Book Description
From the era of Pan Am clippers, bias cut gowns, and free Cuba comes the nightclub—swank, sophisticated, and, sadly, no more. In their heyday, few destinations were as alluring as the Stork Club, El Morocco, the French Casino, Cotton Club, Latin Quarter, Cocoanut Grove and other clubs that lit up the velvety evening hours. Where else could one dine while Frank Sinatra sang, or sip a martini while Jimmy Durante and a troupe of Carmen Miranda-clad chorus girls danced across the stage?
For the first time ever, Nightclub Nights opens the door to that glamorous, colorful, and vanished world. Using gorgeous, riotously colored authentic programs, menus, and period photography, author Susan Waggoner brings the nightclub back to sizzling life—from celebrity sanctuaries like Sherman Billingsley's Stork Club, where the rope line was invented, to the Latin beat of the Tropicana and the Chinese flair of Khubla Khan's. Impeccably designed and printed on heavy stock that replicates the original quality of the authentic artwork, this volume is filled with period history and anecdotes about the clubs as well as the stars and other noteworthies who frequented and performed at them. Today, with the resurgence of the cocktail hour, ballroom dancing, and supper clubs, Nightclub Nights is sure to appeal to audiences young and old as well as to those interested in popular culture and graphic design.
Rich with color, style, and atmosphere, Nightclub Nights is the next best thing to a table for two at the Copa.
Customer Reviews:
Handsome Book, Good Source For Appreciators Of Cocktail..........2003-04-11
A handsomely bound book with lots of colour and a real feeling of nostalgia throughout. I thought the book was well set up for easy reading and the enclosed anecdotes were usually charming and interesting. Some very sharp looking sepia-toned photos throughout the book along with colorful graphics and photos. Nice reproduced images of the various clubs' promotional material as well. I would have myself liked to see more photos of the people who worked in these establishments in "action" so to speak. Meaning, photos of flashy bartenders mixing up a martini, or beautiful cigarette girls, or a waiter with a tray full of fancy drinks, etc. I would have also liked to know what ever happened to the clubs themselves after they closed. Were they bulldozed? Do some still exist albeit in another form? However, the book is one of the few tributes in printed form to the period of the luxurious dinner clubs and night clubs of the first half of the 20th century. That alone makes it a must have for enthusiasts of the long gone cocktail "set". I was in the club industry for most of my working years, so I do know a little of the lifestlye! Wish I could have been around the "French Casino" or the "Cocoanut Grove" back in the heyday. It looked like a marvelous time to be alive in America and enjoy the true meaning of "a night on the town".
Vintage Classics!.......2001-05-07
I am here to actually review the author, Susan. I know how hard she works and her committment to presenting the best is phenomenal. Susan is an amazing author and I am honored to call her my cousin!!
Amazon.com
When Abstract Expressionism burst on the American scene in the 1940s, it elbowed another kind of American expressionism off the stage. Vivid evocations of the poor and disenfranchised in paintings by Jack Levine, Bernece Berkman and many others were now seen as stodgy and unsophisticated. In American Expressionism: Art and Social Change 1920-1950, cultural historian Bram Dijkstra argues that a generation of important left-wing artists, many of them Jewish, were the victims of intellectual, political and corporate interests bent on promoting a brighter, shinier United States. Unfortunately, Dijkstra undercuts his thesis with a haranguing tone, unconvincing analyses of individual works, and a dated view of abstraction as inherently "anti-humanist." His sweeping denunciation of "Nordic" (i.e., white, Protestant) artists leads him to view even an heroically scaled painting of a black soldier by John Steuart Curry—a "Nordic" artist collected by the NAACP—as a racist cartoon. At the heart of this contentious volume are 233 illustrations by dozens of little-known artists united by a passion for social justice. These works can be seen in a traveling exhibition at the Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art from May 16 to August 24, 2003.—Cathy Curtis
Book Description
During the 1920s and '30s and until the end of World War II, a distinctly American form of Expressionism evolved. Most of the artists in this movement, children of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe, African Americans, and other outsiders to American mainstream culture, grew up in the urban ghettoes of the East Coast or Chicago. Their art was sympathetic to the dispossessed and reflected a deep concern with the lives of working people. Providing a fascinating look at this art--and at the beginning of a new movement, Abstract Impressionism which followed it--cultural historian Bram Dijkstra offers new insights into the roots of painting in America today.
