Here we are, my first post. I’m keeping it light and breezy with a visit to my bookshelves. Next time, you won’t get off so easy, so enjoy this bit of fluff.
I’ve always loved reading, both fiction and nonfiction, and books have been a common thread throughout my life. As a kid, I remember reading the encyclopedia (cue Homer Simpson yelling “nerddddd!”), and lived and breathed for the public library’s summer reading challenge. My mom was the librarian at my middle school for a time, promoting her to my literary drug lord. I even worked in publishing at Chronicle Books for a few years after college, allowing me to learn the book industry from the inside out. These days, I rely pretty heavily on audiobooks because they allow me to multitask, but I still try to slowly work my way through my collection of physical books.
And then there are my reference books, the real reason we’re here. Multiple shelves in my apartment are dedicated to oversized art books, coffee table books, whatever the heck you want to call them. Upon doing a rough count, my collection is solidly over 120. I think that’s a lot, but maybe it’s not? I run a tight ship, culling my collection frequently and sacrificing my discards to the Little Free Library gods. All killer, no filler.
Beyond the usefulness that reference books provide in an art practice, collecting books that are image-based is a simple way to tap into your inner child. Allow yourself the act of deep looking: flip pages quickly, dramatically even, when what you see doesn’t interest you, stop to stare closely at the pages that do. A good picture book is a trip to the museum in your lap, minus the crowds and eventual overstimulation. Whenever I feel a lull of creativity, I’ll spend an evening grabbing a few books off my shelf, lugging them to the couch, and flipping through them with my notebook by my side. I usually only get through one, but I always end up with a nugget of inspiration, a new idea, an “aha” moment.
So without further ado, here are 11 books from my shelves that just do it for me.
Miniature Golf by John Margolies
Published in 1987
Ah, miniature golf, one of life’s greatest pleasures. Where else can you work on your putting skills with a fever dream backdrop? With offbeat themes and hand-crafted buildings, minigolf courses are often smaller-scale examples of programmatic architecture (see California Crazy on this list for more details of what that means), and serve as excellent examples of folk art. This book is a deep dive into the history of the pastime, and is packed with old photos (the first standard minigolf course dates back to 1916!), advertisements and ephemera, and loads of 1980s courses. Plus, the cover is made of real turf. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.
Collectors Guide to Novelty Radios by Marty Bunis and Robert F. Breed
Published in 1994
Back in 2018, I was flying out of San Francisco and had time to kill, so I started wandering around. I ran into this ‘On the Radio’ exhibit that completely blew my mind, which led me to buying this book. Novelty radios are just that—radios that look like anything but a radio, with an emphasis on whimsy. They were typically produced as a marketing product (hence Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer radio), but there are also a collection of designs just for fun. I think I might start seriously looking for the pool table radio on eBay.
The Fifties and Sixties Lunch Box by Scott Bruce
Published in 1988
I picked this one up at a used bookstore in northern Minnesota, and it’s truly one of my favorite discoveries. Similar to novelty radios, decorative lunch boxes were (and continue to be) a marketing product, but the designs from the 1950s and 1960s are top notch. I find myself turning to this book when I need color inspiration, and occasionally for lettering. Mostly, I just look at the one that resembles a realistic loaf of bread and wish I had it.
Provocative Parallels by Jean Lipman
Published in 1975
I can’t remember how this book found its way to me, but it’s an interesting meditation on the similarities between folk art and modern art. I often think about the role of museums and galleries in what is considered “fine” art, and all the other art that exists outside those boundaries. This book serves as a reminder that it’s innately human to create art, despite all the efforts of the formal art world to try and insist otherwise.
Vintage Signs of America by Debra Jane Seltzer
Published in 2018
If you just can’t get enough of signs, especially neon, this is a no-brainer. It focuses mostly on neon and bulb signs from the 1940s and 1950s, and operates as a wonderful trip through roadside America. Every photo of a sign has a detailed caption with as much backstory as possible that the author could find. Context, people!
Completely Mad: A History of the Comic Book and Magazine by Maria Reidelbach
Published in 1992
Look, I don’t know how else to put it, but I’m convinced there’s a preteen boy who lives somewhere inside me and never got MAD Magazine as a kid, so now he uses ME, an adult woman, to vicariously heal his inner child. I just can’t explain why I love this stupid little magazine so much! I never even knew it existed when I was a kid! A couple years ago, my mom spontaneously gifted me the board game (see below), which is even weirder because I don’t think I have ever even mentioned MAD to her. The devil works hard, but my little freak alter ego works harder. Anyway, this book goes into the depths of how MAD reached cult status, all from starting as a ten-cent comic book. Great interviews, profiles, and archival clippings.
Talking Shops: Detroit Commercial Folk Art by David Clements
Published in 2004
This is an incredible time capsule of hand-painted signs and murals in Detroit, most of which are probably long-gone today. Often featuring self-taught lettering and pictorial-heavy signs, it’s a unique slice of sign painting style that is increasingly harder to find in America, but not impossible. There’s a strange push-pull as someone who paints signs professionally—striving for clean letterforms, proper spacing, and complementary colors—but also loving signs like this.
Overspray: Riding High with the Kings of California Airbrush Art by Norman Hathaway
Published in 2008
Whenever I think about all the meticulous steps involved in making airbrush art, I start to become stressed out. But then I remember that I don’t have to airbrush, I can just look at pretty pictures and enjoy it for what it is. What a relief! Overspray profiles four Los Angeles artists who ran the scene in the 1970s and 1980s—Charles E. White III, Peter Palombi, Dave Willardson and Peter Lloyd. It’s a beautiful book that focuses on large, vibrant prints, including fold-out pages.
BMW Art Cars, edited by Hatje Cantz
Published in 2019
Starting in 1975 with Alexander Calder, BMW began working with artists to create custom pieces of art on their cars up until present day. Past artists include Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, John Baldessari, and most recently, in 2024, Julie Mehretu. I wish every car company did this, every single year. I wish I could paint an art car! There, I said it.
Fun fact: I discovered a huge spider living in the slip cover of this book after photographing it. Yikes!
California Crazy: American Pop Architecture by Jim Heimann
Published in 2018
If you like big, garish buildings that look like other things (usually something that represents the building’s purpose or function), this is the book for you. It focuses on what is called novelty or programmatic or mimetic architecture—in short, structures that are given unusual shapes to catch your eye and draw you in. Los Angeles still has a handful of these buildings, with Randy’s Donuts and Idle Hour being some of the most well-known.
California Orange Box Labels by Gordon T. McClelland
Published in 1985
If you’ve been to a flea market, you’ve probably come across crates of old fruit box labels. This book not only is filled to the brim with photos of them, but also has fascinating details about how the labels were created and why they started in the first place. I have my own little collection of labels, and, like the aforementioned lunchbox book, often turn to this book for color ideas and lettering treatments.
A Child's Book of Art by Lucy Micklethwait
Published in 1993
The chokehold this book had over me as a kid! Truly, this is where it all began. My villain origin story. I guess it was given to all of us siblings, but I don’t think anyone really got into it quite like I did. I distinctly remember being absolutely captivated, confused, and sometimes scared by the images in this book. So many of these paintings remain my favorites today, and I try to revisit it once a year. The enduring power of books, y’all.
If you have a minute, I’d love to hear about your favorite book(s) in your collection. Comment or email me or DM me or whatever communication style best suits you.
Until next time,
Jenna
Lovely reading and discovering here ! Can't wait to get one of them and to read your next substack :D
We need a part 2!