~~~    Poster Books   ~~~
           Showcasing the art of the poster: Pleasing . . Playful . . Promotional . . Persuasive

        Posters have become a valued art form as well as nostalgic icons of the past. No longer serving the simple promotional purpose for which they were originally produced, they are now coveted for their whimsy and artistic drama. Collected as original art or reproduced, often framed, they adorn the walls of homes, restaurants, bookstores, bedrooms, and dorm rooms. The two books featured here present collections of two well-loved areas of Americana: movies and bicycles.

           Further down the page is a selection of books about the circus, another American tradition marked by fanciful poster advertisements and lots of color.

  
The Movie Posters of Batiste Madalena
Introduction by Judith Katten ; An Appreciation by Anthony Slide
NY: Harry N. Abrams, 1986
Very good to Near Fine condition
$35.00

      The work of Batiste Madalena represents an interesting juxtaposition of three creative innovations: film photography, the motion picture, and the movie poster. Thanks to George Eastman's desire to have highly original movie advertisements for his brand new theater in Rochester, NY, Madalena's dramatic artistry was able to make its mark on American society.  Eastman's discovery of the then-unknown painter gave Madalena the opportunity to dazzle the public with his originality and versatility. A hallmark of his work, no matter what the style, was his minimal use of name credits on the posters, preferring to emphasize his striking artistic capture of a particular film's flavor.

      In his appreciation, Anthony Slide states that "in recent years our attitude toward the movie poster has shifted from one of attention to its informational value to appreciation of its artistic--and monetary--worth."   This is cerainly true in terms of the work of Madalena, and in fact, his unique body of film posters was a major contributor to this recognition of the film poster as an art form.

      This beautiful compilation of 24 Madalena posters--a mere sprinkling of the over 1,400 he produced--comprises an enjoyable overview of his work.   The posters within measure approximately 22 x 44 inches.

    ** For additional information and images, please click on the image or the book title.

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    100 Years of Bicycle Posters
      Rennert, Jack
      NY: Universe Books, 1973
      First Edition
      Near Fine condition
      $165.00

     Similar to the Madalena movie poster book, this book also represents a convergence of creative processes, in this case the parallel development of poster production technique and of bicycle design. Though there were earlier prototypes leading to each of these accomplishments, the advent of the "modern lithograph poster" can be attributed to Jules Cheret's 1872 "Bal Valentino" poster, and the "first real bicycle" is marked by the debut of the Ariel in 1872, built by Smith & Starley in England. The symbioisis was complete by the late 1890s, when bicycle manufacturers used poster advertisements to market their wares, and poster artists found bicycles to be a perfect subject.  

      A study of the posters in this book reveals some notable similarities: the emphasis on the concept of liberation afforded by bike-riding, the predominant depiction of women rather than men, and the frequent use of mythological figures.  Rennert discusses these trends in his introduction.

      96 posters are reproduced in this book, with explanatory text for each, which includes artist, product, year, size, and background information. Two important selection criteria that Rennert imposed were 1) the ability to photograph the poster from the original, rather than from a reproduction; and 2) previously unpublished works were given preference.  The result is a fine representation of bicycle posters over the past century, the perusal of which is sure to provide the reader with lots of nostalgic pleasure.  

       ** For additional information and images, please click on the image or the book title. 

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     THE CIRCUS:  The epitome of Americana
    A world of its own under the Big Top!  Larger than life, comic, fantastic, nostalgic, colorful, exciting, amazing, and daring. And full of clowns, of course.   The selection below includes history and commentary, biography, and memorabilia, as well as some circus-related fiction.  Enjoy.