Every few years, Larry Johnston unloads boxes and boxes of his duplicate “Big Little” to thin out his collection. But, don’t expect to see him very often, unless you are a student at Santa Ana College. He is not a regular dealer. Big Little books are his 15-year hobby, but his career is as a dean at Santa Ana College where he helps students be successful inside and outside of the classroom. When he is hunting down Big Little books, he can’t pass up a bargain even if it’s on one he already has, so he snaps it up and saves it until he has one of his Long Beach inventory blow outs. He was in Canada in 1991 at a national track and field meet when he stopped at a flea market there much like the Long Beach Outdoor Market. He saw his first Big Little book, bought it, went home and did the research, and he has been collecting them ever since. Johnston’s collection features close to 1,000 Big Little books, primarily from the 1930s through the 1940s. According to Johnston, early sci fi and adventure books, like Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers are the most collectible and most valuable. However, even the finest examples only sell for a couple of hundred dollars so they are an affordable collectible for most any ephemera enthusiast or bibliphile. There are two different types of Big Little Book collectors. There are the ones who keep them in the cellophane and never open them so that they stay pristine, and the ones who open them up, read them and put them on the shelf. Johnston is the former; he has never read one of his Big Little Books. His wife wasn’t terribly enthusiastic when she learned of his new hobby, but after he sold his first batch of duplicates, he raised enough money to put a down payment on their house, so her attitude about his Big Little Books collecting changed. ”I had a house but no more books so out we went again and the adventure started,” he said. He has had the most success hunting down Big Little Books in the Midwest, Iowa all the way up to Pennsylvania. He shops Brimfield, Massachussetts, and Walnut, Iowa, which is between Omaha and DeMoines. ”There are hundreds of antique shops off of the I-80,” he said of his Walnut, Iowa destination. As far as great selling spots, besides Long Beach Vets, he sometimes sets up at the All-American Collectors Show. He sold close to 30 at the August show. Johnston can be contacted at (714) 345-6111. The Big Little Books, first published in 1932 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, were small compact books designed with a captioned illustration opposite each page of text. Other publishers, notably Saalfield, adopted this format after Whitman achieved success with its early titles, priced initially at 10
Category Archives: Books
book of Oklahoma artists features famous Pomona artist's wife
Sandy Raulston and Ted Birbilis are two of the lucky few who were able to acquire one of the 200 copies of the recently-published “Directory of Oklahoma Artists. ”It is already sold out,” said Raulston. Published by The Melton Art Reference Library in Oklahoma City, the hard cover book is 394 pages and is priced at $45. Included in the book is Nan Sheets, the wife of Millard Sheets. The Southern California artist taught art at several schools including the Chouinard Art Institute and Scripps College in Claremont. There is a building named after him at the Fairplex in Pomona.
Antique attic owner 's latest book
The owner of Antique Attic in Torrance, Marilyn Ron, has just completed her latest book, “The South Bay: A Postcard History.” Published by Arcadia Publishing, the book will be available for a discounted price at her shop, located at 1274 Sartori Avenue. The regular publisher’s price is $21.99, but one can snap up a signed copy for only $20 at Antique Attic.
Genser's gold miner at Buste's book & paper fair
An early and important Firk’s view of San Francisco, $9,750, will be among the the geographical ephemera offered at Bustamante’s upcoming Book Fair in Santa Monica. In the space of Roger Genser of the Prints & The Pauper, the framed piece from 1849 carries a hefty price tag because of both its rarity and pristine condition. Antique maps will be only one of the types of ephemera seen at the Book Fair, which is slated for two days only, September 12th and 13th, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The Firk’s view is one of seven drawn by Henry Firk, but it is one of the earliest, dating to right about the time of the Gold Rush. The impression is very crisp. One can study the evolution of the city by looking at Firk’s detailed maps. According to Genser, the 1952 drawing shows the bay full of boats. ”People would bring their boats down and leave them to go searching for gold,” he said. At one point there were so many abandoned boats that the city had them burned. Genser will also be bringing his “Independent Gold Hunter: Neither Borrow nor Lend,” $1,850. The original lithograph with hand coloring was published by Kellogg & Comstock and is similar to a version by Currier & Ives. It depicts a well-equipped gold miner who had no idea that likely awaited him. More than 90% of wide-eyed speculators came up empty handed. Genser can be contacted at (310) 392-5532. The Auditorium will be filled with the rustling of papers, from rare and first edition books to posters, autographs, and manuscripts. Also on hand will be members of the Professional Autograph Dealer’s Association. PADA is an international organization made up of the finest and most respected autograph dealers. The Santa Monica Book, Print, Photo & Paper Fair is slated for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $7. For more information, call (310) 458-2288.
Sports obsessed and the documents that prove it
Almost all of his life, the Dharma Bum, the stream-of-consciousness Beatnik writer Jack Kerouac, had a dirty little secret that he kept even from his friends and fellow Beats Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs
Monumental Monterey Progress
Ann Dietz announced at the Los Angeles Pottery Show that she and writing partner Roger Renick are making excellent progress on their upgraded book on Monterey furniture.She was spreading the news at the show about the upcoming book to heavyweights like auctioneer Don Treadway. She explained that one of the most exciting epiphanies in their extensive research was the true identity of the Monterey furniture painter/decorator who had been referred to for years as “Antinoche.” ”It was a misnomer because they couldn’t read his signature,” she explained. “His real name was J. Tinoco.” She even spoke with two of his only living relatives that are in their 90s. The first Monterey book that Renick authored (in 2000) was limited to the Monterey pieces that were on display in the museum; it was really an accompanying piece for the exhibit. It was an introduction and set some guidelines about what Monterey is, he explained. It focused on early Monterey pieces and only briefly discussed middle and late period pieces. This new book will be more comprehensive. “This is a well researched, historical evaluation of Monterey Furniture from inception to current pieces,” said Renick. After close to three years of work, the book is scheduled to hit the presses late this year. Monterey Furniture Monterey Furniture was created in Los Angeles in 1929 by Mason Mfg. and is a direct result of the California Spanish Revival movement of the 1920
