Kitahara's book Yesterdays Toys Robots Spaceships and Monsters has a special place in my bookcase. It was the first book I bought on vintage toys way back in the early 1990's. As I was just starting out I soaked up every image and every word. I must have read that book a hundred times!
The book mostly covered tinplate Japanese space toys and robots, which featured in the author's amazing toy museum. Luckily for me it also covered the author's fine collection of Aurora monster models and film posters. The photographs were superb and it was a real pleasure to leaf through.
Back then when our daughter was about six we had a pet guinea pig called Johnny Pig, which we had running around the front room for an hour each evening. Besides warming himself in front of the coal fire, Johnny had a good eye for a tasty nibble and liked nothing more than chewing on any paper-based objects lying around! Alas, this included my much-thumbed Kitahara, which still bears the tell-tale bite marks of Johnny's chompers!
Johnny is sadly long gone, the first of seven guinea pigs over the years but the book lives on and I always smile when I see those bite marks in the cover! I didn't know it then but Kitahara was to be the first of a whole stack of books on vintage toys and memorabilia, which before the net was invented was THE way to learn.
What was your first book on vintage toys or collectable?
6 comments:
I suggest John Marshall's "GI Joe and other backyard heroes" my parents bought it for me in '96 as a Christmas present ,and it re-kindled my interest in all things collectible.In fact, I sought out the collectible dealer who supplied most of the photographed toys in the book and bought a bunch of things from him.The book covers most of the action figures that were available in the U.S. during the 70's.I think you'll recognize the toys but will recall different Brand names,Pallitoy and Lion Rock instead of Hasbro and Mego for example.
"The Art of the Tin Toy" by David Pressland (New Cavendish Books, London 1976). In truth my Mom bought that for herself, but I devoured that, and borrowed it indefinitely when I left the parental home. Beautiful toys, beautifully photographed in what is widely and most deservedly considered to be -the- seminal book on the history of tin toys right up to when plastic crept in before taking over completely.
It does include space toys and I remember being thrilled in obtaining a few toys myself which I'd seen in that book. Not the wonderful older toys such as seen on the book cover,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290843647180
but included in that book all the same!
Best -- Paul
a few more glimpses here,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400319734872
which don't really do it justice.
Well mine would be the Starlog special on Space toys by Steve Sansweet. Tiny inclusion of Sword Saturn Rocket and a bit of matt mason, but well laid out and great photos and info. Still got it on the bookshelf now.
Lots of good resources here. My library is mostly trains though. Specifically the Greenberg guides to Marx trains
Great books all guys! Brian, I love John Marshall's books, I have 2 or 3. He's a great collector. I once emailed him and told him how much I enjoyed his Action Figures of the Sixties. Got a reply! And Wote, that Starlog book is a cracker. Some really beautiful photo's in there. It's in my bookcase too. I've lots of tin toys books too Paul but not that one. Ed, I never really got into trains but I have a superb book on Marx comic and space toys. I've just listed a rare book toy trains on Amazon UK.
Post a Comment