4 comments about Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History.

1. I'm as much a fan of comic book history as I am of comic books themselves. The history is absolutely fascinating as one delves into just how the business started and some of the real-life unusual characters who are largely responsible for comic books as we know them today. Ron Goulart's "Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History" has just been released again by Collector's Press and it should be required reading for comic fans, especially younger fans who are not familiar with over eighty year history of the business.
   
   Most people associate the start of the comic book era with the release of Action Comics #1 in 1938 that featured the introduction of Superman in a thirteen-page story. But the fact is that comic books had been around for many years before Superman came along. Heck, Action Comics was not even the first title put out by National Comics/National Periodical Publications, which would later become DC. National's first book was New Fun Comics in 1935, which would later change its name to More Fun Comics, and introduce characters such as The Spectre and Doctor Fate.
   
   Comic Book Culture takes fans back to the earliest days of the bound comic, which originally just collected popular newspaper strips of the day and reprinted them. Detective Comics #1 actually preceded Action Comics #1 by over a year, making its debut in March 1937. Detective Comics was heavily influenced by detective pulp magazines of the 30's which were among the most popular pulps of the day. Another early National title that would thrive for years would be Adventure Comics, also debuting in 1935.
   
   One of the great pioneers of the Golden Age of Comics was M.C. Gaines. Gaines headed up All-American Publications, the sister company to National. All-American would introduce such characters as the Golden Age Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, as well as the Justice Society of America.
   
   But before you think this book is all about DC and marvel, think again. I was pleasantly surprised at how much coverage was given to companies, titles, and characters long lost to the sands of time. There was Mystic Comics featuring The Destroyer and Dynamo Man, Mystery Men Comics featuring the Blue Beetle, Wonder World Comics featuring The Flame, Hit Comics featuring Hercules, and countless others.
   
   Of course, the other major players of the Golden Age are covered in full with sections devoted to Captain Marvel and the whole Marvel family, and Timely Comics. Goulart also devotes sections to the "Old Masters" of the day such as Jack Kirby and Alex Schomburg, presenting dozens of examples of their cover art. And in the end, the biggest attraction of Comic Book Culture is the hundreds of cover reprints from the most famous to the most obscure of the Golden Age. You'll feel like a kid browsing in a toy store exclaiming, "Oh! I want that! And I want that one, too!" The covers are beautifully reprinted and one has to imagine that it was no small task finding covers that were still in good enough shape to reprint.
   
   This is a gorgeous book, filled with long-forgotten nostalgia and brimming over with a wealth of information about comic's Golden Age.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. As the author says in his the Introduction `Comic Book Culture' is basically a picture book and as such I'm pleased to have a copy. Goulart's history of comics Golden Age, roughly mid Thirties to the late Forties, is adequate though you can read more in his previous book `Over 50 Years of American Comic Books' but it is the four hundred covers reproduced that I think will interest readers more. Page after page of superheroes battling crime and or evil in dazzling 100 Magenta plus 100 Yellow, that's the printers term for the vibrant red that the comics biz could not do without. All these covers had to compete on the newsstand and the more 100Y+100M the better it seems, page 130 has the cover of The Human Torch (1943) leaping off the page, it couldn't get any brighter.
   
   I have always been rather critical of Collector Press books, they always seem a bit over designed but this one is great, each of the sixteen chapters starts on a spread one page of which is a huge color blow-up of part of a picture, many of the spreads just have covers and captions on them and the designers have resisted the temptation to angle or overlap the covers. The typography, layouts and printing are excellent. There are two chapters devoted to some of the great comic artists of the period, Everett, Fine, Patenaude, Kirby, Schomburg, Ricca and Cole. The last chapter has a (very) brief look at what is called "Good girl art", presenting heroines in as provocative a way as possible and you can't get more provocative than Matt Baker's April 1948 cover of Phantom Lady, sales must have soared!
   
   If you want to see more covers have a look at the two volume `The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books' by Ernst and Mary Gerber, more than 21,000 beautifully printed on gloss paper (another two volumes covers 7,000 Marvel comics).
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. Comic book collectors, researchers, and fans will appreciate this reflection on the rogues, heroes and creators of comics in Comic Book Culture, a visual celebration of the Golden Age of comic books from the 1930s to the 1940s. Goulart explains and traces the changes of the comic art form, using his extensive collection as a foundation for examples which are colorful and which celebrate the history of comics. The full-page comic book reproductions are striking and the history and commentary involving.



