By John E. Petty and Grey Smith;
foreword by Noel Neill
I’ve always been nutty about serials; if you feel the same way you’ll want this book in your library. Although its raison d’etre is to show off a gallery of posters, there is ample text that chronicles the history of the genre from the silent era to its demise in the 1950s. The authors don’t pretend to be comprehensive; this is more a survey than a history, and the emphasis is on famous heroes and superheroes (Superman, Batman, The Green Hornet….
Captain America, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Captain Marvel, Zorro, The Lone Ranger), with sidebar mini-biographies of serial stars, from Pearl White and Grace Fuller to Linda Stirling and Crash Corrigan. Petty and Smith bring enthusiasm to their text, but the real attraction here is the collection of vintage posters in color—as well as stills, pressbook pages, premiums, and other rare ephemera. For browsing or for reference, this book scores a hit. To purchase a copy, visit this HA website.(Ivy Press)
