Like his contemporary Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok broke into commercial art and achieved initial career success as a "Weird Tales" artist – though he did so through one of the stranger events in the history of science fiction and fantasy. In the summer of 1939, Ray Bradbury carried samples of Bok's art eastward to introduce his friend's work to magazine editors at the first World Science Fiction Convention. This was a bold move, since Bradbury was a neophyte with no connections to commercial art or the magazine industry; but it reflects the close ties within the fan and professional community. Bradbury was, at the time, a 19-year-old newspaper seller, and he borrowed funds for the trip from fellow science fiction fan Forrest J Ackerman. Bradbury succeeded; Farnsworth Wright, editor of "Weird Tales", accepted Bok's art, which debuted in the December 1939 issue of "Weird Tales". More than 50 issues of the magazine featured Bok's pen-and-ink work until March 1954. Bok also executed six color covers for "Weird Tales" between March 1940 and March 1942. "Weird Tales" also published five of Bok's stories and two of his poems between 1942 and 1951. Once he broke through into professional publications, Bok moved to New York City and lived there the rest of his life.