4. A beautifully presented coffee table book showcasing the earliest days of a true american art form - the comic book! The grouping of comic covers by theme and by artist work well and highlight some truly great pieces! Popular culture at it's finest!

2 comments about Warman's Beatles Field Guide: Values And Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

1. Bought this for a stocking stuffer for Christmas. My husband, a huge Beatles fan, loves it. My teenage son, another Beatles fan, covets it. If I had known how much they would like it, I would've bought two of them. They are particularly interested in old vinyl records. This doesn't list them all, but it is still a handy reference guide for the items it does list. Note that it only lists US record releases, not the UK records. Though it has its limits, it was a great little stocking stuffer for the price (68 cents plus shipping). Beware that, though this item was advertised by a marketplace seller as "used, like new", it did have a marker stripe across the bottom of the book. Didn't bother us, but it isn't quite "like new" for those giving it as a gift to discriminating recipients!



2. This pocket guide to Beatles collectibles is a handy reference for those wishing to value their own collections or add to them. I learned that my copy of Vee Jay's "Introducing the Beatles" album will not be funding my retirement, since it is in fact a counterfeit. The section on U.S. Beatles releases is useful; clear instructions are given for discriminating among the many variations that exist.
   
   The most annoying feature of the guide is a doltish essay by one Chris Nickson. This uninformed commentator goes on about the importance of "George's" "Baby, You're a Rich Man." You don't have to be steeped in Fab Four lore to know that this is a Lennon-McCartney song. How did this error make it through Editorial? It undermines the Guide's credibility. Nickson goes on to archly dismiss most of the Beatles' music. "Get Back" is "not worth the vinyl." Get this guy out of the 2nd edition, if there is one.
   
   The book's other essays are also superfluous. Why include an article about the Moptops' solo careers when the Guide does not cover albums and merchandise from that period? I wish the section on British LPs, allegedly brief due to space constraints, had been expanded; omitting those essays would have freed up a lot of space.
   
   This book, while not masterful, is nevertheless useful for the many of us who don't know whether we own treasures or trash. Buy it, consult its tables of price information, but don't read it.

5 comments about All Things Oz: The Wonder, Wit, and Wisdom of The Wizard of Oz.

1. Editor Sunshine has provided a wonderful overview volume to the 14 volumes of Oz books written by L. Frank Baum. Each page contains an illustration from the collection of Willard Carroll, many appearing in print in the USA for the first time. So even Oz fanatics like me will find surprises throughout this book. To this graphic delight, Sunshine has selected passages both long and short from Baum's Oz writings that summarize many of the delightful aspects of his fantasy fairyland. Also included are sections called Other Voices where selected commentary on Baum's Oz writings are presented. She calls this collection a whirlwind tour. Between the many illustrations and the large print, this is a quick read, but a very enjoyable one.



2. It wasn't what I was looking for. I used a couple of quotes from it, though.



3. The book was in great condition and arrived quickly. It made a perfect gift! Thanks!



4. OH MY GOSH ..... This book is FABULOUS! I just love it.
   The pictures are beautiful, the stories fun, and the design is just well ... to die for! Timothy Shaner is a genius!



5. You said it is not available. If it is, please send!

1 comments about Celebrating Christmas Ornaments (Collectibles).

1. A lovely little book that takes a fresh look at Christmas decorations. Up to page forty it covers the usual paper, glass, celluloid and plastic decorations that you'll see in most collectors books about festive season but from there until page 160 there are photos of an amazing assortment of up-market ornaments that are not usually seen in other books.
   
   The Christmas feel is drawn rather wide because you'll see a Tutenkommen head designed by Jay Strongwater, Christopher Radko inspired monsters from Jurassic Park or a Buccellatti endangered species set in sterling silver (and only five hundred produced) but all of them have the hanging clip to allow them to be put on a tree.
   
   Most of the book's decorations though do interpret the traditional symbols of the season: Santa, winter scenes, three wise men, snow crystals (Swarovski do some stunning ones) or just highly decorated round baubles. Surprisingly there are no Georg Jensen Christmas keepsakes.
   
   All of these delights are displayed on the page as cutouts with short captions with a simple elegant layout. My only criticism is that there are no dimensions mentioned for any of these wonderful ornaments.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about The Complete Chicken.

