Customer Reviews

Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations

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Ever said that line? Then you'll love this beautifully written and lovingly researched book about the history of Classics Illustrated.

Jones manages to evoke the characters of the men and women who contributed to this fascinating niche of Americana: illustrators, editors, publishers, and even its detractors. Interviews were obviously thorough, chapters are meticulously footnoted, and yet it reads like ...well, like an engrossing classic tale of adventure! Pick a chapter at random or read from cover-to-cover... it's consistently a winner.

While occasionally too ready with a disavowal of nostalgia, Jones does not hesitate to reveal his personal lifelong love of the comic book series. Truly, the best works of fandom itself can be so endearing, so contagious with admiration and awe. This book is no exception. Like myself, Jones loved the comics when he was a kid. Just as publisher Albert Kanter intended, as an adult I've managed to read every word of the real Count of Montecristo and War of the Worlds and The Moonstone, but I first learned these vivid and amazing tales by reading the Classics versions. Jones augments my personal appreciation and gratitude in this excellent book.

His work was in-depth and, while certainly using a critic's eye, relatively even-handed when it comes to the series' contributors. Now, reading the book, Jones has even made me appreciate the work of Classics artists whose pages I'd previously disliked.

Excellent illustrations, particularly of rare pages and covers, fill the book. Nice personal photos of the artists and editors are a great touch, seeing as this is a book of both down-to-earth and scholarly sensibilities.

Only fault I can find is that the text sometimes refers to a page or panel or other artwork which is not actually reprinted in the book. It can be maddening, at times, because we want to see exactly what he's talking about. My family's incomplete collection lies in another continent, otherwise it would be nice to have it at hand for referencing these things. Keep yours at hand. The book, I suppose, would be gargantuan if Jones did include these bits. So, by rights, it is an excellent book, and I did enjoy reading it.

The thing I appreciate most about this book is the soberness (with no lapses into pretentiousness or portentousness) the author brings to his subject. A survey of Classics Illustrated, to be sure, could have very easily elicited yet another visually engaging pretty-picture book saddled with a stridently jokey, throwaway text --ala Chronicle Books. We can be thankful that the tone here is intelligent, the level of detail scholarly, and very few, if any, stones are left unturned. The author has done all his homework, giving all known writers, editors, artists of the series coverage commensurate with their contribution.

This is a thoughtful, caring volume that is so much more than a tribute to a long-gone comic series, although it could be read as that too. One can't help but feel this is a primer on the way more books about popular culture really ought to be written.

CLASSSICS ILLUSTRATED comprised such a crucial, influential, and above all, entertaining part of my youth that they have never entirely left me, and in fact I still have my entire childhood collection, and then some. The author of this book, William B. Jones, notes that his approach to the subject is meant to be objective in nature; but of course anyone raised on CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED can never be completely objective about them, and time and again Jones' understandable passion for these books seeps through. Nor is it simply nostalgia: when I go back to reread old issues it is mainly for the inherent richness of the storytelling and artwork they contain. Where in all comic book history is there a work so profound and moving as the Norman Nodel-illustrated LES MISERABLES, or as sad and tragic as the Angelo Torres-illustrated TOILERS OF THE SEA? Where is the comic book art that can excel, for its sense of historical time and place and fine drawing, John Severin's treatment of the Alamo and the Mexican War in BLAZING THE TRAILS WEST? Has there ever been a swashbuckling comic book so superbly ALIVE as George Evans' treatment of THE THREE MUSKETEERS? As for THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, I wholly agree with the author that it was never adapted so effectively, in any medium, as it was in CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED. I could go on. This is not to say that there weren't issues that were pretty bad, especially in the early days, and Mr. Jones freely admits this. But for those who are already familiar with this series, and especially for those who aren't, I cheerfully recommend this book as a kind of bible to CI and its several related series. I learned so much that was new to me about the issues, the artists, the editors, and the evolution and ultimate decline of the publishing house, Gilberton Company. The packaging and layout and paper quality of the book is a delight. Bravo, Mr. Jones! And bravo, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED!

