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Martha and the Vandellas in 1965. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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Books For Nostalgia Fans
10 retro romps for the pop-culture cognoscenti obsessed with Elvis, 60s girl groups, board games and cassette tapes / BY Nathalie Atkinson / December 14th, 2023
Who can resist a backward glance at this time of year? These books, far from being trapped in the sentimental past, show how cultural touchstones like Elvis, the Nancy comic and board games are as relevant as ever.
Obsessive Book Buyers: Zoomer editors have carefully curated our book coverage to ensure you find the perfect read. We may earn a commission on books you buy by clicking on the cover image.
1Elvis Remembered Between Baz Luhrman’s bombastic film Elvis and Sofia Coppola’s intimate portrait Priscilla, the King is having a revival. This Las Vegas-based Elvis fan interviewed 11 people in his orbit, like his personal photographer Ed Bonja, talent manager Jerry Schilling and Patty Parry, the only female member of his inner circle, called the Memphis Mafia. Each transcript is peppered with pictures of memorabilia and personal photographs, some of them never published before.
Between Baz Luhrman’s bombastic film Elvis and Sofia Coppola’s intimate portrait Priscilla, the King is having a revival. This Las Vegas-based Elvis fan interviewed 11 people in his orbit, like his personal photographer Ed Bonja, talent manager Jerry Schilling and Patty Parry, the only female member of his inner circle, called the Memphis Mafia. Each transcript is peppered with pictures of memorabilia and personal photographs, some of them never published before.
2Bing and Billie and Frank and Ella and Judy and Barbra Critics have called this group biography of six of the greatest 20th-century performing artists an ambitious collage, as it considers what made each exceptional and how their journeys overlapped and influenced each other. Fans of the Great American Songbook and the cultural fabric of mid-century music will be fascinated.
Critics have called this group biography of six of the greatest 20th-century performing artists an ambitious collage, as it considers what made each exceptional and how their journeys overlapped and influenced each other. Fans of the Great American Songbook and the cultural fabric of mid-century music will be fascinated.
370s HouseHarvest Gold and Avocado Green appliances get a bad rap, and shag carpeting is much maligned, according to this Manchester-based mom and retro enthusiast. Her new book showcases a range of the decade’s interiors and includes simple how-to guides to encourage homeowners to be bolder in their design choices (whatever the era).
Harvest Gold and Avocado Green appliances get a bad rap, and shag carpeting is much maligned, according to this Manchester-based mom and retro enthusiast. Her new book showcases a range of the decade’s interiors and includes simple how-to guides to encourage homeowners to be bolder in their design choices (whatever the era).
4Three Rocks This graphic biography from the creator of “Zippy” comics contains drawings, aptly cross-hatched in Ernie Bushmiller’s signature style, that tell the story of the legendary cartoonist who created the enduring comic strip, “Nancy.” This is a fitting tribute to the succinct comedy, sublime gags and punchlines of the world Bushmiller created.
This graphic biography from the creator of “Zippy” comics contains drawings, aptly cross-hatched in Ernie Bushmiller’s signature style, that tell the story of the legendary cartoonist who created the enduring comic strip, “Nancy.” This is a fitting tribute to the succinct comedy, sublime gags and punchlines of the world Bushmiller created.
5But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? These comprehensive oral histories about the 1960s girl-group phenomenon, condensing more than 300 hours of interviews with 100-plus subjects, don’t focus on the Motown production apparatus or songwriting teams, but spotlight the often anonymous (and most-often Black) young female performers. Familiar groups like the Ronettes, Supremes and Vandellas are represented, but it’s thrilling to see lesser-knowns like the Blossoms, Chiffons, Chantels, Crystals and Dixie Cups come into focus. It’s best enjoyed listening to the great Darlene Love’s 1963 classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
These comprehensive oral histories about the 1960s girl-group phenomenon, condensing more than 300 hours of interviews with 100-plus subjects, don’t focus on the Motown production apparatus or songwriting teams, but spotlight the often anonymous (and most-often Black) young female performers. Familiar groups like the Ronettes, Supremes and Vandellas are represented, but it’s thrilling to see lesser-knowns like the Blossoms, Chiffons, Chantels, Crystals and Dixie Cups come into focus. It’s best enjoyed listening to the great Darlene Love’s 1963 classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
6Agents of Chaos According to the author, the life and times of Thomas King Forçade, the First Amendment crusader, renegade cannabis tycoon and decriminalization activist who founded High Times (a notorious magazine of illicit drug information and counterculture reporting) in 1974 is also the story of the “paranoid end of the 1970s.” He’s not wrong.
According to the author, the life and times of Thomas King Forçade, the First Amendment crusader, renegade cannabis tycoon and decriminalization activist who founded High Times (a notorious magazine of illicit drug information and counterculture reporting) in 1974 is also the story of the “paranoid end of the 1970s.” He’s not wrong.
7High Bias How did the cassette tape prepare us for the groundbreaking societal shifts of the digital age? In this history of the cheap, portable, reusable and frankly revolutionary piece of plastic, Masters celebrates the liberating technology (hello, mixtapes!) while tracking the cassette from its early 1960s invention to its 1980s decline, heralded by the compact disc’s introduction.
How did the cassette tape prepare us for the groundbreaking societal shifts of the digital age? In this history of the cheap, portable, reusable and frankly revolutionary piece of plastic, Masters celebrates the liberating technology (hello, mixtapes!) while tracking the cassette from its early 1960s invention to its 1980s decline, heralded by the compact disc’s introduction.
8Retro Gaming From Atari to Zelda, the gaming journalist’s well-regarded history of the medium gets a paperback reissue to coincide with the 50th anniversary of console gaming. It can’t hurt that Tetris and Super Mario Brothers movies are reawakening fond memories of our bygone love of byte, bleep and lag. The book charts the rise of the arcade, computer and handheld franchises we all loved.
From Atari to Zelda, the gaming journalist’s well-regarded history of the medium gets a paperback reissue to coincide with the 50th anniversary of console gaming. It can’t hurt that Tetris and Super Mario Brothers movies are reawakening fond memories of our bygone love of byte, bleep and lag. The book charts the rise of the arcade, computer and handheld franchises we all loved.
9What Board Games Mean to Me This collection of essays features reminiscences and insights into the connections (and memories) formed around table tops, as dozens of contributors weigh in on everything from the first games humans played to how specific games of the 20th century became passionate hobbies. Our fragmented and isolated digital age could learn a thing or two.
This collection of essays features reminiscences and insights into the connections (and memories) formed around table tops, as dozens of contributors weigh in on everything from the first games humans played to how specific games of the 20th century became passionate hobbies. Our fragmented and isolated digital age could learn a thing or two.
10Yesterday The Free University of Berlin academic fittingly analyzes the concept of nostalgia itself, and what’s behind our longing for the past. He looks at why the wistfulness for fashion, music and pop culture – a phenomenon that took shape following the Second World War – can be beneficial but has also dangerously bled into retro politics. It’s an interesting take on rethinking our relationship to bygone days.
The Free University of Berlin academic fittingly analyzes the concept of nostalgia itself, and what’s behind our longing for the past. He looks at why the wistfulness for fashion, music and pop culture – a phenomenon that took shape following the Second World War – can be beneficial but has also dangerously bled into retro politics. It’s an interesting take on rethinking our relationship to bygone days.