film

Softcover. Kitchen Sink Press, 1st, 1989, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 176 pages, b&w reprints of the early strips. This book contains a complete set of the 1940 daily strips. The first Hollywood adaptation of Li'l Abner was made in 1940. Newspaper columnist Michael Price and the late film historian George Turner provide a fascinating history of this largely forgotten movie, complete with 9 rare stills and lobby cards. The back cover features the very rare Li'l Abner movie poster and another lobby card in full color. Buster Keaton plays Lonesome Polecat in the film but the once hugely popular silent star was in such professional disgrace by 1940 that he was not even listed among the seven acting credits on the film poster! A sidebar provides backgrounds on the producer, director and actors. A second introduction by editor Dave Schreiner provides a political and historical context for the strip itself in 1940. The year begins with Capp's parody of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (also made into a movie this year). Dogpatch is wiped out by turnip termites, so our favorite hillbillies are lured to Boston to pick oranges in winter! Li'l Abner also learns how to woo "Dogpatch style" from Adam Lazonga, whom Schreiner speculates is based on controversial philosopher and free thinker Bertrand Russell or possibly playwright George Bernard Shaw. In another episode Mammy and Pappy Yokum get a 100 year-old letter and rush off to the California gold rush. Earthquake McGoon is introduced in the daily strip this year, as is the popular phrase, "As any fool kin plainly see!" Plus the annual Sadie Hawkins Day Race. The cover is drawn by Peter Poplaski.

Hardcover. New York, Liberty Street, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 176 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Very clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to dust jacket edges. B&W and color photographs throughout. Fifty years ago, the dashing Scottish actor Sean Connery kicked off the Bond franchise, a cinematic series unlike any other. In November 2012, Skyfall, the 23rd movie in what is seen as the authorized line of Bond films, will be released, with Daniel Craig (the sixth Bond) again in the lead role. The world will once more stream to the theaters for another dose of Bond. LIFE was on the scene in the swinging '60s when James Bond became a cultural icon (in fact, when we put the gold-painted actress Shirley Eaton on the cover in 1964, we helped him along), and now LIFE tells the whole story in this commemorative book.

Hardcover. NY, Applause Books, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 500 pages, b&w photos. A no-holds-barred biography that exposes Peter Sellers few were privy to. Recognized as one of the greatest British comics, Sellers was the grand master in over 55 films. But shadowing his phenomenal career was a history of bizarre behavior involving psychotic violence, compulsive promiscuity, drug abuse and humiliating self-destructive obsessions with such people as Princess Margaret, Liza Minnelli and each of his four wives. As fascinatingly revealing look at this enigmatic talent.

Hardcover. NY, Henry Holt, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. An up close and personal portrait of a legendary filmmaker, theater director, and comedian, drawing on candid conversations with his closest friends in show business and the arts-from Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep to Natalie Portman and Lorne Michaels. The work of Mike Nichols pervades American cultural consciousness-from The Graduate and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to Angels in America, The Birdcage, Working Girl, and Primary Colors, not to mention his string of hit plays, including Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple. If that weren't enough, he was also one half of the timelessly funny duo Nichols & May, as well as a founding member of the original improv troupe. Over a career that spanned half a century, Mike Nichols changed Hollywood, Broadway, and comedy forever. Most fans, however, know very little of the person behind it all. Since he never wrote his memoirs, and seldom appeared on television, they have very little sense of his searching intellect or his devastating wit. They don't know that Nichols, the great American director, was born Mikail Igor Peschkowsky, in Berlin, and came to this country, speaking no English, to escape the Nazis. They don't know that Nichols was at one time a solitary psychology student, or that a childhood illness caused permanent, life-altering side effects. They don't know that he withdrew into a debilitating depression before he "finally got it right," in his words, by marrying Diane Sawyer. Remainder dot to bottom edge otherwise clean.

Hardcover. New Rochelle NY, Arlington House, 1st, 1973, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Fair, Hardcover in a worn, chipped dust jackrt. 347 pages including index, 92 b&w photos. Introduction by Frank Capra. Memoirs by the director of "The Postman Always Rings Twice". Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Abrams, 1st, 1986, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 216 pages of nearly 200 candid, off-screen photos of actors and actresses, directors and producers, that professional photographer Louis Goldman took during his nearly 70 major films. Introduction by Gregory Peck. In a bright dust jacket.

Softcover. Seattle, Fantagraphics Books, reprint, 1998, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 200 pages. Like a Velvet Glove... collects all 10 chapters of the serialized story Eightball. As Clay Loudermilk attempts to unravel the mysteries behind a snuff film, he finds himself involved with an increasingly bizarre cast of characters, including a pair of sadistic cops who carve a strange symbol into the heel of Clay's foot; a horny over-the-hill suburban woman whose sexual encounter with a mysterious water creature produced a grotesquely misshapen, but no less horny, mutant daughter; a dog with no orifices whatsoever (it has to be fed by injection); two ominous victims of extremely bad hair implants; a charismatic Manson-like cult leader who plans to kidnap a famous advice columnist and many more! This edition has a brand new cover, new title and end pages-plus: Clowes being the perfectionist that he is, there are tweaked and re-drawn panels that really make this a transcendent piece of storytelling art!