About every five or ten years, when the nay sayers are about to bury Classics Illustrated again, they bloom from the earth like the Phoenix rising from the flames. And now, Willian B. Jones Jr has taken the baton for this decade, for this century, and brought new and exiciting joy to the legion of Classics Illustrated collectors. How much more new information is there to be found on the wonderful illustrated stories that Al Kanter first brought to us in Octover of 1941? The answer is that we will never know but we keep on finding more and more. We can speculate about Red Majic, Action Play Books, Red Projectors, Tatoos, Classics Boxes, Pen and Pencil sets and many other yet to be explored items of the Classics Illustreated lore. But here, Bill Jones has filled in a tremendous gap for all of the ages to enjoy. What a tremendous effort! What an overwhelmingly comprehensive peeling away of the darkness to open the lives and tribulations of anyone who ever picked up a pen, pencil or brush to bring us Classics Illustrated. As the acknowledged Father of Classics Illustrated collecting it brings unbrided joy to my heart to read and reread the wonderful stories that Bill weaves on every page about the men and women behind the comics we came to love as Classics Illustrated. His effort is now in a second printing and deserves many, many more. My Classics Illustrated collectors friends are buying this book whenever they can. It is a joyful six hour read to be then put aside and opened randomly again and again with refreshing illumination with every new opening. Buy this now! You will not see the likes of this ever again. Raymond S. True, Classic Comics Library

This is a SUPERB book, which covers probably the least known of all the comic book genre...and yet a comic book product that
people who might never have purchased another type of comic, are
aware of...Classics Illustrated.
Since I know the author personally, I am in the position of knowing the tremendous amount of research that went into the making of this marvelous book...all the interviews with people who were vitally involved with the production of these amazing
long lived comics. And as co-editor of the 4 volume Who's Who of American Comic Books, I am delighted to say much new information
about the artists and adapters is brought to life by author Jones
Interviews with Lou Cameron, Rudy Palais, the widow of Louis Zansky, the recently departed and wonderful George Evans and many other artists of the 40's and 50's make for wonderful reading . And the tributes to lesser known ones like Alex Blum,
Henry Kiefer, Robert Hayward Webb, plus giants like Matt Baker
Reed Crandall and many more, make this wonderful book a must for all who love to read the real story behind the one comic book product that almost everybody knew about. And even though the "text was the thing" this book shows in great and interesting detail why the artists who worked on the Classics Illustrateds helped to make that true for readers of all ages!

There are numerous attempts at producing illustrated versions of the classic tales from around the world.

The series called "Classics Illustrated" is the definitive attempt at bringing all the great classics to the easy reach of us with beautiful illustrations, in the grand form of sequential art also known as Comics.

It invovled some of the finest artists, and produced a huge collection of stories. These were the results of the dream of Albert Kanter, materialising during the 40s,50s and the 60s, thrilling and educating and entertaining a generation with vivid, simple and beautiful versions of the well known classical tales such as the Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe to name a few.

I remember as a kid, I got hold of a used copy of 'The Salt Mountain' this was part of the Classics Illustrated Junior series, there was something absolutely stunning about it, the story, the pictures, the adventure. it captured the imagination.There was something special about it, which I could not find in any other story book, or series. I wasn't aware what series this was part of, who the publisher was, who the artist was. I was a kid, I simply enjoyed it. not a collector or a history buff. But several years later, when I tried to figure out more about that book, I simply couldn't, until recently the omnipotent WWW helped me learn about this amazing series. I was hooked. I am sure many of us can relate to this, and have a similar tale.

Now to the book.

This is a fantastic chronicle, of the happenings of the Classics Illustrated series, beginning with the beginning, Alber Kanter's dream, it takes us through the publications history of the various stories, and the involvment and influences of the numerous artists invovled in the effort. The evolution of the style and presentation of the books, such as the evolution from comics style to the painted covers etc. are all full of interesting information.

There were several editions, and series... Classics Illustrated, Classics Illustrated Junior, Classics Illustrated Specials, etc and several republishing attemts up until the turn of the century. All of this is detailed in the book with interesting facts.

This book lists all the stories that were published with details about the author, illustrator etc. as much as is available, also the listings from several publishers, and variations.

The book also contains pages and covers from several Classics Illustrated, mostly in black and white. There is a section of about 8 pages in color in special paper.

