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Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
Recently added two new books to my vent library, going from not-really-worth-it to excellent;
Talking Heads: The Vent Haven Portraits by Matthew Rolston I was not planning on getting this book at all, then I saw a picture that showed me what a large book it was and a page from the beginning and a couple pages from the ending and being something vent made me think about it. I sold a few things on ebay, had some money in my paypal account and went ahead and bought it on ebay. I got it yesterday, and I flipped through it, and it was interesting looking at all the pictures, but...... My favorite part was the brief section at the beginning before the portraits and the brief section after the end of the portraits with a couple shots of the museum, and the vintage pictures, etc. But of course, the majority of the book is the portraits. I'd have liked it better if they at least had an inset of a full picture of the figure in the portrait. How much will I look at this book? Realistically, not much. I flipped through the portraits quickly yesterday, will probably go through it again a little slower, but I don't see myself spending hours looking through it. Do I feel it was worth what I paid for it (47.73 shipped)? A hardcover the size of this book, and it uses good quality paper, etc., I know it wasn't cheap to produce, so on that basis, I can understand why they have to charge as much as they are. But as far as being worth it based on content, personally speaking - no. But it's not all bad, recently I also acquired this excellent book; McElroy Magic by Greg Claassen This book has been out for a while now, but I didn't have any interest in it because I've never been a big fan of McElroy figures, the look just isn't one that works for me as a figure I'd want to use. Of course if I tripped across a deal on one, I'd buy it for the collectibility, and I am fully aware of the the contribution and genius of the McElroys in the history of figuremaking. After recently acquiring a copy of this book, I can honestly say I so wish I had gotten it sooner. The background info on the McElroys and their figures, the pictures, etc is excellent material, very interesting reading. And the material on the mechanics, not only great for someone wanting to attempt a replica, but for anyone interested in figuremaking and the McElroys incredible mechanics, it's both very interesting and priceless. The diagrams of the mechanics are so beautifully and clearly well done, one could have hours just looking them all over and seeing how things work. This book is actually even pricier than the Vent Haven portraits book (99.), but the big difference - this book is absolutely worth it. It can provide hours of interesting material to read and explore, and I know it is a book I'm going to want to go through many times to make sure I haven't missed anything. Nice work Greg! I consider it one of the finer additions to my vent library.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
Fonsy Regular user 187 Posts |
Thanks for your comments, Dave!
I am interested in getting both books -- and from what you say the one by Claasen should be first on the list. Of course, I will wait until flusher times. I am wondering if the folks at Vent Haven ever thought of selling posters of their more popular figures. I think they would have many interested customers, and the profits could go toward the museum. Just a thought! |
Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
In the VH potraits book, they had the names of the figures on the flip side of the page of the picture. Something that would have made a huge difference would be if they included at least a little bit of history of the figure.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
Servante Inner circle 1330 Posts |
I've got the Claasen book. I can't recommend it too highly. You could spend an afternoon buried in it, even if you don't plan to build a McElroy figure.
-Philip |
Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
You are right Philip, that's something I didn't realize until I got it, even if you don't have any plans to build a McElroy replica, it is still a VERY interesting piece of work. I'm going to have many afternoons buried in it!
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
Matt_24 Loyal user 208 Posts |
I consider myself very blessed to call Greg Claassen a friend. Through Greg I have learned all kinds of things about ventriloquism, figuremaking, and life in general. Over the years we've shared tons of stories and I've always considered him to be like a wise (don't want to say "old") sage. Greg is one of the kindest, most generous people I've ever met. For all of his tremendous talents, he downplays his abilities and is extremely humble. But from my experience, whatever Greg undertakes he executes to perfection. From McElroy replicas, to writing books, to building custom bunk beds for his kid's college dormitory (you don't want to know how cool that was)...he is a perfectionist with an incredible eye for detail.
Greg has always shared so much with me and "smartened" me up on many things. I was always eager to share with him anything "cool" that "maybe" he didn't know (which didn't happen often, but when it did, I was happy about it). Gosh, almost 10 years ago he even mailed me his private scrapbook to peruse at my leisure. He didn't have to do that, but just figured I would appreciate looking at it. I color photocopied the entire thing (with his permission of course) and it became the start of my personal scrapbook - and what a valuable keepsake! In 2004, Greg and I had developed a friendship through email and I decided to attend the Venthaven convention. Greg doesn't go every year but decided he would make the trip that year to hang out. Greg brought a really cool figure he made with Bill Nelson to the convention called SMOKIN JOE which I played with endlessly and studied the intricate mechanics (not done in the McElroy style but on an actual control post), and he had the start of one of his McElroy replicas with him as well. I drove my car to the museum so we could stay there longer together (which we did, focusing on McElroys, of course, LOL)...and he even changed my car battery when it went dead on one of our trips during the convention. I should have mentioned that to the dealership when I traded it in - perhaps it would have increased the value? I know I'm bragging on a friend, but Greg has earned his "hero" status to me, and is one of the unsung great ones in this art we all love and share. If you are interested in the art of figuremaking, then this book is a mandatory addition to your collection! The knowledge shared is worth 10 times the cover price! I believe they can still be purchased through Ventriloquist Central! http://www.ventriloquistmarketplace.com/mcelroy_magic/ |
Dickens & Dave Inner circle North Central Florida 1813 Posts |
Anyone who is thinking about buying Greg's book should probably not think about it too long, he tells me when the current printing of 200 is gone, so is the book, and there's only a couple dozen left.
http://dickensndave.bravehost.com/index.html
"Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." |
manal Inner circle York ,PA. 1412 Posts |
I have seen pics of Greg Claassen figures. Beautfull figures!
If only there was Layaway |
Bob Baker Inner circle 1111 Posts |
Just received Greg's book. It lives up to the hype. A fascinating read, even though I will never build a figure.
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