Softcover. Seattle, University of Washington Book Store, 1st, 1927, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover. Rare early 26 page analysis of the films of Ms. Gish. Frontispiece portrait of Lillian Gish. Light blue wrappers printed in black within decorative border with same vignette. The author, Edward Wagenknecht (1900-2004), was an American literary critic who also wrote on film. He received his PH.D. in 1932 from the University of Washington, where he taught from 1925 to 1943. This was his first published work. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Bristol, UK, White & White , 1st, 1936, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Fair, B&W illustrations by Lotte Reiniger after the1935 Silhouette Film. Limited to 300 copies. 8 stills from the movie, plus other B&W drawings in Silhouette. Dust jacket chipped, edgeworn, chunk missing.

Hardcover. NY, Charles Renard , 1st, 1925, Book: Fair, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, orange cloth covered book with full size paste-on plate. Cloth has wear on corners. Cover plate is an illustration of Jackie standing on a raft. Previous owner's name in pencil on half-title page. Clean interior pages with 21 full page action photo drawings in b&w. Adapted from Willard Mack's Metro Photoplay of the same name. Mild soil to covers.

Hardcover. New York, Liveright Publishing Corp. , 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 210 pages. Hardcover. Dust jacket unclipped, excellent. B/w illustrations throughout. Red cover boards, gilt title on spine and decoration on front cover board. Binding tight, like new. Clean inside and out. Looks barely read. "An indispensable and entertaining guide to a visionary new form of moviemaking that can be appreciated by the avid film buff and general movie lover alike."

Hardcover. NY, Grand Central Publishing, 1st, 2023, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 388 pages. Drawing on contributions from remaining members, contemporaneous musicians, critics, filmmakers, and the generation of artists who emerged in their wake, this "monumental origin story" celebrates the legacy of the Velvet Underground, which burns brighter than ever in the 21st century. Rebellion always starts somewhere, and in the music world of the transgressive teen--whether it be the 1960s or the 2020s--the Velvet Underground represents ground zero. Crystallizing the idea of the bohemian, urban, narcissistic art school gang around a psychedelic rock and roll band--a stylistic idea that evolved in the rarefied environs of Andy Warhol's Factory--the Velvets were the first major American rock group with a mixed gender line-up. They never smiled in photographs, wore sunglasses indoors, and invented the archetype that would be copied by everyone from Sid Vicious to Bobby Gillespie. They were avant-garde nihilists, writing about drug abuse, prostitution, paranoia, and sado-masochistic sex at a time when the rest of the world was singing about peace and love.

Hardcover. NY, Abrams, 1st, 2023, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover in pictorial boards. Featuring beloved New Yorker covers, iconic animated characters, and more, Local Fauna is the definitive monograph by award-winning illustrator and character designer Peter de Seve. His work spans four decades and various media, from magazines, books, and television commercials, to Broadway posters and character designs for animated feature films. He is perhaps best recognized for his many covers for The New Yorker magazine and his character designs for the blockbuster Ice Age franchise (Scrat is a veritable international celebrity). De Seve has also contributed to such films as Finding Nemo, Robots, The Little Prince, and The Grinch, to name only a few. Local Fauna showcases de Seve's most iconic illustrations and designs alongside a plentiful selection of sketches and personal work that have become fan favorites across social media. This monograph opens a doorway into his visual universe, and it includes behind-the-scenes insight into his process, from a character or cover's first conception to the final product. Local Fauna also includes an introduction by writer, illustrator, and character designer Carter Goodrich and an in-depth interview with Bill Watterson, the legendary creator of Calvin & Hobbes, as well as essays by The New Yorker art director Francoise Mouly; Academy Award winning director and animator Glen Keane; comic artist and creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola; and New York Times bestselling picture book author Randall de Seve.

Hardcover. London, Omnibus Press, 1st, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, pictorial boards, 176 pages. While many books, films and documentaries claim to have captured the phenomenon that was Swinging London, just one magazine was present in the capital during the 1960s to illustrate this extraordinary moment as it unraveled. London Life emerged in October 1965 and, over the next fifteen months, would document the capital's action at its absolute zenith. With imagery from the likes of David Bailey, Duffy and Terence Donovan, designs from Peter Blake, David Hockney, Gerald Scarfe and fledgling artist Ian Dury plus words and opinions from those riding high on the city`s cutting-edge, London Life remains the coolest document from the capital's most exciting period. Still in publisher's shrinkwrap.

