3 comments about The Devil in Design: The Krampus Postcards.

1. An historical, folklorical, and thought-provoking collection of symbolic prints geared to scare
   kids into behaving via paranoia and the dark side of Santa Claus. Well done. I keep it next to
   my copy of "Der Struwwelpeter".



2. I really enjoyed this book. The brief descriptions make the cards easier to understand by putting them into the historical perspective of beliefs and practices of late 19th and early 20th century Europe. Most of the cards are colorful and impressive, depicting different styles of the Krampus, having both humanistic and animistic qualities. This is definitely a good buy if you're interested in seeing the postcards without too much reading.



3. Monte Beauchamp's dazzling The Devil in Design: The Krampus Postcards (2004) is a collection of 147 vintage images of the dark and Pan - like Krampus, who, with his guiding companion St. Nikolaus, visited German and Austrian children at Christmastime. But while St. Nikolaus rewarded the well behaved with small gifts, Krampus, as a more active presence, not only left switches for disobedient children with which their parents could beat them, but spanked, shackled, and even kidnapped the worst juvenile offenders, who were carried away and thrown into hell. Thus, a child's good behavior at Christmastime and indeed throughout the year took on an entirely different folkloric coloring than it did in America, a continent to which Krampus never successfully emigrated, though other parts of Europe had similar "dark" Christmas traditions.
   
   Krampus was a childhood nighttime bogey and bedroom invader par excellence: small, horned, hairy, and black furred, he was almost identical to the archetypal Christian image of the devil. The classic Krampus figure was readily identifiable for his exceptionally long and permanently extended bright red tongue, as well as for having one cloven hoof in addition to a human foot. The numinous Krampus was a hybrid figure composed of both comedic and frightening characteristics; his bestial appearance and unmistakably phallic tongue underscored the decidedly sexual angle in his nature, which several of the included images make apparent. As a liminal trickster of the "betwixt and between" and a daimonic violator of boundaries and boarders of all varieties, several of the cards appropriately portray the irrepressible Krampus as bursting free from the two dimensional wall of the card and into the laps and
   
   The visionary illustrations of the Krampus Postcards are as powerful and strange as the beliefs and folklore upon which they were based. As Krampus is uniformly presented in jesting guise, the overall effect suggests that the children of the late 19th century and early 20th were no more seriously frightened by Krampus than American children of a slightly later era were by the witches and ghosts of Halloween decor and the corresponding folklore. That said, most of the artists clearly considered the Krampus image as a point of departure, and freely added a variety of subtle sociological twists that considerably widened the scope of basic theme.
   
   Several cards portray Krampus as a welcomed gentleman seducer, appearing on women's doorsteps dressed in period eveningwear, while others depict him spying enthusiastically on presumably wayward lovers. Two images reveal Krampus as a puppeteer of men, causing mankind's sin as well as punishing it. Like the Fool in the classic Tarot deck, Krampus gleefully steps off the edge of the earth, a group of shackled children following closely behind him; like the Pied Piper, Krampus leads away a line of children so long that its end disappears into the image's distant horizon.
   
   Apparently never shy about causing physical pain and discomfort, Krampus freely pulls children's hair, boxes their ears, and switches their bottoms. Though some children allow themselves to be led blandly away, others are clearly terrorized and beg last minute forgiveness; but regardless of their reaction to him, Krampus' expression of dutiful pleasure never changes. He is also capable of diverse forms of mobility: when not leading children away on foot or painfully pulling them after him, Krampus is driving an automobile, arriving by train, riding a sled, or flying in primitive airplanes, suggesting that there are few places to which he doesn't have access. As a kind of reverse Santa Claus, Krampus carries a basket on his shoulders, typically filled not with dolls and other toys, but with captured human children whose stunned appearance suggests that they have become little more than objects. Several cards depict Krampus carrying off young offenders through the snow, revealing that he is as comfortable in freezing weather as he is in the fires of hell. In one, a smiling snowman and an anthropomorphic half moon in a nighttime stocking cap look peacefully on as Krampus passes by with a child prisoner in the still of the night, suggesting that everything is as it should be.
   
   There are also female Krampus figures, and mother, father, and son Krampus families. Fans of Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer's Faust (1994) will recognize the Krampus on page 80 as the model for one of that film's enormous devil puppets.
   
   Most of the illustrations are traditional in character, and thus any sexual content is far from overt. However the fleshy and lascivious Krampus on page 50 clearly suggests the influence of Aubrey Beardsley, while the stylized Krampus of page 21 resembles nothing so much as a huge turgid phallus carried about on enormous cloven hooves. Page 89's Krampus is nine tenths a rooster, or cock. While Krampus is fond of carrying off huge baskets of adult women, including those of grandmotherly age, he is equally fond of strictly male audiences.
   
   It has taken Krampus a hundred years to reach American shores, an event The Devil In Design: The Krampus Postcards celebrates admirably. While some readers might prefer more historical information, Beauchamp's brief explanatory text provides the basic context needed to grasp the images: the illustrations, which speak volumes for themselves, do the rest.
   
   Those interested in the evolution of Christmas folklore and other Krampus - like figures may also want to seek out Tony van Renterghem's When Santa Was a Shaman (1995) and Phyllis Siefker's Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Man (1997) for further information.

5 comments about The Postcard Price Guide, 3rd Edition, A Comprehensive Reference.

