DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS

Intrigued by the question "Why aren't there any black pin up girls" on an internet message board, writer Jim Linderman decided to find out. With 100 rare vintage photographs all showing women of color in magazines not seen for over 50 years, Linderman not only reveals many answers to the question, he reveals a long gone part of America and African-American culture. Secret of the Black Pin Up takes us from "tease" to "sleaze" and reveals a world never before seen. Using rare photos and publications, the untold story of African-American women in the soft-core pornography world from 1940 to date. Yes, there WERE black pin ups, and they are found here.

Secret History...

Women of Color from...

By Jim Linderman

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The Risque Sexist Comic Attempts of Anonymous The NEW BOOK

2011-08-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

SELECTED IMAGES AND AN EXCERPT

"THE HORRIBLE HANDMADE POSTCARDS OF ANONYMOUS" which collects 70 pages of primitive risque comic postcards drawn by hand by a failed cartoonist. Preview or purchase book below by clicking on yellow cover at right.

The 3" x 5" bad sexist drawing is the art underbelly of America. Millions were produced by printing companies like Curitech and Kropp. They dominated the racks. Candy colored cuties on "linen" or "chrome" slipped in among the pictures of "memorial park" and "sunset on the dock." One after the other, in the "comic" section or "risque" numbered consecutively with the company logo often placed right where the stamp went. A dividing line indicating who was responsible. A "genuine" something or other with a copyright notice. It didn't stop the jokes from being copied and traced. One man's "Wilbur" was another man's "George" and they all got dropped in the slot with a purple stamp of Lincoln affixed in the corner.

There were so many, it took an extra special artist to stand out from the postcard pack. To make it into the big leagues, where a major publisher would pay you ten bucks a drawing and let you sign away your rights in perpetuity. Some made it, but few are recognized. The genre is, but the illustrators aren't. Relegated to postal obscurity with no residuals.

Anonymous here didn't have the goods, but he tried. In fact he tried TERRIBLY hard. With hardly an atom of creativity, he churned them out hoping for the big break.

It never happened. No rejection letters were found, but it is a safe bet there were some. I can't really say too much about his work, what you see is what he did and what you get. I date them somewhere between beatnik and punk, but then who knows what time warp (or basement) he lived in. He hand-cut the cards (after drawing them) with one of those meat-cutters only the teacher could use. They aren't too crisp and scanning was difficult, as he sliced off portions of the hilarious captions in his haste to stack them...as a result, some ride awful close to the edge but each one came with quotation marks around the caption.

The Horrible H...

By Jim Linderman and...

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Dull Tool Dim Bulb Logo

2011-05-25T06:55:00.001-07:00

Faith Healers Radio Evangelist Apocolyptic Visions End of the World? Old Time Religion! THE NEW DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOK FIRST LOOK!

2011-03-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

old-time-religion by Jim Linderman and Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books

2011 Books in Print

2011-03-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

SMUT BY MAIL

The Thousand Dollar Book

The Dangerous Years: Gene Bilbrew

The Painted Backdrop

American Portraits

Camera Club Girls

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place

Gals Gams Garters

Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden

SMUT BY MAIL Vintage Graphics from the Golden Age of Obscenity

2011-02-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

SMUT BY MAIL

VINTAGE GRAPHICS F...

By JIM LINDERMAN

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The Thousand Dollar Book Smut and the Milwaukee Bust 1957 Bilbrew Pulp and a True Story of the Law

2010-12-20T06:55:00.001-08:00

NOW AVAILABLE! THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BOOK: SMUT AND THE MILWAUKEE ARREST FOR OBSCENITY 1957 by Jim Linderman

Writer and collector Jim Linderman from the noted blog Dull Tool Dim Bulb finds yet another forgotten story. In 1957 Milwaukee, hapless bookstore owner Samuel R. Hochman is arrested and convicted of obscenity attempting to stock his shelves with sleazy digest books produced by criminal elements, hack writers using fake names and the startling illustrations of Eugene Bilbrew and Eric Stanton. With Court transcripts, vintage ads, scarce mail order catalogs and more, the unfortunate story is told here for the first time.

INCLUDES a reprint of the ENTIRE BOOK for Which Hochman was convicted, THE SEX FACTORY by H. Tennob. Not seen for over 50 years, the book contains numerous Bilbrew illustrations which have never been reprinted. Of interest to legal scholars, book collectors and anyone who enjoys a true story with spicy pictures!

The Thousand D...

Smut and the Milwa...

By Jim Linderman Dull...

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Boxing Day with Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books ORDER TODAY

2010-12-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

THREE NEW Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books are in progress for 2011 (!!!) Stay tuned for announcements. In the meantime, ALL titles below are available for purchase NOW. HURRY to insure delivery before Boxing Day! Click to Preview or Order!