Softcover. Los Angeles, CA, Taschen, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 192 pages. Softcover. Very clean, unmarked copy still in publishers shrink-wrap. Luis Bunuel, one of the most brilliant representatives of the surrealist movement, chose to make films and was able to make them with unflagging fidelity to his principles for fifty years. After an audacious Parisian showing of Un Chien Andalou in 1929 (Bunuel carried stones in his pockets in case he needed them to fend off the audience), Bunuel's subsequent career in Spain (Las Hurdes), Hollywood and Mexico (Los Olvidados, Robinson Crusoe, El, Nazarin) before returning to France (Diary of a Chambermaid, Belle de jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, That Obscure Object of Desire), showed that the only subjects he cared to make films about were the three that are never supposed to be discussed in polite society: sex, religion, and politics.

Hardcover. NY, Harper & Row, 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn, price-clipped dust jacket. A poem in celebration of the special love between parents and their children around the world. Pictures adapted from Faith Hubley's awqrd-winning film Step By Step. Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Corvin, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 121 pages. Includes a bibliography and filmography. Lya de Putti's star shone for such a short time. Her star-making role in Variety, with Emil Jannings, happened just six years prior to her death. There's not a lot of information available about her but the authors have put together what they were able to find in a well-written, interesting manner. The turmoil, the films and the foibles are all here for reading purposes. INSCRIBED BY HERZOG on title page. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Running Press, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 272 pages. MAD Magazine was an indispensable part of 'growing up' for 1950s/60s kids. The humor was witty, leg-pulling and hilarious. The art work, to this day, was of the highest order. Top cartoonists such as Jack Davis, Don Martin, Bob Clarke etc. graced it's pages for many years. Top of the rank must be Mort Drucker, whose caricatures of film and TV stars are second-to-none. Some of his very best work, dating from 1957 to 2009, is included in this hefty volume. The reproductions are slightly larger than the magazine format and excellent for studying the line-work of this remarkable artist. Included is a fascinating discussion between Mort and former MAD editor Nick Meglin.

Hardcover. Running Press, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 272 pages. MAD Magazine was an indispensable part of 'growing up' for 1950s/60s kids. The humor was witty, leg-pulling and hilarious. The art work, to this day, was of the highest order. Top cartoonists such as Jack Davis, Don Martin, Bob Clarke etc. graced it's pages for many years. Top of the rank must be Mort Drucker, whose caricatures of film and TV stars are second-to-none. Some of his very best work, dating from 1957 to 2009, is included in this hefty volume. The reproductions are slightly larger than the magazine format and excellent for studying the line-work of this remarkable artist. Included is a fascinating discussion between Mort and former MAD editor Nick Meglin.

Hardcover. Washington.DC, Smithsonian, 1st , 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Black & white illustrations.

Hardcover. Washington DC, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1st, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 342 pages, b&w illustrations. In a bright, unclipped dust jacket.

Hardcover. London, Faber and Faber, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket. 240 pages, b&w illustrations. "For 35 years Louis Malle has pursued a varied and successful career in cinema. In this book, he discusses his development as an artist and the controversies aroused by his films dealing with subjects like child prostitution, incest and wartime collaboration." Clean copy.

Hardcover. Lexington KY, University Press of Kentucky, 1st, 2013, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. An Armenian national raised in Russia, Rouben Mamoulian (1897--1987) studied in the influential Stanislavski studio, renowned as the source of the "method" acting technique. Shortly after immigrating to New York in 1926, he created a sensation with an all-black production of Porgy (1927). He then went on to direct the debut Broadway productions of three of the most popular shows in the history of American musical theater: Porgy and Bess (1935), Oklahoma! (1943), and Carousel (1945). Mamoulian began working in film just as the sound revolution was dramatically changing the technical capabilities of the medium, and he quickly established himself as an innovator. Not only did many of his unusual camera techniques become standard, but he also invented a device that eliminated the background noises created by cameras and dollies. Seen as a rebel earlier in his career, Mamoulian gradually gained respect in Hollywood, and the Directors Guild of America awarded him the prestigious D. W. Griffith Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1983. In this meticulously researched biography, David Luhrssen paints the influential director as a socially conscious artist who sought to successfully combine art and commercial entertainment. Luhrssen not only reveals the fascinating personal story of an important yet neglected figure, but he also offers a tantalizing glimpse into the extraordinarily vibrant American film and theater industries during the twenties, thirties, and forties.

Softcover. NY, Da Capo Press, reprint, 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 449 pages, b&w illustrations. Man Ray was the quintessential modernist figure - painter, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, poet, and philosopher. One of the most fascinating of the Surrealists who transformed the Paris art world during the 1920s, Man Ray was an enigma - a Dadaist who revered the Old Masters, an anarchist pursued by wealthy patrons. Driven to make his mark in as many art forms as possible, he struggled bitterly to win acceptance as a painter even as his skill as a photographer brought him world wide fame. Remainder line to bottom edge, otherwise clean.