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Books on the History of Comic Books you have read or own in your collection!

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bminor:
I was wondering what books people have read about the history of comics that they may have read in the past  that they could recommend to others?
I myself have had a couple of in my collection that i consider to be really good.
The first I check out from my local library way back in the early 70's "All in Color for a Dime" by Don and Maggie Thompson. This book was the first to introduce me to the golden age of comic books and what it must have been like back in the golden age!
A great read, a must read for sure.

2. "The Great Comic Book Hereos" by Jules Pfeifer. Again in the mid 70's, picked up at a local used book store. This early edition had reprints of all the golden age hereos that he talks about. Apparently there is a more recent printing, minus the reprints that is somewhat readily available.

3. Steranko History of Comics Volumes I and II. Only two produced from his projected 10 volumes set? Absolutely wonderful books I have read these to death, over and over again! I have sent Steranko pleading that he finish this set. It would be wonderful to behold.

Anyone else out there have any ideas on books?
B.

Yoc:
Hi B,
Your three were all on my list as well.  I'd also recommend Roy Thomas' Alter-Ego magazine and the Back Issue magazine.
The most recent history book I've read that I think is just amazing Creeping Death From Neptune - a Wolverton bio (Fantagraphics)(2015) that has some incredible finds from his life back to childhood drawings. I highly recommend it.

-Yoc

darkmark (RIP):
Read a batch of them.  Gerry Jones's and Will Jacobs's  COMIC BOOK HEROES must be read.  Also read Ron Goulart's big book, plus Gerry's MEN OF TOMORROW, THE COMIC-STRIPPED AMERICAN, and a bunch of more specialized books.

misappear:
Comic book history books are plentiful, tracing the motivations of the original "packagers" and the creative talent that developed the genre.  A trip to the library will provide those background details in any number of competent histories.

I would recommend backing up some years and digging into the history of comic strips as well.  The personal vision of the strip authors/artists provides a dimension that often gets lost in the production line process of comic books.  I find the divergence of strips and comic books starting in the 1930s very interesting and informative in a study of the broader comics genre.  I believe that the differences (artistically, culturally) between, say, and 1950 comic book and a 1950 newspaper strip is easily a field of study in itself.

Regarding comic books specifically, two pieces I've read which are standouts to me are David Hajdu's The Ten-Cent Plague and William Savage's Comic Books and America 1945-1954.  Both pieces reflect on the transition of comics from child-centered war-time propaganda to much larger (and grittier) glimpses at the changing American society and an increasingly maturing readership.  These works are pretty representative of my sentiment that the real "Golden Age" of comics was post WWII to the comics code.  So much diversity of content it's hard to believe.

Yoc:
If you are willing to stray away from fact into fiction the Pulitzer winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) by Michael Chabon collects a lot of the more well known stories from behind the scenes into a very good novel.

I agree Hajdu's The Ten-Cent Plague is very good but there are some twisting of data here and there that he's gotten criticised for.  But still very worth the read.  Easily one of the best IMO.

I'm told the book on LB Cole Blacklight is a beautiful collection if you can find it.

-Yoc

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