For the Classics Illustrated collector this sure will be a delight, as it would be to anyone interested in the grandeur of sequential art.

When I was just a boy (many years ago), for a treat to myself, I bought the Classics Illustrated comics. The art work and plot were so engaging that I still carry some of those images around in my mind. Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island" and Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast" and many others were indelibly imprinted on my brain so that they could never be forgotten. Little did I realize that these illustrated novels were real literature, that they would lead many years later to actually reading those works. When I spied the life-sized book "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History with Illustrations," I could not resist buying this book. When it arrived, I began reading a serious history of the Classics Illustrated publications, their awkward beginning and about the lives of their illustrators, and how the U.S. Postal Service effectively drove Classics Illustrated out of business. (It seems that the post office considered this comic a book and not a periodical.) Colorful images taken from the book abound throughout this edition. It's ironic that this very volume of literature is in danger of becoming a classic itself.

I have been an avid collector of Classics Illustrated (Classic Comics) since I was 8 years old, in 1954. My first Classic was 118 "Rob Roy" and over the years I have collected at least one printing of every Classics Illustrated issue, and one issue of all the Classic Comics. In addition, I think that I have all of the different covers published through the years, and cherish these books highly.

Also, I have the complete collection of Marvel Classics and all of the First Publishing Classics. Now I am in the process of collecting the Papercutz versions of the Classics, a series which appears to still be in production. I also have a few British reprints of original issues, and these are quite interesting.

I've known about this book for a long time, but the price always put me off. Luckily, my son is aware of my Classics connection, and he purchased the book for me for this Fathers' Day. It's one of the best gifts I've ever received! Not only does it give you the complete history of the Kanter family and Gilberton publishing, but each of the artists who contributed are given brief biographies, and we learn which specific books they did, and if it was all or only part, and why certain artists received certain books to do.

There are a series of appendices, the most important one to me being a rundown of each issue, with the writer and artist names, the type of cover, and the number of printings each variation had. I was shocked to see how many one printing issues I had, actually all of them!

If you love these books as much as I do, this is a must buy for you. Don't let the high price deter you; it's a deal at twice that!

I couldn't resist ("a classic"). A miracle of pop culture research--like the late, great comic line, this study is pleasurable, exciting, and educational. As a baby baby boomer, I arrived on the CI scene as it was winding down (circa 1964), and of course had no idea why new titles were no longer appearing. And no idea that the series' days were numbered. I did, however, quickly figure out that some of the earlier titles had been updated, thanks in large part to someone giving me an original, coverless copy of The Three Musketeers that kept me fascinated--heck, which STILL has me enthralled--as I tried to figure out how the odd artwork, the 64-page length, and the fairly crude text could ever have functioned as a CI comic book. And I was endlessly fascinated by the gaps in the reorder sequence(s). At one point (and after some research), I went ahead ordered three discontinued titles (A Christmas Carol, The Black Tulip, and the Cloister and the Hearth), whereupon I received three 10-cent copies with 15-cent stickers pasted over, along with a letter explaining that unlisted titles are out of stock and to please not try to order same. (Why not? It worked that time!) I remember asking my Dad what "out of stock" meant. If only I still had those mint copies....

Like the author's, my life revolved around these things. As a kid, I read a great deal--mostly book books, not comics--but CI comics were my main love, regardless. A number of titles inspired me to read the originals, available (as promised) at my local library--Frankenstein, The Odyssey, All Quiet on the Western Front, and more. The CI series was anything but an alternative to reading.

This study told me so much I hadn't known about the series while reminding me of how deeply I loved the CI experience--of how positively it helped shape my thinking and reading experience. Tons of background details and bios will have you wishing for 160+ more volumes of this study. Best of all has to be the concise, wondrous chapter on the brilliant Louis Zansky.

The moving coda is a thing of art--the author's heartfelt thank you speaks for many of us, I'm sure. Classics: Illustrated has received the study it deserves, and what were the odds of that? Buy this.

From 1941-71 Classics Illustrated comics introduced millions to abridged, comics-style version of literary masterpieces. Classics Illustrated tells of the birth of this popular medium, founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Kanter whose operations saw both the heyday and decline of the golden age of comics. The focuses on artists' creations is particularly involving.