More books this time -- though the top of this bookcase is loaded with figure kits and other figural items. From left to right, here's what's what.
The small figure of Julius Caesar is a piece I found in an antique shop as a kid, while accompanying my parents on one of their many weekend antiquing jaunts. Had to have it -- and they were good enough to get it for me.
Behind him is a vinyl figure of Ray Harryhausen's
Talos from
Jason and the Argonauts. The small ape in the foreground was a gift from my UMA (
Universal Monster Army) pal, Packy. The seated devil with sleeping apprentice is a resin "garage kit." The alabaster copy of
Venus DeMilo was something that was in the house when I was growing up. At some point it became mine.
My Trick or Treat Devil Girl (a resin kit I sculpted and produced) is flanked by garage kits of Gil Elvgren pin-ups. The girl in the barrel is a Steve Kiwus sculpt, while the Aiming to Please cowgirl is by Tim Bruckner, and is a particular favorite.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqvrhf4BR30/TjOGS0WE4FI/AAAAAAAADnc/jorCdMIfHIc/s400/AA01.JPG)
In front of the cowgirl is a little glass birdcage Christmas ornament that belonged to my mother -- and was a family piece from her childhood. The little metal sexy private eye is a
Phoenix Phollies model kit from the UK.
Superman is a Chris Ware-designed piece that was part of a boxed set of figure, book and comic book reprint -- I think it's just superb. The puffy B&W fellow in the hat is a doll of
Doug Allen's character
Steven. In front of him is a resin casting of my sculpture of '50s kids' TV star
Mary Hartline (of
Super Circus fame). A copy of my
Johnny Eck sculpt, primed but not painted yet, sits in front of her -- leaning against him is the original wax sculpture of Miss Hartline's head.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DSenj_PzmZo/TjOGSlQakGI/AAAAAAAADnU/TXasNsqNM2I/s400/AA02.JPG)
Here we have the first of several shelves in my studio packed with books by my friend and collaborator,
Max Allan Collins. My sculpt of pin-up model
Bernie Dexter as "
Switchblade Siren" seems quite at home here. One of these days I'm going to produce a limited edition run of this figure -- it just hasn't happened yet.
The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics reprints a
Ms. Tree story by Max and me.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C721KbvMecE/TjOGSePNZ0I/AAAAAAAADnM/xtNOkl52Z2I/s400/AA03.JPG)
More books placed on the shelf in no particular order -- though I do have all the Hastings House/Nostalgia Press
Prince Valiant books all together. The black book resting on top of the others is a photo album of my dad's -- pictures of him growing up on the farm in the '30s -- and in the service in the '40s. At some point, I may scan and share some of those photos. The gorilla is a
Mold-a-Rama figure from Como Zoo in St. Paul.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l9HV7RjiNqM/TjOGSPBugwI/AAAAAAAADnE/riEQOVhoM7U/s400/AA04.JPG)
A pair of books illustrated by the great N.C. Wyeth.
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One of several books in my collection illustrated by Frank Godwin -- artist of the
Connie and
Rusty Riley comic strips. We had a Godwin illustrated version of
Robinson Crusoe in the house when I was growing up, and I adored the drawings in it. Somehow, I did not end up with that -- but I've since collected many other books with Godwin illos.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrWZ5OSS3ug/TjOF4NtGHeI/AAAAAAAADm0/jD81BERPRWg/s400/AA04b.JPG)
Books, books and more books -- and a resin Dracula "Soaky" -- a fantasy item, as one was never commercially produced ( a gift from another UMA pal).
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0ArsYGu51HU/TjOF3q8QiSI/AAAAAAAADms/KYYcPVAXC5g/s400/AA05.JPG)
I loved this goofy
Animal Lore book when I was kid, and recall many an hour flipping the pages to make the different combinations of animals. I also recall my father and me making our own versions -- folding paper and each of us drawing a part of the animal. That original copy is long gone -- this is a replacement I bought a few years back.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJnJmZH88nk/TjOF3QNJ1KI/AAAAAAAADmk/vnkvXIQksRM/s400/AA06.JPG)
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Somehow or another I seem to have started a collection of
Joe Bonomo items! I think it started with this little boxed set of mini-books, which, if I recall correctly was a gift from my friend Barry Luebbert Phillips. All the books in the next picture down are stuffed into this little box!
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This copy of stuntman Bonomo's self-published autobiography/photo scrapbook came from an auction of the the estate of
Herman Cohn. Herman ran the local newsstand where I bought all my comics, magazines and paperbacks as a kid. Bought my first
Playboy there, too! This copy is signed to Herman by Bonomo.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QDW5vtJxzg/TjOFP7lTOFI/AAAAAAAADl8/EVmluFxlGeQ/s400/AA10.JPG)
Another Joe Bonomo item!
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IuPJTggNHVc/TjOFPgc5zwI/AAAAAAAADl0/NSzBijbC-so/s400/AA11.JPG)
A wonderful book --
Forty Illustrators and How They Work -- a few selections from the interior shown below.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5dzie-My0tc/TjOFPVpHmvI/AAAAAAAADls/QMn9P8M6Zuk/s400/AA12.JPG)
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78kfW-Iwkmo/TjODuD4qVXI/AAAAAAAADlk/-kaFCGCicw0/s400/AA13.JPG)
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I was thrilled when I opened this collection of editorial cartoons to discover it was a signed copy. I've since learned that pretty much every copy out there is signed as well! OK -- maybe not a rarity -- but I still like it!
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oOcrLOzvXMo/TjODtrRA14I/AAAAAAAADlM/LNlVrPVrCWw/s400/AA16.JPG)
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A recent find at a Half Price Books store -- this '30s
Mickey Mouse book is pretty darn sweet. I don't actively collect Disney items (except for
Pinocchio stuff) -- but when something like this falls into my hands for cheap (ten bucks!), I'm not going to walk away from it.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLuPq2-xjqs/TjOCvF-j0HI/AAAAAAAADk0/E8wTv5xNq2o/s400/AA19.JPG)
A pair of the
Prince Valiant volumes I collected back in the late '70s. I think I got all these at
Readmore Book World in Rock Island. Readmore was (is?) a great bookstore, and I used to drive there several times a month to pick up new books, magazines and comics.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x84w8GS3OVI/TjOCu7fMN6I/AAAAAAAADks/zlQlsoEYflg/s400/AA20.JPG)
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CSnAb5-8zQI/TjOCuuVMEMI/AAAAAAAADkk/kTbVQybV_0Q/s400/AA21.JPG)
The only baseball card I own -- Bob Uecker! Why? Why the hell not?
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eivnO1YUxwE/TjOCuTnq76I/AAAAAAAADkc/untKkTbSnRQ/s400/AA22.JPG)
More cool stuff coming up in Part Five! Come on back and check it out -- soon!