Bridge Players’ Coloring Book

BPCBGenuine bridge humor from the 1960s! America had its first love affair with adult coloring books during the Kennedy administration, when the point was not ornate drawings but comedy, as the form was used to poke fun at politics, business, and leisure activities… and bridge was not immune. Back in print for the first time in half a century is this lighthearted look at bridge and the people who play it!

5.25″ x 8″ (13.335 x 20.32 cm)
Black & White on Cream paper
48 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1936404599
ISBN-10: 1936404591
BISAC: Games / Card Games / Bridge
List price: $6.99
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Classic Slams: Bridge Humor of the ’50s and ’60s

ClassicSlamsCover630x960From the golden era of the home bridge party comes this trio of classic books, now under one cover. Meant to be given away as either top prizes or booby prizes, these books entertained winners and losers alike!

Doubled and Vulnerable: The cartoons of Wesley Thompson illustrate the fun and foibles of getting together with the neighbors for a friendly little game.

Bridge Babies: Dorothy W. Wilson’s charming photos of tiny tykes showing the expressions of bridge players will win your heart.

Bridge Players’ Coloring Book: This example of the adult satirical coloring book craze of the early 1960s is aimed straight at the bridge player’s funnybone.

List Price: $9.99
5.25″ x 8″ (13.335 x 20.32 cm)
Black & White Bleed on White paper
148 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1936404605
ISBN-10: 1936404605
BISAC: Games / Card Games / Bridge
Classic Slams is available for immediate ordering from Amazon.

Comics Creator Prep

ComicCreatorPrep_cover_640x960Where inspiration and spontaneity prime a comic’s pump, create a vision, propel it forward, and give it life, Comics Creator Prep raises the level of comics craft to give a creator the requisite tools to consistently realize that vision.

It shows creators how to use the tools in their comic toolboxes well.


Here’s what comics industry legends and pros have to say about Comics Creator Prep!

“If you’ve ever wished you had someone to walk you through the potential pinnacles and pitfalls of a career in comics, then Lee Nordling’s Comics Creator Prep is the book for you. In this guide to a plethora of perplexing situations you’re likely to find yourself in at one point or another in the world of sequential art, Nordling delivers a Master Class in the creative and business issues that confront pretty much everyone who’s ever tried to tell a story in words and pictures. Lee will help you avoid many common mistakes comics beginners—and grizzled pros, for that matter—often make. And for those times when you do find yourself in the middle of a thorny situation, his insights and advice should enable you to dig your way out faster and more gracefully than you otherwise would have.”
—Danny Fingeroth, comics writer, editor and historian; author of books including Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society

“There’s no one magic way to create comics, but Lee Nordling brings a lifetime of experience in strips, periodicals and books to a discussion of how to approach the medium as a professional and do your best work.”

—Paul Levitz, comic book writer, educator, past President and Publisher at DC Comics 

“I really wish I had been able to read Lee Nordling’s Comics Creator Prep forty years ago when I was a newbie at this comics lark. It’s stuffed full of invaluable information and useful advice about the craft of storytelling and using the medium to its full potential. I had to learn the hard way by spending years making mistakes! It covers everything from the placement of word balloons to the best way to pitch your story to potential publishers. And, what’s great about it, is that it
really hammers these lessons home.”

—Bryan Talbot, writer/artist Grandville, The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia, Alice In Sunderland, The Tale of One Bad Rat

“As someone who directly benefited from working with Lee Nordling, I’m glad to be able to recommend this book that shares his laser precise insight into what makes a great story in comics, film, and beyond.”

—Dave Roman, Astronaut Academy and Teen Boat!

6″ x 9″
Black & White on White paper
292 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1936404582
ISBN-10: 1936404583

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The Saga of Dr. Anton Pazu: A Coloring Book for Dentists

PAzuFrom the first golden era of adult coloring books comes The Saga of Dr. Anton Pazu. Created by a dentist for dentists, this is a satire of dentistry, with a look at the work, the tools, the office, and the lifestyle. This went through several printings in the 1960s, but has been out of print and unavailable for decades. It was successful enough to have a sequel, 1969’s The Incredible Story of Dr. Anton Pazu and the Internal Revenue Service: Another Coloring Book for Dentists.

8.5″x11″, 36 pages, black and white paperback, list price $6.99.

Order The Saga of Dr. Anton Pazu from Amazon.com!

Kids’ Letters to President Kennedy

KidsJFKGenuine letters sent from the kids of the early 1960s to JFK show you the dreams, obsessions, and general attitude of America’s children. New York Times best-selling book creator worked with the White House mail department to find letters that were delightful, intriguing, and representative of the thousands of letters that would stream in each week. The book is augmented by dozens of delightful illustrations by Louis Darling, better know for this work on Beverly Cleary’s Beezus & Ramona books. Out of print for half a century, this book is now back in this paperback edition!

5″x8″, 162 pages, black-and-white on cream paper, list price $14.99 US.

This book is part of our Presidential Bookshelf line.

Order Kids’ Letters to President Kennedy from Amazon.com!

Cold War Coloring: Political Adult Coloring Books of the Kennedy Era

Cold War Coloring coverThe first time adult coloring books swept america, they weren’t therapeutic… they were satiric.
In the early 1960s, the first wave of parody coloring books used the form to mock the culture of the day. Here are five prime examples that took on the politic conflicts of that era. Most of these have been out of print for half a century.

