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The “1930 Motion Picture News Blue Book” is a very cool, old Hollywood reference book! It boasts, “The Authoritative Who’s Who of Filmdom.” And, it is!
Published back in 1930 for the movie industry, this little “Blue Book” includes thousands of small biographies on every known actor, director, editor, writer, etc. during that time; and, in which films they worked.
Here are a few examples of the ads spotted throughout this movie-stuffed book: Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons, Harry Langdon, and Harold Lloyd!
As a short subject researcher, these types of reference books are gems. I feel lucky to own it! If you are looking for a copy, just Google it. A few copies are being sold on various websites.
Tags: 1930, 1930 Motion Picture News Blue Book, Feet First, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Hollywood, Mickey Mouse, motion picture, movie ad, movie book, reference book, short subject, sound cartoons, Walt Disney
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For those of you who crave to know even more about your favorite movies, here’s a sampling of what one particular movie book publisher, McFarland, offers:
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The Marx Brothers as Social Critics: Satire and Comic Nihilism in Their Films – Martin A. Gardner
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Vixens, Floozies and Molls: 28 Actresses of Late 1920s and 1930s Hollywood – Hans J. Wollstein
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The Titanic in Print and on Screen: An Annotated Guide to Books, Films, Television Shows and Other Media – D. Brian Anderson
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The Image of Librarians in Cinema, 1917-1999 – Ray Tevis and Brenda Tevis
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Food in the Movies, 2d ed. – Steve Zimmerman
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Reel Portrayals: The Lives of 640 Historical Persons on Film, 1929 through 2001 – Michael G. Stevens Edited by R. Thompson
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The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931 – Edwin M. Bradley
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The Literary Monster on Film: Five Nineteenth Century British Novels and Their Cinematic Adaptations – Abigail Burnham Bloom
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William Powell: The Life and Films – Roger Bryant
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June Cleaver Was a Feminist!: Reconsidering the Female Characters of Early Television – Cary O’Dell
Tags: books, books about film, books on film, cinema, film, food, june cleaver, librarians, literary, Marx Brothers, McFarland Publishers, movie books, movie history, movies, Titanic, william powell
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Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers in “Leave it to Beaver”
Who admits to remembering what it was like to look up something in your encyclopedia set? Just a few of you, huh? Well, if you can’t recall that grand experience, or you only know what it’s like to look something up on the Internet, it’s okay. This is how I remember it.
First, it was pretty keen if your family could afford to have an encyclopedia set in your home. Any moment, a burning question might surface and you would race to the family bookshelf, pull out the chosen, gold-lettered volume, and ferret out your answer — just like that!
Second, once you found what you needed, it was tough to put the encyclopedia down. The books were stuffed full of facts you didn’t know! So much to learn from those smooth, glossy pages. You might stumble upon pictures of ugly bugs, long-dead dinosaurs, far away countries, or the anatomy of the sexes! And, there was a book for each letter of the alphabet … plus year books!
Third, some encyclopedias had long, fancy names. Ours was called Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia! Name-dropping alert: sometime later, I was told that we were related to Mr. Funk who started the whole thing with Mr. Wagnall. Cool!
Fourth, our set filled a whole bookshelf! All by itself! It felt rather rich to have an entire bookshelf of encyclopedias. They stood up so straight and steady; like little towers of wisdom.
Fifth, encyclopedias have been around for over 2,000 years; my Funk & Wagnalls, since 1912. Take that, Internet!
Even though I love the Internet, and it’s a might cheaper than my encyclopedias were at the time, my heart still goes out to those well-trodden books, where any morsel of knowledge could be found on a lazy afternoon without waiting for it to boot up.
Tags: book, encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls, Leave it to Beaver, reading, reading book, TV show
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Very cool Art Deco book bindings by well-known industrial and graphic designer, John Vassos. From 1927 to 1935, there were nine books illustrated by Vassos, which included graphic books by himself and his wife, Ruth, plus some of Oscar Wilde’s works. The Wolfsonian-FIU library collection for rare monographs houses the three books pictured here.
Vassos was also known for designing less literary items: the popular Peevy subway turnstiles, early television and radio cabinets, Hohner accordions, and shotguns.
Radio by Vassos
“Phobia,” his book published in 1931, exhibited futuristic illustrations of claustrophobia, acrophobia, and mechanophobia. Visit JVJ Publishing to read more about this original artist.
“Phobia” illustration
Tags: art, Art Deco, artist, book binding, book covers, books, Contempo, designer, graphic, illustrator, John Vassos, Phobia, Ultimo
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Woman reading at table with mouse. Photographer unknown – circa 1935
Like her, I used to read while I ate, but kept losing my place and letting my eggs get cold. I also chose not to add a mouse to my breakfast scene, as it would have been another unwanted distraction from my reading!
Tags: 1935, book, eating, Flickr, flowers, mouse, National Media Museum, photo, reading, woman reading book
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Smarth LEGO minifigure reading near bookcase.
Good to see this little guy take time out from being “toyed” with to relax and read a bit. I wonder what he’s reading. It’s a thick book! Could it be Gone With the Wind? Or, maybe it’s Game of Thrones. How about Harry Potter? It could be War and Peace too. Gosh, I’m probably disturbing him.
Quietly tiptoeing off to find my own book. Shh…
LEGO Creation by smarth.
Tags: bookcase, books, LEGO, LEGO book, LEGO bookcase, LEGO chair, LEGO room, minifig, reading
Pastimes of Mine 