The Fabuleous Fifties

Goed gedaan, Allen!

Tuesday Comic Strip Day.

This works for me on so many different levels. First of all, it's a funny and inventive silent strips. I love silent strips, even if they are this old. Secodnly, it takes place in a mythical place called Holland. This is nothing like the Holland I live, of course. It's more of an imaginary place, where it is always winter and there are windmills and everyone speaks with a mock Dutch accent, which has more to do with German than actual Dutch. And thirdly, it illustrates how much I will like Allen Holtz' new book - American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide.

I have been going to Allen's blog The Stripper's Guide ever since before I started this blog myself. It is witty and informative and the illustrations are just great. Allen Holtz' is the next generation of newspaper strip historians and he brings his own methods and interests an dexpertice to to it. As such, he is much more openminded about the past, less judgmental then I find the earlier historians to be. Allen just documents and he does that very well. Apart from filling his blog almost daily with many bits and pieces of information about moe than a hundred years of newspaper comics, he has also been working (for over 25 years) on the ultimate reference guide to every American newspaper strip there ever was. The blog was merely a side interest, a publicity tool, until it took off on it's own. And now the book is here, over 600 pages long, complete with a cd-rom with all the illustrations that could have been in it - but are not, because that would foul up the reference part of it. Because you should be warned: this is a reference guide. Just pages and pages of information, lovingly and painstakingly brought together. This is a book that should be in libraries that do not try to turn themselves of hypefilled entertainment centers. I hope Allen sells lots and lots of them, all over the world.

Of course, if you are a fanatic, such as me, you cnan buy the book as well. It officially sells for 4150, but you know that these days that is just a guide price. There are many ways to get it for less, some of which are mentioned and outlined on The Stripper's Guide. You can find the link in my linklist on the right.

Snce I am from Europe, I ordered my copy from The Book Depository. There discount is less than Amazon's, but they do not charge shipping. By ordering in advance I managed to get it for $125 all in. But I understand Amazon UK is doing it as well, so you make your own choice. So get your copy and maybe you'll find something about Hans Potatoeslice.