THREE STOOGES, GROUCHO, BEAU GESTE AND OTHER OBSESSIONS

The line between scholarship and obsession is often blurry. Academics are praised for spending years on a thesis or book, while superfans and enthusiasts are often dismissed as wackos. Here are five happy results of personal, passionate pursuits: four significant books and one great DVD/Blu-ray. A TOUR DE FARCE: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE THREE STOOGES ON THE ROAD by Gary Lassin (The Stoogeum) This 765-page oversized book is incredibly heavy to pick up—but having plopped it on my lap the other night I found it equally difficult to put down. I am a sucker for photos of vintage theater marquees and old newspaper ads touting movie-plus-vaudeville shows. This book has literally hundreds of such images, along with a detailed record of every stage appearance…