While in a thrift store in the late 80’s, I stumbled across a game I had as a child.  That vintage find spiraled into a collection of over 1500 games and toys.  While doing research on the artists and designers of my game collection, I decided to write a book on the subject.  Along with Fred Schaefer, a friend from New Orleans, we authored Spin Again, Board Games from the Fifties and Sixties, a coffee table book published by Chronicle Books in 1991.

Website016

We did a lot of self-promotion for the book and got great coverage for it.

Articles-1

LA-Life-Cover-&-ArticleDSC_0237

Americana inside

Collectibles inside1

 

 

 

 

 

Collectibles inside2

Collectibles inside 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natl

 

A TV show called Neat Stuff came over to do a story on the collection and book.
 

Articles-2

 

Here’s an episode of the Home Show I was on to promote the book.

I set up a small studio in my apartment and did all of the photography for the book.  I used a variety of lighting, such as fluorescent UV fixtures and highlighting long exposure shots with flashlights, to capture the rich graphics and intricate pieces of the games.

img014

img024

img022img021

img019

I loved hunting down information on these long lost games.  Doing a lot of detective work, we interviewed many of the game designers, producers and artists and got some great insights and funny stories about the industry.

img027img031

Website009Website007

 

 

We did a book signing with Buzz Aldrin at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.   I spoke with him about the space program, the future of NASA and how I went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 1969 to watch him take off.  I even had a few things I kept from that momentous occasion.

Fellows-Event

Buzz-Aldrin

 

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved the Ripley’s Believe It or Not books.  Sometimes I would have friends over from grade school, turn on creepy music and read excerpts from them.  Forty years later a friend came up to me and said he just saw me in one of the Ripley’s books.  Now, I couldn’t believe it!

 

 

 

A follow up book was done after Spin Again entitled, Baby Boomer Games published by Schroeder Press and this one had  a lot more photographs.

Website032

 

candy-land

Candyland was invented by Eleanor Abbott who, while recuperating from polio, enjoyed creating amusing pastimes for children with the same affliction. She designed it to be very simple so children who couldn’t read could understand it.

img029

img028

img026

img032

 

The folks at Chronicle and I got along so well that they asked me do a proposal for a book on Model Kits from the same era.  My third book, Classic Plastic, came out of that proposal and was ultimately published by Collector Books in 1997.

 

 

Website015

Website033              Website014

Website036Dracula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website037

Website038

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website017Website040

 

Website035

Website020

Website022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website041

 

 

Website039

 Website042My ‘sploded bio from Classic Plastic.