Dijkstra examines the new emphasis these socially conscious artists brought to the pursuit of the American ideals of equality, dignity, and justice for all. Provocatively he suggests that Abstract Expressionism came to be used as part of a backlash, deliberately fostered by conservative political and corporate interests, against the socially conscious Expressionist paintings and the WPA projects supported by the Roosevelt administration. Profusely illustrated throughout with works of art seldom seen today, the book coincides with an important traveling exhibition of the art of this period.
Customer Reviews:
Just excellent.......2007-01-30
An excellent compilation of a mid-century American art style. Despite the promised controversy, Dijkstra's commentaries are brilliant and quite convincing. This is certainly not a pretty or unemotional art. But what a rewarding experience.
A masterpiece!!.......2003-08-16
AMERICAN EXPRESSIONISM is a beautiful book and one could have no better guide that cultural historian Bram Dijkstra. He is passionate, articulate, intelligent and knowledgeable about his subject. I am richer and have a deeper appreciation for the world of expressionism for having experienced this fine book.
Bravo.
Book Description
Swiss graphic design and “the Swiss Style” are crucial elements in the history of modernism. During the 1920s and ’30s, skills traditionally associated with Swiss industry, particularly pharmaceuticals and mechanical engineering, were matched by those of the country’s graphic designers, who produced their advertising and technical literature. These pioneering graphic artists saw design as part of industrial production and searched for anonymous, objective visual communication. They chose photographic images rather than illustration, and typefaces that were industrial-looking rather than those designed for books.
Written by noted design authority Richard Hollis, this lavishly illustrated volume looks at the uniquely clear graphic language developed by such Swiss designers as Theo Ballmer, Max Bill, Adrian Frutiger, Karl Gerstner, Armin Hoffman, Ernst Keller, Herbert Matter, Josef Müller-Brockmann, and Jan Tschichold. The style of these artists received worldwide admiration for its formal discipline: images and text were organized by geometrical grids. Adopted internationally, the grid and sans serif typefaces such as Helvetica became the classic emblems of Swiss graphic design.
Showcasing design work across a range of media, including posters, magazines, exhibition displays, brochures, advertisements, books, and film, this essential book shows how many of the Swiss designers’ modernist elements remain an indispensable part of today’s graphic language.
Customer Reviews:
Swiss Graphic Design.......2007-06-27
This is a nice, well made book. It's a great reference for designers or art directors that need to put a Swiss spin on things.
Tineline confusion.......2007-03-01
Hollis's book, while extensive in its documentation and admirable in its visual organization of the Swiss developments, comes to several conclusions which should be questioned. The first is the disproportionate and misguided prominence afforded Theo Ballmer as a prime influence stemming from his experience at the Bauhaus. Whatever Ballmer's influence as a poster designer in the 20s was, he had gotten his essential training in the Basel school, which underwent its own ongoing and largely independent modernist development, prior to Ballmer's very brief time at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus influence is deemed minor by the emerging Basel school, and Ballmer's later influence in teaching photography and lettering has to be considered a lesser one.
Significant also is the confusion in reporting influences in development of the cutting edge Geigy Pharmaceuticals graphics program where the influences of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder as educators of the leading Geigy designers are missing. While this is inferred on page 162 in the statement that "the Geigy style originated in the teaching at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule," the key influences in Basel--Hofmann and Ruder--are not mentioned.
Similarly, Hollis attributes Müller-Brockman's "conversion" to the influences of Lohse and Vivarelli, the evidence being the concert hall posters of 1951 and 52. While this is definitely a move in that direction from an earlier illustrative style, the most convincing change, and the style by which Müller-Brockman is widely known, emerged on the hiring of graduates of the Basel school under Armin Hofmann in 1955. This means that Hofmann and Ruder pre-date Müller-Brockman's mature style instead of being placed as p. 214 as a separate and later development--and not as a precursor feeding the larger Swiss development from a more humanistic perspective than the more constructivist direction of the Zürich school. One can argue about which contributed most to the international prominence of Swiss design, but Hollis's own statement p. 215 regarding the world-wide significance of Hofmann's Graphic Design Manual, Principles and Practice, on education is telling. Müller-Brockman's more objective approach was probably more influential in the world of corporate graphics.
