred has inspired countless works of fiction and real-world technological developments.

The cover artwork features a striking portrait of a figure partly illuminated in neon emerging from darkness, rendered in shades of blue and black with touches of pink and red. Berry's innovative approach involved using early computer technology in collaboration with hackers from MIT's Architecture Machine Group plus a brief run in the Massachusetts College of Art’s nascent digital lab, combining these digital techniques with traditional painting methods. The result is a digitally-produced cibachrome print finished by hand with oils – an extraordinary artwork marking the very beginning of the transition towards computer art, reflecting the novel's themes of human-machine interface and the blurring of reality and cyberspace. Produced in 1984 and first appearing on the 1985 paperback edition published by Ace Books, this artwork has become synonymous with Gibson’s visionary novel: ISFDB records it use on the covers of 19 editions. A significant milestone in the evolution of book cover design and digital art.

[Sold with:]
Rick Berry (b. 1953)
Neuromancer preliminary sketch
red chalk on black illustration board
signed 'RR BERRY' (bottom left)
24 X17¹⁄₂in (61 X 44.45 cm.)
painted in 1984

A larger-scale preliminary sketch in red chalk, being a crucial early step in the development of Berry's famous final design.

[And:]
William Gibson (b. 1948). Typed letter signed (‘WM') to Susan [Allison] of Berkley Books, Vancouver, 24 January 1986. In English. 1 page, 278 x 217mm.