Between Soft Covers

As the elves had moved their toy factory to the South Pole under the North Arctic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Santa was pleased to find an interesting selection of paperbacks for the people on his “Nice” list.

The flashiest paperback art book of season, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL by Sylvie Drake, Vincent Robert and Adam J. Bezark (Rizzoli: $40; 144 pp.) is less a history than an evocation of the imaginative troupe who redefined what a circus could be. The striking photographs of the performers on and off stage would make “Cirque” a welcome surprise under any Angeleno’s tree or menorah.

Equally colorful is MAN AS ART: New Guinea photographs by Malcolm Kirk, essay by Andrew Strathern (Chronicle: $22.95; 144 pp.), a study of the tribes of Papua New Guinea who use dyes, clay, feathers, flowers, tusks and hair to transform their faces into bizarre, mask-like images of mythical gods and heroes. Their extravagantly decorated bodies make the pierced and tattooed inhabitants of local coffee houses look positively tame.

Alan Hess documents the growth of the gloriously garish signage on the Strip in VIVA LAS VEGAS: After-Hours Architecture (Chronicle: $18.95; 128 pp.). As the major casinos began to compete for tourist dollars, they entered the neon equivalent of the nuclear arms race: The flamboyant results tend to confirm Thomas Carlyle’s belief that America’s mission is to vulgarize the world. If Carlyle was correct, Japan is running America a close second--as Randy Handy, Maureen Erbe and Aileen Farnan Antonier show in MADE IN JAPAN: Transistor Radios of the 1950s and 1960s (Chronicle: $16.95; 108 pp.), a tongue-in-cheek salute. These diminutive radios provided not only music, but miniature examples of ricky-ticky ‘50s design--using one was like plugging a “Googie” coffee shop into your ear.

NEW YORK HOT: East Coast Jazz of the ‘50s and ‘60s: The Album Cover Art edited by Graham Marsh and Glyn Callingham (Chronicle: $24.95; 112 pp.) celebrates the visuals of the same era. The bold designs read like a Who’s Who of postwar jazz: Davis, Monk, Adderly, Baker, Mingus. More flamboyant musical graphics appear in THE ART OF ROCK (Abbeville: $10.95; 347 pp.), a pocket-sized reprint of Paul D. Grushkin’s poster book. From the straightforward handbills of the ‘50s to the elaborate Art Nouveau-influenced flyers of the San Francisco psychedelic scene, these colorful images mark the shifting tastes of the Baby Boom generation. The retro fashion craze (i. e. aesthetic grave robbing) makes the illustrations in both books look very up-to-date.

And speaking of grave robbing, what would Christmas be without another Marilyn Monroe book? James Haspiel saves us from finding out with MARILYN: The Ultimate Look at the Legend (Henry Holt: $19.95; 207 pp.). The memoirs of an adoring fan who knew her personally, “Marilyn” tells readers more about the actress and the author than they probably want to know. A hokey scenario of the actress’ murder at President Kennedy’s behest shows why Haspiel is credited as “the leading archivist on Marilyn Monroe,” rather than the leading writer.

Another show-biz legend receives more interesting treatment in JIMI HENDRIX: Inside the Experience by Mitch Mitchell with John Platt (St. Martin’s Press: $14.95; 176 pp.). The former drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience offers a first-person account of the rise of the celebrated guitarist that’s sure to please the rock fans on anyone’s gift list.

But the ultimate superstar of the century, whose fame eclipses Monroe and Hendrix, remains Mickey Mouse. Nearly 100 artists and illustrators offer their visions of that beloved icon in THE ART OF MICKEY MOUSE edited by Craig Yoe and Janet Monroe-Yoe (Hyperion: $19.95; unpaginated). Heinz Edelman hides the famous face in a bouquet, while Mick Haggerty simultaneously spoofs Mondrian and Disney.

Among the season’s more conventional art books, PERSIAN PAINTING by Sheila R. Canby (Thames & Hudson: $15.95; 128 pp.) stands out: The delicate brush work and glowing colors in the illustrations suggest a vision of an enchanted garden. The jewel-like painted boxes in THE FINE ART OF RUSSIAN LACQUERED MINIATURES by Vladimir Guliayev, translated from the Russian by Sergei Volynets (Chronicle: $22.95; 287 pp.) feature images that range from copies of Western painting to folk-art motifs.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: East, Midwest, Furniture, Stained Glass (Smith-Gibbs: $12.95; 64 pp., each), the first four volumes in projected set of six, survey the work of that seminal architect. The exceptional color photographs offer new insights into Fallingwater and less well-known structures; the boldly original yet delicate patterns in “Stained Glass” epitomize the timelessness of good design.

Two unusual books offer parallel but dissimilar portraits of life in the Midwest. SMALL TOWN AMERICA: The Missouri Photo Workshops by Cliff and Vi Edom and Verna Mae Smith (Fulcrum: $24.95; 236 pp.) documents Cliff Edom’s innovative program at the University of Missouri for aspiring photojournalists. The student photographers compiled an impressive chronicle of small town life in postwar America, although their pictures emphasize Norman Rockwell wholesomeness and ignore the social tensions of the period. In NORTH WEBSTER: A Photographic History of a Black Community by Ann Morris and Henrietta Ambrose (Indiana University Press: $19.95; 192 pp.), informal photographs taken from family albums and collections provide a warm, intimate look at several decades of middle-class African-American life.

HOMELESS: Portraits of Americans in Hard Times photographs by Howard Schatz (Chronicle: $22.95; 141 pp.) offers a more disturbing vision of America. Schatz’s dramatic black-and-white photographs combine with his subjects’ statements to form an unsettling profile of the more than 600,000 homeless individuals in the country, most of whom come from middle-class backgrounds. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Comic Relief for the National Health Care for the Homeless.

Cartoon books enable givers to share laughs with close friends--or win points with holiday hostesses they don’t know very well. Jim Unger has unfortunately decided to retire from cartooning, but THE BEST OF HERMAN (Andrews & McMeel: $10.95; 227 pp.) includes some of his funniest work. Unger’s off-the-wall cartoons of dumpy people and lumpy animals eclipse the work of his imitators. Readers who prefer more bite in their humor should peruse THE PORTABLE DOONESBURY by G. B. Trudeau (Andrews & McMeel: $12.95; un-paginated). The barbed misadventures of B. D. and Uncle Duke in Kuwait and Michael’s struggles in a downsized economy will delight liberals and infuriate conservatives.

The large format of the new “Calvin and Hobbes” collection, THE DAYS ARE JUST PACKED by Bill Watterson (Andrews & McMeel: $12.95; 175 pp.), showcases the drawings of the finest artist at work in the strips today. THE FAR SIDE GALLERY 4 by Gary Larson (Andrews & McMeel: $12.95; 167 pp.) offers the latest work of the artist who started the craze for off-the-wall absurdism in the comics. As comedian Robin Williams notes in his introduction, Larson’s work suggests “a National Geographic special on Prozac.”

JOE & SALLY: A Long Way From Home by Willy Puchner (Penguin: $12; un-paginated), the fantasy travel log of two plastic penguins, would make a nicely silly stocking stuffer: The images of the vacuous birds posed in front of Bridge of Sighs or the Pyramids at Giza have a Dada charm that’s difficult to resist.

Pausing just long enough to tuck a stack of “The Bridges of Madison County” into a nearby recycling bin (“At least the pulp romance writers have the honesty to publish in paperback, he grumbled”), Santa exited the bookstore with his traditional apostrophe, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good read!”