Hollis betrays a bias, perhaps, in his strange analysis of Hofmann's Tell poster and omits such key poster achievements as the "Switzerland in the Roman Era" (1957). It is unfortunate that Hollis did not interview Armin and Dorothea Hofmann. They are few of the remaining key figures from the era of Hollis's investigation.
To go boldly with Helvetica.......2007-02-28
The 'Swiss style' comes alive in this fascinating and very comprehensive study. If you design for print and ever wondered how some everyday graphic principles and typefaces originated the answer is in these pages. The story begins in twenties central Europe with a merging of modern art, the Bauhaus, Russian constructivism, craft printing techniques, photography and strong cultural attitudes in German speaking Zurich. All of these influences produced a graphic language of simplicity and directness that spread across Switzerland and one would expect nothing less from a country associated with order and precision.
Interesting as the text is I was particularly impressed with the several hundred illustrations (all with extensive captions) and as this is a book about a visual style and basically a printed one the choice of posters, examples of typography and many spreads from brochures, magazines, books all work well to complement the words.
I was interested in the several pages devoted to the magazine 'Neue Grafik' (New Graphic Design) which was the flagship publication of the Zurich modernists. It only ran for seventeen issues (from 1958 to a double issue seventeen and eighteen in 1965) but was really the only opportunity for designers outside Switzerland to see what was going on. Strangely, despite the design aiming for clarity, reading the issues was a bit of a chore. Three languages were set in each edition in one typeface and one size with paragraphs stretching sometimes to hundreds of words with no par indents or line space. However each spread looked fresh and lively thanks to the publication's grid.
I think it is worth commenting on the book's production. Designed by the author it uses a two column grid but nicely many pages just have one column of text and the space for the other text column is divided into two and used for illustrations and captions. The many variations of these column elements really make the pages sparkle and I think many publication designers could learn something by studying how the text and graphics blend together throughout the book.
Richard Hollis is to be congratulated on writing and designing a book that will surely be regarded as the definitive study about the origins of the Swiss Style.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Book Description
The first book in the Circles of the Twentieth Century series which focuses on writers, artists, poets, hostesses and patrons who played a role in moderism as we know it. Watson explores the lively and fascinating people who helped bring about what became known as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
Customer Reviews:
It's good.......2006-06-28
This is a worthwhile and well-researched book. It is more scholarly than I expected, and as a result, it took me a while to get fully engaged in. By the time I got to the section discussing the jazz artists, it was hard to put down. I was familiar with most of the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance to some extent. The book painted a more vivid picture of many of them, and gave keen perspectives on the social and economic milieu that helped to shape the period. It was fascinating to read about some of the interlocking relationships, in particular the relationships between Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Charlotte Mason. Examples such as this changed my notion of writing always being an insular profession. The men and women of the Harlem Renaissance benefited by each other's support as well as competition.
Outlined the experience but no depth.......1998-06-12
In my journey to explore the Harlem Renaissance, I started with this book. I felt the author gave a good basic view of the era but he left out the soul. He focused on six or seven primary personalities of the time, from Langston Hughes to Zora Neale Hurston, and tied the times into their existence. I was left feeling like there had to be more about the era. The author also chases around issues of major character homosexuality, stating it but not really being clear about it. I was ready for it to end.
This book is informative, entertaining, coherent........1998-02-07
I read this book in hardcover as well as several others for a paper I wrote. The author was able to take the disparate threads of musicians, artists, writers and benefactors who contributed to the Renaissance and weave together a chronology that contained pictures, specific information about the "hotspots" in Harlem and complete, sometimes intimate portraits of all concerned. If the Harlem Renaissance was ever to be depicted in a movie, this book would be a ready-made screen play. The hardcover edition is worth the extra money.
Their Eyes Were Watching God= A Great Book!!.......1997-11-03
I really enjoyed this book. I had to read it for an english class. At first I thought it was going to be hard to read and dumb due to the dialect, but as I read further into the book, I found out what a great book it was and why it was on the required reading list. I would greatly recommmend reading this book to any one who hasnot. It deals with a black woman's search for indeoendence over 25 years and 3 marriages. It is a great book and gets TWO thumbs up from me!!!
