That made for an interesting story, too. Apparently the artist made fully detailed sketches in black and white, which were (in RJ's words) "beautiful". After the sketches were finished, the artist was asked to do the artwork in colour instead, for the same fee. He could of course refuse, but that would've meant not getting paid at all, after having spent many hours in making the sketches. So instead, he opted to just wing it and give the least effort he could get away with.

Don't know what to think of the story (were there no contracts?), but it's something RJ himself told the audience at a meeting where I was in the Netherlands. I'm sure he's shared it on other occasions, too. He seemed slightly (mighty?) embarrassed by it himself. He mentioned that he didn't see the finished pictures until after the release (which seemed uncharacteristically sloppy of him, not to mention Harriet) and that he only heard about the new demands of the artists after that. He also mentioned that, when he heard of the new contract demands, he completely understood why the artist had done it.

All I know is that I'm glad I bought the paperback, which did not have that artwork.

I'm not even sure if I would by the encyclopedia myself if it's released, in spite of having been involved in fandom for many years. As soon as I closed AMOL, that was exactly what it was for me: a closed book.