Howard Baker, born Arthur William Baker, is an Irish author sometimes referred to as W. Howard Baker, and who also wrote as Peter Saxon, William Arthur, W.A. Ballinger, and Richard Williams. The Big Steal involves a typical cast of misfit thieves trying to make off with a cache of gold bullion from Heathrow Airport, mixed with a plot thread about a killer on the loose. Baker also wrote war fiction, sci-fi and supernatural tales. The great cover art for the 1964 Mayflower Dell paperback you see here was painted by Peff, aka Sam Peffer. 

In pulp, a skinny dip always leads to an unexpected encounter. Possible results range from steamy sex among the water lilies to being scalped with a stone axe, but in all cases, getting naked in the woods is an open invitation to whoever—or whatever—might be passing by. As camping season draws near, we thought we’d share some book covers illustrating that immutable truth.