I've been in charge of Powell's Photography
section for seven years. I now also curate the Basil Hallward Gallery
and do graphic design for the store. I should be more literate after
nine years at Powell's, but I've grown bored with the pretentious,
self-serving monotony of contemporary fiction, and now look to nonfiction
to satisfy the part of my brain that still has patience for words.
I prefer books that are mostly pictures. Pictures are pretty, or at
least entertaining. And pictures tell truths where words lie.
Last year I found a way to combine my nonfiction interests with
my love of pretty pictures. I started a section for books that have
no home, the castaways, the excess (hence the name of the section).
Excess
Culture (XSCulture) refers to all that a culture produces which
is excessive or unnecessary, but at the same time is worthy of reverence.
In spite of their seeming irrelevance, these objects help to define
the very culture they are a part of. XSCulture is a celebration
of the things we don't need yet can't live without. The books in
this section are hand chosen along these guidelines. They are often
mouthwatering pieces of eye candy; stunning examples of what the
publishing industry is capable of producing. Here are a few appetizers.
Trent De Bord
The
Mascot
 1000
Extra/Ordinary Objects
edited
by Colors Magazine
Every culture on this earth is united by one thing (and it's not a desire for
world peace): the manufacture and desire to possess useless crap. The editors
of Colors magazine have scoured all ends of this stupid planet to document
1000 examples of unnecessary eXceSs — from Japanese feces-odour-covering
tablets, Chinese weight-loss soap, caribou fat ice cream from somewhere in the
arctic, to bottled water for your cat from the good ol' U. S. of A. 1000 Extra/Ordinary
Objects allows us to laugh at ourselves and others. We are all equal. We are
all stupid. We all live in a world of eXceSs. No surprise, this book has become
the mascot of the XSCulture section.
The
Past Was Better
 Jack
Cole and Plastic Man
by
Art
Spiegelman
In 1941, Jack Cole, later an illustrator and cartoonist for Playboy, introduced
the world to Plastic Man, a superhero who, due to an unfortunate accident with
a horrible acid, developed the incredible ability to transform himself into any
shape. The plots were simple, Good Guy vs. Bad Guy, but along the way Cole managed
to plumb the depths of his otherwise conservative brain to produce some of the
most bizarre, surreal visions the forties had ever seen. Even today, many of his
concepts and imagery will drop your jaw. You have to wonder what in the hell this
guy was thinking. Jack Cole and Plastic Man is edited by another comic
genius, Art Spiegelman, and is lovingly designed by Chip
Kidd whose Batman Collected ranks among the most beautiful books ever
produced.
 Airstream:
The History of the Land Yacht
by
Bryan Burkhart
Mid-century houses were better. So were mid-century cars. It would follow, then,
that mid-century homes on wheels were better too. Well, they were. Not that RVs
are really a category worth arguing about. But there is one fifth wheel that holds
its place securely among the top industrial design concepts of the century: the
Airstream. Resembling a brilliant aluminum-skinned zeppelin with wheels, the Airstream
is undeniably appealing. I defy anyone to honestly say otherwise. Airstream
is equal parts travelogue, cultural history, and biography of the inventor. It
is loaded with beautiful faded-to-pink snapshots, magazine ads, structural illustrations,
and press photos.
 The
Book of Tiki
by
Sven
A. Kirsten
Perhaps no one embraced the concept of eXceSs better than the Americans of the
fifties, who, let's face it, went slightly apeshit after W.W.II was over. The
Book of Tiki concerns itself with the American misconception of what various
cultures in the Pacific should be like. And God bless this arrogance, because
it left behind a legacy of some of the most beautiful and exotic architecture
and design. When soldiers returned from the Vietnam War they were frightened of
the jungle. After 'the big one,' however, the American public embraced the exotic
landscape of the war in the Pacific, pouring tons of money into tiki-themed bars,
restaurants, hotels, bowling alleys, as well as all the Polynesian gee-gaws, bamboo
what-nots, carved idols, masks, and aloha shirts they could get their hands on.
This comprehensive tome is the most beautifully produced, mouthwatering, six-straw
mai tai bucket of a book you'll find on the aloha fetish. Cheers!