Book Description
The great French 16th-century potter, Bernard Palissy, created a genre of rustic ceramic ware reproducing three-dimensional still lifes of natural objects, flora and fauna of all types, including lizards and fish, rendered in high relief and natural colors. His work influenced a school of artists that flourished in the Portuguese town of Caldas da Rainha, 65 miles north of Lisbon, between 1853 and 1920. This volume surveys the work of the most important artists of the Portugese Palissy revival, including Mafra and Pinheiro.
Book Description
Our special today is a tasty treat called May I Take Your Order? Brimming with classic restaurant menus from the roaring '20s through the fabulous '50s, May I Take Your Order? is the first book to feature this hot new collectible and design resource with hundreds of color reproductions. Author Jim Heimann showcases 250 original menus from all kinds of restaurants, including roadside diners à la Route 66, theme restaurants (travel, Western-style, celebrity eateries), five-star restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and cafés. With menus and vintage photographs from some of the greatest dining establishments of the era, this survey of a popular artform offers an uncommon perspective on design in the early half of the century -- as well as a glimpse of prices and culinary preferences of yesteryear. From the elegance of Art Nouveau to playful Art Deco designs to the ultra-modernism of the late Ô50s, this is an exciting new y'nd for artists, designers, and restaurateurs looking for ideas and inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
Good reference.......2003-04-09
As a designer, I consider this a must-have as a visual reference, though incomplete because of it's general lack of interior art. I suspect the cover art is prevalent because of it's appeal to collectors. Well-designed presentation by Jim Heimann. Glad to have it, but I want to see more.
Excellent historical book inspires journey down memory lane!.......2001-02-16
As the author of "Restaurant China, Identification & Value Guide for Restaurant, Airline, Ship & Railroad Dinnerware, Volume 1 and Volume 2," I was delighted when I received this excellent historical resource. The 1000+ priceless photographs, along with difficult to document dates and locations are most appreciated. In addition, it is a pleasure to simply page through Jim Heimann's books and imagine life as it was in days gone by.
Great Book..........1999-01-16
I thought the book was great, but I was hoping it would show more of menu interiors rather than the covers/exteriors. While folks can show you excerpts from text...it's a bit harder when you are buying a book for the images.
Book Description
The fabulous Easter eggs that Carl Fabergé created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the Russian imperial family are legendary. Yet few know that during those same years, the renowned goldsmith and jeweler crafted exquisite flowers and fruit for his aristocratic clients throughout Europe, including the crowned heads of Russia and England. Carved from colored hardstones, set on gold stems, and embellished with jewels and enamels, these stunning pieces meticulously replicated real botanical specimens: wild roses, lilies of the valley, hawthorn flowers, and blueberries.
This beautiful volume tells for the first time the story of these tiny marvels, most of which disappeared or were sold following the Russian revolution. Today, Fabergé's existing botanical creations, such as the Wild Rose Collection of Queen Elizabeth II and the Red Currants at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, are found in museums and private collections. Fabergé Flowers combines superb photographs of these dazzling objects of fantasy with texts that illuminate the lost world of Fabergé's early collectors. AUTHOR BIO: Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey is an independent scholar of Russian decorative arts and cultural history. Alexander von Solodkoff is a historian of Russian decorative arts. Joyce Lasky Reed is the president of the Fabergé Arts Foundation of Washington, D.C., and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Customer Reviews:
Exquisite craftsmanship of nature's beauties.......2007-07-21
Just about a year ago, I went to a special exhibition in Newark, New Jersey that had artifacts from the private domain of Russia's last Tsar and his family. As I strolled among the clothing and photographs and paintings, there was one object that stood in solitary splendour in a glass case, occupying a place of honor.
The object was a bouquet of lilies of the valley, arranged in a beautifully woven basket, nestled in moss. But unlike real flowers, this was all crafted in gold, pearls and diamonds, and jade. It's so carefully made that you can see the veining in the leaves, the delicate strands of moss, and so vivid that if there was a breeze, you would swear that the arrangement would quiver.
