Wacky Packages
by The Topps Company
from Abrams
Known affectionately among collectors as “Wacky Packs,” as a creative force with artist Art Spiegelman, the stickers were illustrated by such notable comics artists as Kim Deitch, , Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, and Norm Saunders.
This first-ever collection of Series One through Series Seven (from 1973 and 1974) celebrates the 35th anniversary of Wacky Packages and is sure to amuse collectors and fans young and old.
Collector's Guide to Pez: Identification and Price Guide, 3rd Edition
by Shawn Peterson
from Krause Publications
PEZ's claim to collectible fame is among one of the most intriguing urban legends on the books. Word has it a die-hard PEZhead's desire to trade and connect with her fellow PEZ pals was the impetus for her boyfriend developing eBay. True or not, the PEZ you love has certainly come a long way since its start in 1927. In this new edition of the Collector's Guide to PEZ you gain thorough details of company history, updated pricing and more than 16 chapters devoted to PEZ. Look for information on many rare and extremely valuable dispensers, plus 1,000 fun and fantastic photos.
Vietnam Zippos: American Soldiers' Engravings and Stories (1965-1973)
from University Of Chicago Press
Amazon Significant Seven, September 2007: When pictures of thatched huts set ablaze by U.S. troops were beamed to stateside TVs, the Zippo lighter became a symbol of the escalating Vietnam War and America's increasing uneasiness with her mission there. But the lighters were often much more than that to the soldiers; they were talismans and tokens of personal expression, engraved with statements ranging from the profane to the obscene to the just plain hopeful:
- When God open[ed] the gates of hell, the 101st walked out
- Death is my business and business has been good
- If you think sex is exciting, try incoming
- Never again
- I love you mom
—from an engraving on a Vietnam-era Zippo lighter
In 1965, journalist Morley Safer followed the United States Marines on a search and destroy mission into Cam Ne. When the Marines he accompanied reached the village, they ordered the civilians there to evacuate their homes—grass huts whose thatched roofs they set ablaze with Zippo lighters. Safer’s report on the event soon aired on CBS and was among the first to paint a harrowing portrait of the War in Vietnam. LBJ responded to the segment furiously, accusing Safer of having “shat on the American flag.” For the first time since World War II, American boys in uniform had been portrayed as murderers instead of liberators. Our perception of the war—and the Zippo lighter—would never be the same.
But as this stunning book attests, the Zippo was far more than an instrument of death and destruction. For the American soldiers who wielded them, they were a vital form of social protest as well. Vietnam Zippos showcases the engravings made by U.S. soldiers on their lighters during the height of the conflict, from 1965 to 1973. In a real-life version of the psychedelic war portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Sherry Buchanan tells the fascinating story of how the humble Zippo became a talisman and companion for American GIs during their tours of duty. Through a dazzling array of images, we see how Zippo lighters were used during the war, and we discover how they served as a canvas for both personal and political expression during the Age of Aquarius, engraved with etchings of peace signs and marijuana leaves and slogans steeped in all the rock lyrics, sound bites, combat slang, and antiwar mottos of the time.
Death from Above. Napalm Sticks to Kids. I Love You Mom, From a Lonely Paratrooper. The engravings gathered in this copiously illustrated volume are at once searing, caustic, and moving, running the full emotional spectrum with both sardonic reflections—I Love the Fucking Army and the Army Loves Fucking Me—and poignant maxims—When the Power of Love Overcomes the Love of Power, the World Will Know Peace. Part pop art and part military artifact, they collectively capture the large moods of the sixties and the darkest days of Vietnam—all through the world of the tiny Zippo.
The Skateboard Art of Jim Phillips
by Jim Phillips
from Schiffer Publishing
This retrospective of Jim's skateboard art bombards the reader with colorful decks, logos, ad art, ad layouts, photos, and stickers to illustrate the history of skateboarding, from the urethane revolution to the present. Take a ride with an inside view of Phillips' Studios, to observe the wacky world of his crazed studio artists and examine their graphic assignments. The story traces the roots of skateboarding with more than half a century of Phillips' involvement. It provides insight to the creative evolution of the sport, and worldwide interest in and influence from this California artist.
Just Can't Get Enough: Toys, Games, and Other Stuff from the 80s that Rocked
by Matthew Robinson
from Abrams Image
In this fond trip down memory lane, Just CanÂ’t Get Enough celebrates all the awesome products kids collected, begged their parents for, threw tantrums about, and obsessed over in the 1980s. From Hit Stix to Hungry, Hungry Hippos, My Little Pony to My Buddy, this book has all the toys and games that made the Â’80s one of the gnarliest decades of the century.
Packed with colorful photographs and illustrations and written in an entertaining, irreverent style, Just CanÂ’t Get Enough is filled with personal anecdotes, funny facts, and random trivia, along with special features like the Redonkulous Meter, which measures how beyond ridiculous each product truly was. Hilarious and original, this book is a must-have for anyone who ever snuggled with their Care Bear, staged epic battles between He-Man and Skeletor, played with their Lite-Brite for hours, or all of the above.
The Illustrated Collector's Guide to Alice Cooper
by Dale Sherman
from Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc.
The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book
by Marcie Melillo
from Krause Publications
Under the Tree: The Toys and Treats that Made Christmas Special, 1930-1970
by Susan Waggoner
from Stewart, Tabori and Chang
Filled with more than 100 illustrations—nostalgic art, vintage photographs, and evocative advertisements
When? Can’t I open just one? Please? The minutes, the hours, the eons of waiting—and wondering. What’s underneath the shiny silver paper? Behind the enormous red bow? Under the tree?
Who doesnÂ’t remember what it was like to be a kid at Christmas? And who hasnÂ’t yearned to go back in time to recapture that special feeling? Well, we canÂ’t turn back the clock, but we can do the next best thing. We can bring a bit of the past into the present. In Under the Tree, Susan Waggoner, author of Stewart, Tabori and ChangÂ’s ItÂ’s a Wonderful Christmas, takes a loving, nostalgic look at the toys and gifts that made the postwar American Christmas the big deal it was.
Under the Tree revisits gifts both large and small, from Mr. Machine and the Kenner Easy-Bake Oven to Moon Rocks, Silly Putty, Sea Monkeys, and other delights that stuffed our stockings. In addition to the fascinating stories behind each toy, the book is bursting with cultural history, quotes, and lore—all wrapped up with more than 100 full-color vintage illustrations. For anyone who’s ever been a kid at Christmas, Under the Tree will be as irresistible as a kiss under the mistletoe.
Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the Hamburger
by Jeffrey Tennyson
from Hyperion Books
The Art of Noir: THE POSTERS & GRAPHICS FROM THE CLASSICAL ERA OF FILM NOIR
by Eddie Muller
from Overlook TP
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