 Airline:
Identity, Design and Culture
by
Keith Lovegrove
The cabin lights are down. It's near black save for the sympathetic spots identifying
the restless. Your stewardess walks up the aisle holding a tiny bottle of liqueur
in her perfectly manicured hands. As she adds a splash of tonic to your gin, in
a voice barely audible over the sultry rumble of the fuselage, she purrs, "Would
you like some peanuts?" Hypnotized by the way that smart little pillbox hat rests
on her carefully sculpted bun, you flirtatiously ask "So when are we approaching
the tarmac?" She smiles. You are an imbecile. She smiles and pats you on the shoulder,
the only contact you'll get, and continues up the aisle. There are no tips on
how to become a member of the Mile High Club in this survey of the fashions and
designs of airlines worldwide, from the classy forties, past the swinging sixties,
through the cocaine-fueled seventies. Nonetheless, Airline is the Bible
for anyone with an airplane fetish: those of us who become aroused by simply being
part of the whole air travel experience.
 Skateboard
Retrospective: A Collectors Guide
by
Rhyn Noll
Back in the seventies and early eighties, we used to ride these cumbersome 10-
to 12-inch wide decks with big fat wheels. No skateparks had been built yet so
we carved whatever surface we could find. Basically we did a lot of riding down
hills. Not very clever, but we were entertained. The kids riding today are ten
times better skaters than we ever were, and their boards are designed better —
much better — too. But, in keeping with the theme of this list, what once
was cool, then became stupid, is now cool again. Skateboard Retrospective
is packed with photos of our heroes, Tony Alva, Steve Caballero, carving pools
and drainage ditches on old-school Santa Cruz, Sims and Dogtown boards. Included
is a huge catalog of amazing original boards from the first patented skateboard
(1936) through to the narrow shark-nosed wooden decks of the sixties and the wide
boards that followed.
 Electronic
Plastic
by
Jaro
Gielens
Nothing is more pathetic and yet strangely beautiful than the past’s concepts
of what the future should look like. Electronic Plastic unapologetically
showcases a collection of the AMC Pacer-style art and graphics of handheld and
tabletop video games. This is what modern was according to the eighties. Long
before we had Lara Croft's supersized digital cans to moon over, we were stuck
with two little white lines and a bouncing white dot. Up. Bleep. Bloop. Down.
We took a giant step forward when we got hand-held machines with twelve little
blocks of color arranged in a pattern that somehow represented a frog or a martian.
Up. Down. Left! Electronic Plastic goes after the aesthetic (not the
sorry technology), tackling the art, the packaging, and the design of the game
consoles themselves rather than the boring game you might actually play on them.
What
to Do Now that the Past Is Over
 Backyard
Ballistics
by
William Gurstelle
As tempting as it sounds to spend the afternoon with the two digital puppies wrestling
under Lara Croft's wife-beater, nothing is really more entertaining than plain
ol' throwing rocks at stuff. Or, better still, shooting said rocks out of a homemade
cannon. I don't believe the writer of Backyard Ballistics condones using
rocks as projectiles (encouraging safe and responsible behavior is a big issue
in this book), but he certainly has no problem endorsing various devices that
fling vegetables or water-balloons (sorry no hamsters). Backyard Ballistics
contains a brief history of propellants through the ages. But more importantly,
it gives explicit directions on how many of them can be built and utilized right
in your own backyard; from paper match rockets and Cincinnati fire kites to tabletop
catapults. Light a match. Stand back. Apologize to neighbor.
 Pad:
The Guide to Ultra-Living
by
Matt Maranian
This is the book to aid you in your quest for your own personal life of eXceSs.
A compilation of insanely dedicated, obsessive people who with the help of way
too much paint-fur-glitter-bamboo-colored lights-animal print fabric-taxidermy-Catholic
paraphernalia-gold lamé — and way too much time to kill — have
transformed their homes into the most exciting, revolting, sexy, nightmarish digs
you've ever seen. As museum pieces, they are astonishing in their complexity.
As living spaces, they are ridiculous. Yet, people live in them! If you are tired
of the monotony of your own home; your ugly Martha Stewart wreaths or your flavorless
Ikea purchases, this is a great sourcebook for ideas. (There is even a how-to
section with a number of craft projects to get you on your way.) There are plenty
of concepts presented that are ripe for exploration and maybe, with a little discipline,
can help you set up the ultra-pad of your dreams.
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