Presented to the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as a coronation gift, it sat on her desk until the Revolution. But it wasn't the only object that she owned that was crafted by Faberge. Every well-to-do and aristocratic home had frames, silver, and other designs created by Faberge and his firm in their homes. One of the most popular of these were the small floral arrangements, usually just one or two sprigs of a particular flower in a vase of rock crystal.
In Faberge Flowers, Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey explores these tiny treasures. Most are only a few inches high at the most, and delightful to look at. With other researchers and others that have fallen under the spell of Faberge's work, she takes a look at the works of this craftsman. Each essay is accompanied by splendid photographs of the flowers -- and a few of the famous Imperial Eggs -- which made the book worth purchasing.
One of the top researchers on Faberge, Alexander von Solodkoff, writes the first essay, cleverly disguised as the introduction, where he talks about the fondness of Russians for flowers, and the cultural significance of them, especially with their associations with spring and Easter. He also talks about the varied collectors of Faberge, both before the Russian Revolution and after.
"A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Foever:" The Faberge Flowers, by the editor of the book, Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey, goes into the history of these little objects of art. Known as "flower studies," these were also the rarest of the various objects d'art that the firm crafted. Only a hundred or so of these fragile objects are known to have survived to now, and when they rarely come to the open market, they fetch astronomical prices. Swezey discusses the materials used -- most remarkable is the actual dandelion fluff used to create the dandelion flowers, each held in place with minute wires -- along with the Art Noveau style which drew inspiration from nature. For the Russian court, it was a breath of fresh air, and reaction to the at times overbearing magnificence of the most wealthy court in Europe. Also covere are the various exhibitions that were held of the Faberge flowers as well.
An Astonishing Discovery by Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm
discusses how the fall of the Soviet regime in Russia has led to the discovery of the original designs and notes that were made in the creation of the flowers. She shows the finished object side by side with the designer's notes, and the details on both are what takes my breath away when I look at them. The author also goes into the decision making process and the steps in crafting the finished product, from the selection of the stones to the making of the rock crystal vases that formed the base of many of the flowers.
"His Greatest Patroness:" Queen Alexandra and Faberge's Flowers by Caroline de Guitaut talks about the largest collection of Faberge outside of Russia, and the woman who started it. The elder sister of Empress Marie, Queen Alexandra was very familiar with Faberge's work, collecting small hardstone animals as well as more than twenty-three of the floral studies. There are also notes about the others who have added to the Faberge objects in the Royal Collection today.
Faberge's London Branch and the London Ledgers by Tatiana Faberge is the shortest of the essays, just covering how Faberge opened the London branch of the firm, and how the surviving business ledgers have proved to be valuable in tracking down where many of the objects are today.
In Search of Faberge's Flowers in Russia by Valentin V. Skurlov is translated by Dudley Hagen, and talks about the collectors in Russia before the Revolution. Not only discussing the various collectors, he also mentions that having a knowledge of flowers was a sign of being educated, and that the flowers were quite an acceptable present when a piece of jewelry would be 'awkward.' Many of these objects vanished in the confusion of the Revolution, and their whereabouts are unknown. Another tidbit is that Skurlov talks about the various floral firms that supplied many of the hothouse flowers for the aristocracy -- and as models for Faberge's artisans. Using notes and ledgers, Skurlov gives a list of the various flowers purchased or given by the Romanovs, and among the photographs can be seen one creation nestled in the original case.
Faberge's Flowers: Science in the Service of Art by Mark A. Schaffer talks about his own love of Faberge (his firm A La Vieille Russe sells jewelry and often Faberge objects in New York City) and the little touches and detail that Faberge put into his designs, showing fruits and flowers in every stage.
Every photograph is annotated, and the essays have plenty of notes attached. There is an extensive index and while the book is not cheap -- the cover price is over 30$US -- it is worth it to add to any collector who is interested in Russian art, Faberge, or who simply delights in beautiful things. This is one of the best books about the Faberge workshops, and gives plenty of information that hasn't been revealed before. The photographs are what make this worth looking at -- they are very sharp, clear and evocative, each one a serene portrait of nature caught in time and craftsmanship.
Book Description
As good as gold, this book satisfies the tastes of anyone with a curiosity for old white metal and rhinestone jewelry.
