I had originally planned to just list several books I think you should buy here, but upon thinking about it I'm going to revise this idea a bit. I want to instead provide a recommendation for selections and how to evaluate books about comics and then provide a list with ideas of why the books are included. I think this is a time when it's more important to explain the whys than just list a definitive list. And there are several reasons for this.
First of all, some of the really good books are just not affordable or practical for a library or they are out of print or may even go out of print by the time you read this. Second of all, it is more important in some ways to talk about the reasons behind a book being in a collection than just telling you what to get. Third, I obviously have not read all the books out there, I don't have the time, and I come at this as a hardcore comic history buff and what fascinated me may not work for your average patron. Fourth, I'm not really sure I have a definitive list that covers all of comics or even does it all justice. I'm not even sure if such a list exists as I'm constantly struggling to find books that fill the holes in my knowledge that I want filled.
So all that said.. here are some basic framework for books about comics or comic history. These are going to be some general guidelines to go about. If something works for your library, don't just follow my advice and hurt yourself, but I'm going to be pretty clear the reasoning why. Also, yes I'll have some actual books I will use as examples or ideas, so if you want to skip to that section.. by all means just go there.
On to my recommendations on selection.
Do not buy comic book encyclopedias, DK publishing books, complete histories, or anything like that
that is based around the comic stories or characters. DK Publishing is a big pusher of these books, but Marvel and DC have both done encyclopedias on x or y character.Just don't waste the money. Honestly, by the time that book is printed and gets to you it's at the very least several months behind if not years behind.The information could literally have all been invalidated in last month's comic with a new shocking reveal that the writer of the encyclopedia/DK book wouldn't have been able to include. Seriously though, they are already dated by the time they're published and they're just not that informative in the lung run.
Visual histories are an exception to this only because they can be used if you have a big artist community. Obviously the images aren't going to be dated and the art will still be good forever. That again is if you have a large artist community and want to cater to them.
That said the better alternative to either one of those is to have actual comic books and if you have a limited budget, you're better off spending the money on a few good stories than on books that explain the stories. Just like you'd be better on a limited budget buying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus than buying a book on literary criticism of Shelley's novel.
Avoid books on specific creators or time periods. This is a general rule, but obviously if you are in an area and people are super interested in Stan Lee, get books on Stan Lee. But by in large, creators like Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Roy Thomas, Paul Levitz, Neal Adams, or even Tarpé Mills are not going to be huge draws to the general population. I'm sure you know that already. Also a book that only talks about a specific period of time, like The Golden Age of DC Comics is not likely to draw a huge crowd.
Some books to think about:
Michael Chabon's The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - this is a novel obviously and you probably already have it in your collection, but Chabon does a great job setting up the world of Golden Age comics and how it really worked. He does a great job of explaining the atmosphere as a creator and the process behind it. And while this is about a specific time period really, it's an amazing novel and works regardless.
Mike Madrid has a couple of great books about female superheroes and villains and the transformations they undergo over the decades. His two on the golden age actually have reprints of the original comics in black and white, so the reader can read about them.
Sean Howe's The Untold History of Marvel Comics - great history about Marvel, goes into all the details, though Howe does glorify Stan Lee a tad much and glosses over some of the man's obvious imperfections. It's still a pretty good read for someone that wants a look into Marvel's history and the inter workings of the Bullpen.
Trina Robbins has several books about the history of women creators, characters, and fans in comics including some of their stories. Unfortunately, several of her books are out of print.
Finally 75 Years of DC Comics the art of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz and 75 Years of Marvel Comics from Golden age to Silver Screen by Roy Thomas. Both of these are massive over sized books though the DC book has recently been reprinted in a slightly smaller version (it is still huge). They detail the history of DC and Marvel with tons of pictures and insider information as Paul Levitz was the President of DC comics from 2002-2009 and had worked as a writer and editor since the 70s. Roy Thomas also acted as a creator since the 60's, started one of the first comic fanzines, worked for Marvel and DC and is a well known comic historian with a long running comic history magazine, Alter Ego. Both are amazing if expensive and cumbersome editions. Probably not the best for every library, but still amazing books.
First of all, some of the really good books are just not affordable or practical for a library or they are out of print or may even go out of print by the time you read this. Second of all, it is more important in some ways to talk about the reasons behind a book being in a collection than just telling you what to get. Third, I obviously have not read all the books out there, I don't have the time, and I come at this as a hardcore comic history buff and what fascinated me may not work for your average patron. Fourth, I'm not really sure I have a definitive list that covers all of comics or even does it all justice. I'm not even sure if such a list exists as I'm constantly struggling to find books that fill the holes in my knowledge that I want filled.
So all that said.. here are some basic framework for books about comics or comic history. These are going to be some general guidelines to go about. If something works for your library, don't just follow my advice and hurt yourself, but I'm going to be pretty clear the reasoning why. Also, yes I'll have some actual books I will use as examples or ideas, so if you want to skip to that section.. by all means just go there.
On to my recommendations on selection.
Do not buy comic book encyclopedias, DK publishing books, complete histories, or anything like that
 |
| books like these get dated before they're even published |
Visual histories are an exception to this only because they can be used if you have a big artist community. Obviously the images aren't going to be dated and the art will still be good forever. That again is if you have a large artist community and want to cater to them.
That said the better alternative to either one of those is to have actual comic books and if you have a limited budget, you're better off spending the money on a few good stories than on books that explain the stories. Just like you'd be better on a limited budget buying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus than buying a book on literary criticism of Shelley's novel.
Avoid books on specific creators or time periods. This is a general rule, but obviously if you are in an area and people are super interested in Stan Lee, get books on Stan Lee. But by in large, creators like Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Roy Thomas, Paul Levitz, Neal Adams, or even Tarpé Mills are not going to be huge draws to the general population. I'm sure you know that already. Also a book that only talks about a specific period of time, like The Golden Age of DC Comics is not likely to draw a huge crowd.Some books to think about:
Michael Chabon's The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - this is a novel obviously and you probably already have it in your collection, but Chabon does a great job setting up the world of Golden Age comics and how it really worked. He does a great job of explaining the atmosphere as a creator and the process behind it. And while this is about a specific time period really, it's an amazing novel and works regardless.
Mike Madrid has a couple of great books about female superheroes and villains and the transformations they undergo over the decades. His two on the golden age actually have reprints of the original comics in black and white, so the reader can read about them.
Sean Howe's The Untold History of Marvel Comics - great history about Marvel, goes into all the details, though Howe does glorify Stan Lee a tad much and glosses over some of the man's obvious imperfections. It's still a pretty good read for someone that wants a look into Marvel's history and the inter workings of the Bullpen.
Trina Robbins has several books about the history of women creators, characters, and fans in comics including some of their stories. Unfortunately, several of her books are out of print.
Finally 75 Years of DC Comics the art of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz and 75 Years of Marvel Comics from Golden age to Silver Screen by Roy Thomas. Both of these are massive over sized books though the DC book has recently been reprinted in a slightly smaller version (it is still huge). They detail the history of DC and Marvel with tons of pictures and insider information as Paul Levitz was the President of DC comics from 2002-2009 and had worked as a writer and editor since the 70s. Roy Thomas also acted as a creator since the 60's, started one of the first comic fanzines, worked for Marvel and DC and is a well known comic historian with a long running comic history magazine, Alter Ego. Both are amazing if expensive and cumbersome editions. Probably not the best for every library, but still amazing books.
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