BEST OF 2020: MAGAZINE SPECIALS

I usually include these with books that I have read since reading one of the many magazine specials highlights a piece of history that is worth a feature length book just in magazine format.  The reason why these are important is because several publishers produce these magazine specials every year on important subjects and surprisingly these magazines are more expensive than if they had just been put in book form. 

 

Most of the publishers are SPC (through History, Life Explores), TISP (through Time Special Editions, Life Books) and AMI (which does a host of varying subjects).  What I have learned over the last two years of reading these magazines is that they are very topical and of varying subjects to appeal to a multitude of interests and hobbies.

 

Because of the pandemic and quarantine, I had a lot of time to catch up on a lot of magazine specials that had been on my shelf.  I ended up getting through twenty-two of these specials and most of them kept to the theme of religions, presidents, and secrets & civilizations.

 

In terms of presidents, I read Andrew Jackson: An American Populist (TISP), The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later Remembering the Man and the Moment (Time Inc. Specials), and The United States Presidents: The Best and Worst of All Time (Centennial Spotlight).  These were not all printed in the last year by the way but because 2020 was such a politically charged year I wanted to read what I had on hand about some of our nation’s presidents.  I learned more about our presidents reading these three magazines then I ever thought I wanted especially through the Best and Worst of All Time.  Our political and presidential climate has changed so much over the years.  Some of this bled into the America’s National Parks: Celebrating Our Land and Heritage (TISP) as well since the national parks are so connected to our government.

 

This interest then bled into my look into a lot of religious figures and religion.  It started off with the Bible through Amazing Places of the Bible: Travel Through Time to Sacred Sites That Shaped the World (Centennial Entertainment), Jesus: How His Lessons, Miracles and Devotion Changed the World (SPC), and Mysteries of the Bible: Uncovering Its Origins, Characters, and Miracles (SPC).  I have always had an interest in world religions and religious figures.  These lead to me reading Mary: Blessed Art Thou Among Women (SPC), Mother Teresa: The Life and Works of a Modern Saint (Time Inc. Specials), and Francis: The Pope’s Bold Message Comes to America.  The amazing thing about these last three is that they gave me a better understanding of the subject and the deep belief that people have. 

 

A huge selection of these magazines has to do with secret civilizations, secrets societies and mysteries that would normally only be read in tabloid magazines.  Some of the ones that I read during the lockdown were Ancient Civilizations: The Secrets of Lost Empires (SPC), Ghost Towns: The Places That Time Forgot (TISP), PBS Secrets of the Dead: Ancient Mysteries Unearthed (TISP), Secret Societies (SPC), and Mysteries of the Loch Ness Monster (AMI).  Surprisingly, these were not as interesting as some of the others, but they were informative.  I think since these were made more as like a catalogue of info instead of dedicated to a specific person, place, or thing, they were not nearly as effective a read.  They were a quick read which was a good thing.  They also had some pretty damn good photographs and artwork as well.

 

There were a few people that I was particularly interested in which is why I read the following Aladdin: The Origins and Journey of the World’s Most Magical Tale (TISP), Martin Luther King Jr.: His Life and Legacy: 50 Years Later (Time Inc. Specials), Mickey Mouse: Life Celebrates an American Icon (TISP), Mister Rogers: The Magical World of an American Icon (TISP). 

 

The publications were all of various different years.  After I started getting into these during the pandemic, I ended up buying more through eBay and discovered that there were tons of these specials out there and even more with overlapping subjects between different publishers.  It’s a good thing to keep in mind that these specials are a very valuable tool to get info out there to a larger audience (who would rather probably not pick up a book) but another important element is that they also seem to be more up to date with current info rather than out of date or older info (like you would find by reading an older book).  I am hoping that in 2021 I’ll be able to get through even more as there are plenty of specials still sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!

 

Book Review: THE MONSTER SHOW: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF HORROR by David J. Skal

Writer David J. Skal is one of the best writers that the horror genre has.  His books Hollywood Gothic and V is for Vampire are some of the best books out there.  His book The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror is one of the very best on horror’s significance to film culture and our understanding of the horror genre. 

Although this book is mainly concerned with classic horror cinema and its significance to film and culture, readers of all generations can appreciate the depth to which Skal has gone to show his love and appreciation of classic cinema (so that others can as well).  His chapters “Tod Browning’s America” and “Dread And Circuses” take a look at some of the horror genre’s more misinterpreted moments in history, whereas his chapter “’I Used to Know Your Daddy’: The Horrors of War, Part Two” delve into the war’s effect on the genre and what audiences were interested in.  He also delves into drive-in culture (“Drive-Ins Are a Ghoul’s Best Friend: Horror in the Fifties”) and even the phenomena that is Stephen King (“The Dance of Dearth”).  Skal leaves no stone unturned as he delves into some film, moment, or incident that helped defined that time in history and culture and how it affected the films being made and the people’s tastes.

The great thing about Skal’s writing is that he is very detailed with his research and writing but he has a great way of presenting his “academic” material for the regular reader.  He may at times touch upon things that other writers already has but in this book he not only touches upon each moment or decade in history but also lets you look at the whole picture in order to understand and comprehend just how important the horror genre has had an effect on our culture.  The horror genre is more than just scares and monsters and horrifying stories; it’s a way in which people’s fears and anxieties are reflected back at them in a safe manner.  Skal’s book takes a hard look at this and he succeeds in spades.

Book Review: THE FILMS OF MARLENE DIETRICH by Homer Dickens

Marlene Dietrich is one of the most celebrated and influential German actresses in the history of cinema.  She not only changed the face of cinema, but fashion, and the way in which female stars were perceived by the media with her take no prisoners attitude of living life to its fullest and showing a purity in her personal life and cinematic choices that influenced future generations.  In Homer Dickens book The Films of Marlene Dietrich audiences are given an overlook of Dietrich’s entire career from its humble beginnings when she first got started in her home country of Germany to how she eventually made her way to the United States where she had a long lasting and illustrious career not only in cinema but as a performer with the USO during the war. 

Dietrich was not just an actress and performer but she was socially conscious and wanted to change the world in any way that she can.  She spent three years performing for US troops throughout the world and repeatedly mentioned that period of time in her life as the most pivotal.  She even received several awards and accommodations for her selfless sacrifice during this time.  The book not only goes into details about this but spends a lot of time going through each and every film that she was ever in (no matter how small the role).

There is a treasure trove of posters and production stills from all of her films as well as behind the scenes still in order to give readers a look at the many films that she starred in.  Some films were more profitable than others but they all had an impact.  Fans of Dietrich will revel at the amount of details spent on the films and enjoy the stories in how she became the person she was.  There are even many family portraits contained in the book as well.

For Dietrich fans this is a must have book and for others this is a great book that will shed light on one of the most famous and influential actresses in cinema history.