The award-winning producer of the Hidden Treasures: Antique and Costume Jewelry video series brings you this beautiful book, featuring more than 1,000 pieces of jewelry. Filled with 400 color photographs that bring these glittering baubles to life, the book details white metal and rhinestone jewelry of the 1920s-1940s. Readers will learn the history of rhinestones, the different types of metal and rhinestones used during this era, and the fashion trends that influenced the designs. An extensive pricing and identification guide covers signed and unsigned foreign and American pieces.
Leigh Leshner has been collecting vintage jewelry since she was 11 and has been a dealer for more than 12 years. She participates in antiques shows, provides appraisal services, and is considered one of the foremost experts on vintage jewelry.
• Features more than 1,000 pieces of jewelry
• Extensive pricing and identification guide
• Showcases both signed and unsigned pieces, as well as foreign and domestic
Customer Reviews:
Great guide for earlier pieces.......2007-04-02
This is a great early guide for those earlier pieces that you don't often see in the other costume/vintage jewelry guides and therefore often hard to tell what they are worth. This book has plenty of pot metal made pieces, white rhinestone pave pieces, and lots of dress and fur clips. This is not a guide for beginners in collecting. My only disappointment would be the same I have with other guides - I would love to see the back of pieces; maybe not all of them of course, but I think it lends to a great education for the serious collector who isn't the most knowledgeable yet - like me! :)
Slightly out of date prices -eBay not a reliable source.......2006-05-04
eBay is NOT the be all and end all for collectible jewelry. Half of the people list items as "Bakelite" for example when they don't even know what it is. eBay is NOT the place for serious collectors of vintage jewelry. Half the time you don't know what you are going to get due to uneducated buyers trying to cash in on the term "Bakelite". Any serious collector does not use eBay as a barometer for actual values of these beautiful collectible items. There is my two cents on the topic.
Makes You Hunger for More.......2005-03-03
Without a doubt, one of the best books on this period of jewelry. I have all the books in Leigh Leshner's series and cannot rate them high enough. Brilliant photographs, excellent jewelry samples and wonderfully informative on jewelry from this period.
Great pictures but questionable price guide.......2004-09-23
This book is one of the best books for illustrations of the white metal/rhinestone forms of jewelry. All the photos are of high quality and show the pieces well. I found the price advisories to be questionable because the values listed seemed very high for local auctions and dealers and WAY high for the eBay world. Perhaps this is because the publication was over 2 years ago so the prices are even older. All in all a nice book - just get a second opinion on any $ values.
white metal pictures.......2004-02-11
The author has wisely given us 400 beautiful pictures of
old white metal costume jewelry. Since so much is unsigned
the pictures will make it easier to evaluate pot metal pieces.
This is the first book devoted entirely to white metal and is
in a class all of its own. The illustrations make this a
"coffee table" book. The author establishes all the variables
taken in when pricing. All the jewelry in the book is mint
condition. In few words she also explains that the book is
devoted to the beauty and value of the jewelry, minimizing the
importance of signed pieces. Thank you Miss Leshner.
Product Description
Olive Thomas was one of Hollywood's first true movie stars. Born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1894, she moved to New York at age sixteen and began to pursue an acting career. By 1915, she had landed a job as one of Ziegfeld's famous "Follies" girls. Before long her beauty was discovered by Hollywood, where she quickly became one of the biggest names in motion pictures. Her marriage to film star Jack Pickford further enhanced her popularity. Olive's death by poison on September 10, 1920, created a media circus. This biography begins with Olive's birth, follows her trip to stardom, and covers in detail the circumstances surrounding her mysterious death at age 25. Rare and beautiful photographs and a complete filmography are included.
Customer Reviews:
Well Worth A Read.......2007-08-24
I certainly enjoyed this book. The vicious reviewers love to hack up other people's style of writing and research. They miss the point. That being said, kudos to Vogel for her great book. Olive Thomas was a very enigmatic figure in silent movies and her tragic end worth reading about. I love how Vogel leaves the reader the chance to decide how it all really ended. The book is focused and very in depth. Really enjoyed it. It's not a long read and that's better for stars of the silent era that fans don't remember. When they are not too long, readers really do get a better fix on them. If I could give Vogel and this book more than 5 Stars I would!