  • JFK Coloring Book – a genuine New York Times-certified best seller, this look at the Kennedy White House, the Kennedy friends, and especially the Kennedy family contains beautiful art by Mort Drucker, master caricaturist from Mad.
  • New Frontier Comic Coloring Book – an all-out attack on the Kennedy administration, produced by Arthur J. Weaver, a Republican politician from Nebraska and a four-time delegate to the Republican National Convention
  • Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev Coloring Book – a look at the notorious but colorful Soviet leader, written by Amram Ducovny, father of actor David Duchovny.
  • Khrushchev’s Top Secret Coloring Book – with Gene Shalit on the writing and Jack Davis of Mad fame handling the art, the communists take it on the chin.
  • The John Birch Coloring Book – a poke at the right-wing John Birch Society, who were concerned with communists abroad and communists (real and perceived) at home.”Overall, Cold War Coloring is a remarkable volume. It reminds me of an era I barely understood as a child and clarify those times for me. It’s a perfect gift for coloring book buffs, nostalgia fans and political memorabilia collectors” — Tony Isabella, Tony’s Tips

8.5″x11″, 148 pages, black and white, paperback, list price $9.99 US.

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Adult Coloring Books of the 1960s

Adult Coloring Books of the 1960s coverThe first time the adult coloring book craze hit, it wasn’t about therapy or even coloring. It was about satire.

The adult coloring books of the early 1960s were used to poke fun at the world of the day. Sometimes, it was the gentle mockery of a friend, other times it was the sharp elbow of the political satirist. They were used to ridicule the commerce-driven world, and they were also used to sell products. Some were “adult” solely in their fascination with politics, while others were adult in a more naughty manner.

Here are eleven of those coloring books, many back in print for the first time in half a century. It includes the one that launched the satirical coloring book craze, the New York Times best-seller The Executive Coloring Book.

Also included are:

  • The Skier’s Coloring Book
  • The Bridge Player’s Coloring Book
  • The Original Campus Coloring Book
  • The 1963 Car Buyer’s Coloring Book
  • Mother Goose is Loose!
  • The Therapy Coloring Book
  • A Coloring Book for Fishermen
  • The Saga of Dr. Anton Pazu: a Coloring Book for Dentists
  • The Bureaucrat’s Coloring Book
    …and one produced by a pro baseball team.

Order Adult Coloring Books of the 1960s from Amazon.com!

8.5″x11″, 290 pages, paperback, list price $15.99 US.

Khrushchev’s Top Secret Coloring Book

Khrushchev Coloring BookIn 1962, during the first adult coloring book craze, Khrushchev’s Top Secret Coloring Book hit the shelves to take a stab at the Russian leader. Written by Gene Shalit and drawn by EC Comics and Mad Magazine superstar Jack Davis, it paints a hilarious picture of world politics of the day. (Note: this material is also included as part of the book Cold War Coloring.)

8.5″x11″, 24 pages, black and white paperback, list price $6.00.

Order Khrushchev’s Top Secret Coloring Book from Amazon.com!

What to Name Your Jewish Baby

What to Name Your Jewish Baby

Are you going to have a Jewish baby, and do you need a name… or just some laughs? Then this book is for you!

New York Times best-selling book creator Bill Adler teams up with Mad Magazine‘s killer team of Arnie Kogen and Mort Drucker to deliver not only over 300 possible names for your little blessing, but also an explanation of what strange or interesting sort of person you’ll get if you give them that name! Peppered with more than 50 of Drucker’s great illustrations, this is perfect book to use as a gift, or to whomp spiders with! Just buy it!

6″x9″, 120 pages, black and white on cream paper, paperback, list price $9.99 US.

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Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers

Panel One Comic Book ScriptsFor anyone who makes comics or wants to, here is a collection of sample scripts from some of the best and brightest folks in the comic book business. Includes a Marvel-style plot from Cyborg creator Marv Wolfman, full scripts from Neil Gaiman (Miracleman), Kurt Busiek (Astro City), Trina Robbins, Nat Gertler (including the finished art by Steve Lieber), Greg Rucka (Whiteout), Dwayne McDuffie (Deathlok), and Kevin Smith (Jay & Silent Bob). Plus a drawn script by Jeff Smith for his Bone tie-in series Rose! Each script is introduced either by the writer or by About Comics publisher Nat Gertler.

  • Anything you’ve ever wanted to know about comic scriptwriting is in here – Savant
  • It’s an attractive package put together by comics writer Nat Gertler, and it’s welcome, indeed. GRADE: A – Comics Buyer’s Guide
  • There aren’t many books that pass for “invaluable references” in our field, but this qualifies. – Steven Grant, writer of Two Guns
  • The book is fantastic, containing actual scripts in their purest form. Even if you’re not a comic book person, you’ll learn a lot and be entertained… There’s a lovely feeling of peeking backstage that you get with these scripts. – Jane Espenson, consulting producer and writer, Once Upon a Time; writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica

List price: $19.95
Paperback: 200 pages
ISBN-10: 0971633800
ISBN-13: 978-0971633803
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches

Order Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers from Amazon!

(Wholesale note: while Panel One is subject to the same wholesale and shipping terms as other About Comics paperbacks, it needs to be ordered separately and cannot be mixed in with the order.)