1. This book describes, in at times overwhelming detail, the role of the chicken in the development of psychoanalytic thought and practice, and by extension, the history of twentieth century Western culture. I sincerely hope that the author plans a follow-up to this definitive text, outlining the chicken's equally-influential role in Eastern thought (most notably Zen Buddhism).

   I am certain that Auden's observation that Freud was no longer an individual, but rather a "climate of opinion," had everything to do with the "Flock Dialectic," detailed in this remarkable book (and leave it to Lacan, of course, to take this statement to its inevitable conclusion, in his work on "poulets picotant pour la graine," particularly in as it pertains to his "Romantic Construction of the Unconscious").

   One does not have to be an academic to comprehend the manner in which the chicken's flightless, songless state morphed, via a Bahktinian (by way of Rabelais) inversion of norms, into the "cri de couer" of our strange and troubled century.

   If you are interested in psychoanalytical praxis, I heartily recommend this book. That said, the lay reader or analysand will find it enlightening, as well.




2. The Complete Chicken: An Entertaining History Of Chickens by Pam Percy (who has been raising chickens as a hobby since 1986 on her five-acre property near Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a fascinating and detailed history of chickens in recorded human history, ranging from their domestication and use as egg layers and a source of food, to popular culture features such as the animated movie "Chicken Run." Full-color illustrations and photographs, famous chicken-themed quotes, and a solid body of fascinating information mark The Complete Chicken as a fascinating, bird-themed history which is a "must read" for chicken fanciers and fans.



3. I picked up a copy of Pam Percy's "The Complete Chicken" and couldn't put it down. It's a great blend of humor and history--great for chicken aficionados and chicken newbies alike. I particularly like its collection of chicken paintings and other artwork throughout history. I plan to give this book to all of the hobby farmers on my Christmas list this year.



4. I was excited when I saw this book, I was hoping for a comprehensive guide to the history of the chicken, my favorite land animal. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice book great pictures, great vintage art but in no way complete. Great for someone who has a slight interest in chickens, or loves country.



5. I have really been enjoying this book. It's one that I can pick up any time, and as I read, I frequently find myself saying to whoever is near, "Listen to this...."
   Interesting, funny, well-written, even useful -- thoroughly charming.

No comments about Barbie: The First 30 Years (Barbie the First 30 Years).

1 comments about The Barbie Doll Boom: Identification and Values.

1. The title was a little misleading..I was expecting a price guide from 1986 to 1999 but it only covers a few dolls and a lot of international makers..which we will see only a few in the US..The pictures took up most of the content and very little on the actual price guide...Disapointing to say the very least..about 500 pictures and not much else...

No comments about Elvis Memorabilia (The Collector's Corner).

2 comments about Classic Muscle Car Advertising: The Art of Selling Horsepower.

1. I have Mitch Frumkin's first two books, and I must admit this one is better, picture wise. His first two contained just b&w photos and not much text. This book is wall to wall color, which really brings the ads to life; some ads are even reproduced in their original size. Very cool - A+ on that account. However, this book contains much more text, which should have been a nice compliment to the ads, but unfortunately, there are a number of errors. Yes, I realize that one person cannot possibly know every little detail, and we are constantly finding out new facts about muscle cars, but if you have the ads in front of you, and hopefully the magazines they came out of, you should know the correct years of the cars and the dates the ads ran. In other words, model year 1971 cars were not advertised in late 1969.
   
   Also, I feel a number of historic ads were left out in this publication that should have been included. For example, there were several ads that were pulled by the manufacturers almost immediately after they ran, because they were considered too contraversial. None of these are here. Maybe Mitch wanted to offer the public some fresh material. The problem here is, his first two books are out of print. Quality used copies are going for good money and are becoming hard to find.
   
   Aside from those two nick-picky points, overall, it is a cool book. Would make a great gift. Buy a really nice used copy, you won't be disappointed.



2. I was impressed by Muscle Car Mania and Son of Muscle Car Mania but Mitch came up trumps this time as we benefit from colour print - the best way to see the psycadelic Plymouth ads of the 60's. If you like muscle cars buy this book.

1 comments about Encyclopedia of Porcelain Enamel Advertising: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is a very good book for folks starting out in collecting porcelain signs. There are hundreds of photos and it gives you a good idea of the variety of what exists and what to collect. Prices listed are now out of date.