Worthwhile.......2007-07-25
As being pretty much the ONLY Olive Thomas biography out there, I can't really say anything bad about it. The book is well written, and there are some very lovely pictures of Olive. But the magazine article quoting got to be too much because it was on every page.
AT LAST! Regaining an almost lost star........2007-06-12
There are so many interesting actors and actresses who have been among the most famous people and have been called great stars at their time which are now almost forgotten in the sands of time.
One of them is beautiful Olive Thomas (1894-1920)- the original Flapper-girl. Her name would probably be completely unknown had not fate provided an early death for her at the young age of 25. Yet most of her films are indeed forgotten or actually lost and have hardly been watched by anybody for more than 85 years.
This book helps to trace the life and career of the charming Follies-girl, the highly gifted movie actress and wife to Mary Pickford's little brother Jack. It gives insight into her life and tries to sketch her personality. Her mysterious death is extensively dealt with as well and you may find an answer for yourself among all the different stories offered regarding what really had happened in that fatal night in Paris when Olive Thomas met her fate.
A very well researched and well written biography with many photos and interesting anecdotes. A biography that has been overdue for decades. Now at last there is a book about this outstanding silent star. And hopefully it will help to keep her name and face from falling into oblivion or being merely remembered for her tragic early death.
Not Worth the Price.......2007-05-01
Olive Thomas is a mystery in modern times to those who are familiar with her story. She began on the Ziegfeld stage as one of the most talked about beauties. Her looks led her to the silver screen where she was hailed as the princess of Selznick Studios. She married into Hollywood royalty when she wed rambunctious Jack Pickford who eventually was the only source for clues to her demise. Thomas died at age 25 thanks to swallowing mercury bichloride pills in a Paris hotel during their second honeymoon. Whether this was a suicide, a murder, or an accident is left to history.
Also included at the end of Olive's story is a filmography for her career including synopsis, cast lists, and the status of the film today.
One major flaw with this book is that Vogel seems unfocused. There is a lot of information about Jack Pickford and Marilyn Miller, information that really has little to do with Thomas. The story jumps around chronologically and suggests many different conclusions to Thomas' death, but no solid explanation. Also, her early life is barely touched upon; her stage and screen career and early death are the focus. Granted, the information is valuable because so little is available, but the format of the book is disappointing, especially for its price. Vogel seemingly did not intend to create the definitive biography on Thomas as she often isolates her information to a time period. She references the "recent" release of The Flapper on DVD and has a fascination with translating dollar amounts into modern prices.
This book is certainly entertaining, though brief, but hardly stands as a worthy evaluation of Olive Thomas' career.
Terrific Tribute To A Forgotten Star.......2007-04-07
Olive Thomas must be thrilled that 87 years after her death there is finally such a wonderful tribute to her. This biography tells you everything you need to know about her rise to fame, her sad marriage to Jack Pickford, her mysterious final hours, and even where you can catch a glimpse of her ghost! After you have finished reading it you feel like you got to know the real Olive. Her fans won't be disappointed and classic movie buffs will love learning about this tragic star. It's an easy book to read filled with rare photos and a very detailed filmography. It's worth every penny of the price.
I would also recommend Michelle's latest book Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen
Average customer rating:
|
Secret Of Theatrical Space Cloth
Josef Svoboda
Manufacturer: Applause Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
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Stagecraft
| Theater
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| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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General
| Arts & Photography
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General
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ASIN: 1557831378 |
Books:
- Nine Faces of Christ: Quest of the True Initiate
- Oh My Goddess! Volume 25 (Oh My Goddess)
- On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo
- On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
- On Writing
- Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship
- Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook
- Photoshop CS / CS2 Wow! Book, The, 1/e (WOW!)
- Picture Perfect
- Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs
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- Alex: The Fathering Of A Preemie
- Hawaiian Quilt Masterpieces
- The VJ Book: Inspirations and Practical Advice for Live Visuals Performance
- Haworthia revisited: A revision of the genus
The Night Club Era
21: Every Day Was New Year's Eve
Stork Club : America's Most Famous Nightspot and the Lost World of Cafe Society
Gangsters and Gold Diggers: Old New York, the Jazz Age, and the Birth of Broadway
Hollywood Du Jour: Lost Recipes of Legendary Hollywood Haunts