1. If you are interested in collecting artist-signed, fantasy, and greetings-type postcards, as is the author of this book, you will find more than 350 pages of this book devoted to your hobby. If you are interested in collecting postcards showing town views, real photo, and roadside America -- a much more popular hobby, as shown by the major auction websites -- you will find only about 30 pages devoted to your hobby. There is an 8-page introduction useful for all collectors.



2. Between my mother and I, we've been collecting postcards for over 40 years (we also sell them on Ebay). Mashburn's excellent reference is the first book we recommend to people who ask us for a reference on postcard collecting. It is organized well, filled with important history and information, and has thousands of pictures and prices to guide the new and the seasoned collector. If you only buy one book about postcards, this is the one to buy.



3. I use this book frequently and, by adding my own "tabs" and my own cross reference table, have made it much easier to use. There are many important names in the work itself that are not shown in the index. As a result I am now working on compiling my own index to this book.



4. This is a wonderful reference source and price guide for postcard collectors. It is packed full of postcard information compiled from experienced dealers and collectors.

   As a beginning postcard collector, you will need to fully study this guide and understand the way the material is categorized before you use it at any PC Collector Shows & Auctions. It is not always user friendly ~ it may require a considerably amount time of hunting through several of the book's categories before you find your information. Same goes for matching the photos displayed on the book's page and finding it's related information in the text!

   Keep your previous J. L. Mashburn Postcard Price Guides. This Third Edition of THE POSTCARD PRICE GUIDE contains all new photos and does not repeat the photos from the previous additions.

   I recommend that you purchase J. L. Mashburn's Third Edition of THE POSTCARD PRICE GUIDE. It is worth the investment!




5. As a brand-new postcard collector, I needed a reference book which is complete and interesting. Mashburn's catalog of collectible postcards is as fun as reading an old Sears catalog and as informative as an encyclopedia. The author should have offered better clarification of certain postcard types, such as "linens" (what do they feel like?) and "real photos" (are they originals without any reproductions?). Mashburn should have kept the definitions more explicit and basic for beginners, but this is a trap into which all experts fall. Overall, this is a great intro to collecting postcards. Anyone have a postmarked Titanic card which they'll sell to me for cheap?

1 comments about A Postcard Journey Along the Upper Mississippi.

1. A simply pleasant book of a time past along the Upper Mississippi River system all spelled out in the printed postcard! A "must" for every river buff to have in their collection!

No comments about Midget Exhibit: Images From The Heyday Of Dwarf Display.

No comments about Colorado Wildlife: A Postcard Book (Postcard Books).

No comments about Mount Holyoke College (MA) (Postcard History Series).

No comments about Greetings from Beverly Hills.

1 comments about Cape Cod Memories.

1. I love visiting antique stores and purchasing old photographs and postcards. In the past few years I have amassed a sizable collection of postcards from Cape Cod, many of them artists' renditions of Cape Cod. These painted scenes depict the old Cape Cod of people's imaginations, those fueled by writers such as Joseph Lincoln (whose house is one of the fits postcards shown in the book). CAPE COD MEMORIES is filled with a variety of these post cards. Some show familiar landmarks, other cares are of places that no longer exist, and some are just humorous cards from a day and age when no trip would be complete without sending a postcard or two to the people at home. The book also has some commentary about the postcards, though the artwork tells the real story.
   
   While this book is a wonderful memento of a Cape Cod vacation, my guess is that postcard collectors will enjoy it most. Not only does it have a wide array of postcards, it also gives the value of each card.
   
   My only criticism, and I'll admit it is a minor criticism: not all of the postcards in the collection of "Cape Cod" postcards are from Cape Cod or the surrounding vacinity. "Idlewood Lake" in Hamilton, MA is about sixty miles north of the Cape Cod Canal, closer to Gloucester on the North Shore. While it borders Massachusetts' other Cape--Cape Ann, it's not part of Cape Cod though it does show a nice vacation spot of old.

5 comments about Greetings from Tucson: A Postcard History of the Old Pueblo.

1. I am a Tucson native and love the whole history of my hometown, and this small little postcard book just was a really neat little find.
   
   I am so pleased to find it, there is even on birds' eye view of my childhood home on one postcard. If I had only known.
   
   I nice history of postcards and Tucson. A quick little read.



2. As a long time resident of Tucson I'm so thrilled to find this unique history of Tucson book written in such an engaging manner. Such a great idea for a book, using old postcard images and putting together a history that really flows. My only question was why did it take so long for someone to come up with this great idea? All the images are in full glorious color which makes this a perfect browsing book for all my out-of-town friends and relatives.



3. I had the good fortune to visit Tucson several years ago and really enjoyed myself tremedously. However after reading this book, I can see all of the sights that I missed. Each and every postcard tells a story. Seeing the background of a city from the perspective of postcards is a quite innovative way to portray its history. This book is an amazing collection of historical postcards that are displayed in a truly attractive manner. Anyone with an interest in the old southwest or history in general will truly enjoy this book.



4. I originally purchased this because I love old postcard art, and incorporate it into my own artwork.
   What surprised me was that the story for each postcard drew me in, and I just sat and read the entire book. The writing engaged me as much or more than the postcards...wonderful work!
   This makes Tucson come alive for me - much more so than a tourist brochure or TV advertisement or a dry history book. The author has conveyed a sense of Tucson as a real city with an interesting history, and now I want to visit and see for myself.



5. This book will fascinate anyone who has lived in southern Arizona, since it collects dozens of old postcards that show how Tucson really looked in the past--and how it saw itself.

No comments about Downtown Pittsburgh (PA) (Postcards of America).