This is one of my favorite browsing spots, though I can’t afford to buy just for pleasure. When I am writing a book, though, I do get to buy, say, movie magazines from the 1910s or 1930s, or theater magazines from c1905 and tell myself, “it’s for research!” Right now I am searching for an issue of Theater Magazine from 1914–15 with a long article on Vernon and Irene Castle, but I don’t know the exact date, so I’m basically screwed.
But, sitting on my bookshelf, to be perused from time to time, are:
• British newspapers from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, picked up at the Westminster Abbey bookshop.
• a pile of Theaters from 1900–1912.
• piles of movie magazines from the 1910s and 1930s, great fun.
• real trash: True Stories, Whisper, True Romance, Movie Life, from the 1930s–early '60s. The ads are more fun than the articles.
Somewhere around here I’ve got an issue of National Lampoon from the 1970’s. The Sci-Fi issue, I do believe. I really need to regenerate my collection.
Somewhere I have a big book that has the best of Vanity Fair from its early years to… the late 60s, I think (can’t quite remember). The pictures are fabulous – you get to see photos like a young Fred Astaire from when he was still an up-and-coming talent.
And it’s amazing how the concept of “celebrity” has changed over time. There was so much more in there about politicians and scientists – people who are much more intriguing than the fluff of today.
While doing some research, I picked up some old magazines from eBay:
The Literary Digest, June 30, 1934.
Gothman Life. “For more than a quarter of a century, the official Metropolitan Guide” November 25-December 1, 1934 (“Anything Goes” was playing at the Alvin.)
A couple of NYC maps from 1934
I also have an official guide to the NY World’s Fair (1939)
I have some old Lampoons kicking around, as well as the Harvard Lampoon Life Magazine Parody.
Sports Illustrated:
October 14, 1968. Cover: “World Series in Color” and “USC vs. Miami: No Way to Stop O.J.” (Hmmn. Propetic?)
January 6 1969. Cover “The Irresisitable Colts.”
January 20, 1969. Cover: “Super Hero/Super Joe.” (So much for irresitable)
I also have an Action Comics #1 – reprint from the 70s.
I’ve got an odd lot of old stuff. I’ll be moving soon and letting most of it go (the keepers are already packed), so mail me with an offer if anything interests you. I don’t have an eBay account, and would rather not be bothered.
An old Scientific American, January 1892, “Architects and Builders Edition”
Six old SF mags, three from the 1950s, one 1963, and a couple from the 1970s. (One of those is called Gamma and may not have gone past its first issue, despite having pieces by Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Tennessee Williams!)
Six assorted bound volumes of The Strand Magazine, including the first year, although that one has a damaged spine. (Sherlock Holmes got his start here!)
Stoddard’s Lectures travel books, vol 1-8, 1910 edition, and some portfolios of the plates.