Tag: book

Categories / Books, Men's Fashion, Music

Book reviews: King of Carnaby Street by Jeremy Reed and The Big Beat Scene by Royston Ellis

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Books

If you are lookng for something interesting and with a retro twist to get your teeth into, we have two candidates newly-reviewed on our Modculture site – King of Carnaby Street by Jeremy Reed and The Big Beat Scene by Royston Ellis.

The first of those is a biography on that king of Carnaby Street, John Stephen. It's the story of his arrival in London, how we learned the basics of clothes making and retailing and of course, how he went on to dominate both Carnaby Street and men's fashion in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Big Beat Scene by Royston Ellis is a reissue from 1961, described as 'an outspoken expose of the teenage world of rock 'n' roll' by 'the king of the beatniks', 19-year-old Ellis. You can read reviews of both books in the Modculture books section right now.

King of Carnaby Street by Jeremy Reed review

The Big Beat Scene by Royston Ellis review

Categories / Books, Music

A Rocket In My Pocket – The Hipster’s Guide To Rockabilly Music by Max Decharne

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Rocket

Max Decharne has already wow'd us on these pages with Straight From The Fridge, Dad amongst other works, so we're particularly looking forward to his latest offering, the forthcoming A Rocket In My Pocket – The Hipster's Guide To Rockabilly Music.

The title just about sums it up. This is the story of rockabilly music, from its roots in country, blues, folk, hillbilly, R&B and boogie-woogie to its explosive three-chord arrival on the main stage in the 1950s. But the book digs deeper, looking at the people, the record labels and rockabilly's impact on clubs, movies and fashion. It even covers the later years, with chapters taking in the 1970s revival and its resurgence in the modern era.

325 pages, plenty of black and white shots and the most in-depth bibliography you'll find on the subject. The book is published by Serpent's Tail from 29th July 2010, with Amazon doing pre-orders right now for £7.79. Look out for a review soon.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Via Electric Roulette

Update: There is also an accompanying CD to the book. Find out all about it here.

Categories / Books

Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

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Peanuts

Looking for all the answers in life? Charlie Brown and the gang did all the legwork 60 years ago – and the best of that is captured in Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.

The clue is in the title – friendship, music, love, food, sport, grooming and much more – you'll find the answers to it all via a series of classic cartoon strips and words featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Snoopy and the rest of the gang.

128 pages of wisdom and classic imagery packedi nto a hardback book, it's available to pick up online for £7.99.

Find out more at the Waterstones website

Categories / eBay watch

eBay watch: 1960s Design Italiano book

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Design

Interesting reference book on eBay right now, but you'll have to be quick – Design Italiano only has a day or so to go.

Printed back in 1968, it's described as 'one of the most important Italian mid-century furniture design references', with 204 pages packed with illustrations of the work of  Joe Colombo, Franco Albini, Cini Boeri, Frattini, Castoglioni and anyone else worth mentioning, all pulled together  under the design and art direction of Bruno Munari.

The book is in 'very good condition' and is up for grabs right now on eBay for £12.50. If you're a collector, it's a must.

Find out more at the eBay website

Categories / Books

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of his friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan – watch the animated trailer

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Looking for something quirky and retro to read? How about The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of his friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O'Hagan. Just out in paperback, the novel is narrated by a dog – Marilyn Monroe's dog (given to her by Frank Sinatra) – talking us through the final years of her life and the world she lived in and left behind in the early 60s.

Rather than more explanation, check out the quirky 60s-style trailer for the book below, the work of Robin Davey and if you like what you see, you can pick up a copy at Amazon right now, heavily discounted to £6.50.

Categories / Books

Retro Fonts book and CD by Gregor Stawinski

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Retrofonts

Something to appeal to the designer in all of us, the Retro Fonts book and CD by Gregor Stawinski.

The book is the focal point here, an exhaustive look at classic and vintage fonts, over 400 dating from 1830 to the end of the 20th century. All are shown in the style of old type specimen books as alphabets with sample words/phrases, shown opposite classic examples of the fonts in use in historical context. From Art Deco, Bauhaus and Swiss through to Sixties, Disco and Punk, they're all here.

Read more