20's-30's book recommendations

[mysterygal]

Another thing I love to do is study famous women celebrities of the golden era....who are some of them from the 20's and 30's...I was thinking maybe Grace Kelley, but wasn't she around a little later than that?

 

[Sunny]

Another thing I love to do is study famous women celebrities of the golden era....who are some of them from the 20's and 30's...I was thinking maybe Grace Kelley, but wasn't she around a little later than that?

Yep, Grace Kelly was later 1940s and early 1950s.

I really like June Marlowe, a.k.a. "Miss Crabtree" from the Little Rascals shorts. She was simply beautiful, and besides making films she was quite the cover girl.

 

[mysterygal]

My #1 favorite book on 30's clothing is by Schiffer Books and is called Collectible Fashions of the Turbulent 1930s. It has info on evening, daywear, accessories, shoes, hats, jewelry, etc... it's aimed at collecters but gives a very good overview of the period and it's a nice hardcover book with a decent amount of pages. Definately worth the price.


I just got this book yesterday, and I LOVE it! This is the first book I've seen in a long time that gives a thorough overview of the period...and talk about drool factor; So many of the dresses in this book are so beautiful! So far I've pretty much just skimmed over it, but am excited to dig into it tonight!
Thanks Lauren for this great suggestion

 

[Lauren]

I'm so glad you got it! Glad to help

 

[Brooksie]

Another thing I love to do is study famous women celebrities of the golden era....who are some of them from the 20's and 30's...I was thinking maybe Grace Kelley, but wasn't she around a little later than that?

This is just to name a few women celebrities from the 20's and 30's...
Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, Coleen Moore, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow and Gene Tierney.

Brooksie

 

[Mojito]

This is just to name a few women celebrities from the 20's and 30's...
Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, Coleen Moore, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow and Gene Tierney.

Brooksie

Zelda Fitzgerald also springs (leaps? dances? pirouettes? Charlestons?) to mind. Sara Murphy is another fascinating half of a famous couple (and, like Zelda, is equally interesting in her own right). The Dolly sisters....Theda Bara....and the inimitable Josephine Baker and of course the wonderful Dorothy Parker.

It was a dazzling era...and even if a lot of it was froth, there was substance there too. There are a few gatherings/salons I'd like to attend in history, and even if it would be thoroughly intimidating, who wouldn't like to sit in on a session of the Alogonquin Round Table?

 

[mysterygal]

Brooksie and Mojito, thanks for giving suggestions on who to look up! For me, it's so much fun seeing how the celebrities looked like from a particular era.

 

[lavendar lady]

I found

I found a very nice book at goodwill (cheap too $2.99) Its title:Hollywood and the Great Fan Magazines.Edited by Martin Levin.Its worth it.Photos, stories,etc.It covers people like Katharine Hepburn and Shirley Temple and a whole lot more.


L.L.

 

[Glaistig]

Wow, Lauren posted some wonderful resources! Thanks!

I have the Schiffer Roaring Twenties book she cited and it's fabulous. From shoes to underthings to jewelry to cloches, it's quite comprehensive.

I'm still looking for the perfect sautoir!

 

[Brooksie]

I found a great book about Louise Brooks at Goodwill. The name of the Book is Louise Brooks by Barry Paris. Of course I had to have it because Louise Brooks is my favorite (I guess that's obvious LoL). It is basically the story of her life. There are some awsome pictures in this book and the fashions are to die for! Plus there are some other various pictures of other golden era stars in this book also.

Brooksie

 

[Mojito]

I also think the Paris bio is a good one, Brooksie...it's quite balanced. It's obvious he admires his subject, but not so much that he loses perspective. He doesn't indulge in historical airbrushing! I read it in conjunction with Brooks' own collection of essays.

I haven't read the new bio, Lulu Forever (can't remember if it's in the latest batch of books I've ordered from Amazon). Does anyone have any feedback on it? I understand the illustrations and large scale format are fantastic.

 

[HadleyH]

"The Lawless Decade"
"Americans in Paris"
"The Crazy Years"
"The Roaring Twenties"
"The Twenties"
biographies of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sara and Gerald Murphy. All actresses and actors of the 20s and 30s, and theater people...and music composers, they all cover the period.

 

[Glaistig]

I haven't read the new bio, Lulu Forever (can't remember if it's in the latest batch of books I've ordered from Amazon). Does anyone have any feedback on it? I understand the illustrations and large scale format are fantastic.

I just got a copy from Amazon and I think it complements the Paris biography book quite nicely! It's rather large (kind of "coffee table" size) and has many wonderful gorgeous photos. I adore some of the dresses that she wore in Pandora's Box. Louise is truly one of my top five style icons. . .

 

[Mojito]

I just got a copy from Amazon and I think it complements the Paris biography book quite nicely! It's rather large (kind of "coffee table" size) and has many wonderful gorgeous photos. I adore some of the dresses that she wore in Pandora's Box. Louise is truly one of my top five style icons. . .

Sounds like it's just what I'm hoping for, Glaistig! Given the extraordinary photogenic qualities of LB, it's wonderful that we'll finally see them in a format that showcases her style and beauty. I was flipping through the photos she used for "Lulu in Hollywood" just recently and thinking I'd love to see them in a coffee-table format on good quality paper.

Love the cloche in your avatar, btw.

 

[Glaistig]

Thank you! I knitted and then felted it myself using this pattern I'm crazy about '20s cloches.