Gals Gams Garters

The Virginia Stock...

By Victor Minx with J...

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The Dangerous ...

Justin Kent Eddie ...

By Jim Linderman

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American Portr...

Midwest Mundane

By Jim Linderman with...

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Shy Shamed Sec...

SSSSH! Vintage Ver...

By Victor Minx with J...

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In Situ: Ameri...

Photographs of Arc...

By Jim Linderman

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Camera Club Girls

Bettie Page and he...

By Jim Linderman

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The Painted Ba...

Behind the Sitter ...

By Jim Linderman DULL...

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Best Erotica Art Photography Vintage Vernacular Books 2010 Gift

2010-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Gals Gams Garters

The Virginia Stock...

By Victor Minx with J...

Book Preview

The Dangerous ...

Justin Kent Eddie ...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

American Portr...

Midwest Mundane

By Jim Linderman with...

Book Preview

Shy Shamed Sec...

SSSSH! Vintage Ver...

By Victor Minx with J...

Book Preview

In Situ: Ameri...

Photographs of Arc...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

Camera Club Girls

Bettie Page and he...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

The Painted Ba...

Behind the Sitter ...

By Jim Linderman DULL...

Book Preview

Preview the Newest Dull Tool Dim Bulb Book THE DANGEROUS YEARS Eugene Bilbrew

2010-11-07T18:27:00.001-08:00

The Dangerous Years: Gene Bilbrew by Jim Linderman | Make Your Own Book

Gene Bilbrew The Dangerous Years: Gene Bilbrew Justin Kent Eddit Mishkin and the Mob by Jim Linderman

2010-11-03T17:37:00.001-07:00

NEW EDITION COMING! REVISED AND EXPENDED BOOK AVAILABLE SUMMER 2011

Jim Linderman tells the true tale of an artist, an author and a mobster from New York City in the Fifties, a time America was learning of many strange things for the very first time. INCLUDES over 30 rare drawings by the noted African-American fetish artist Eugene Bilbrew unavailable and unpublished since being confiscated over 50 years ago! Rare graphics and images from the Victor Minx collection and a faithful reprint in full of a novel written by the author "Justin Kent" not seen since being confiscated as evidence by the police. A snitch, a gangster and a junkie meet to create a true story which literally moves from the 42nd Street Times Square gutter all the way to the Supreme Court. Over 50 B & W illustrations. A landmark book on censorship, New York City, Times Square and the artists who brought vintage sleaze from the deuce to the Supreme Court!

A Pitch for Vintage Sleaze the Blog (Two New Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books coming soon)

2010-10-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Vintage Sleaze continues to discover forgotten artists of the past and attract fans around the world. Colorful, funny and often touching, writer (and Grammy™ nominee) Jim Linderman writes the text using the vintage cartoon gag and risque novelty collection of Victor Minx as a starting point for examinations into the sexy and sexist days of girlie magazines, gag digests, back page scams and sideshow midnight rambles. Early strippers, models, illustrators, artists, photographers, mob publishers and amphetamine driven writers (many posing under pseudonyms) mingle together in an amazing orgy of the funny and fetishistic follies of the fifties. Linderman is able to balance the line between the profane and the profound easily, as most backyard erotica of the time was tame compared to today. Teasy trash your ancestors refused to admit existed (but bought anyway.) From Tijuana Bibles and primitive snapshot salesmen to party toys and risque postcards, the site shows it all with delicate and affectionate respect and humor. A entire generation of artistic smut was rightly eliminated by the women’s movement but there was a glimmer of merit in the dark corners. Linderman aims to find it and makes no apologies, and in fact many of the followers of his site are women. Like a reporter, he digs it up and shares without judging. He frequently receives mail from relatives of those he profiles and most seem happy to have had the work of their ancestors found again and appreciated. Vintage Sleaze runs daily until he runs out! There is a Saturday night, Sunday morning logic to Linderman’s madness…his first project was the Grammy™nominated Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography, a stunning collection of antique photographs of the religious ceremony (the original photographs donated to a major museum where they will be exhibited soon) and Camera Club Girls which published over 100 hand-painted photographs of Bettie Page and her friends taken by previously unknown New York photographer Rudolph Rossi. With a talent for finding the obscure and bringing it back, Vintage Sleaze shows the possibility of the blog as an art.

Erotic Prints of Bettie Page and her Friends from Camera Club Girls the Book

2010-09-25T11:25:00.001-07:00

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books has teamed up with Artslant, the primary fine art website, to publish editions of 4 original works by Rudolph Rossi, a previously unknown photographer who took early photos of Bettie Page and other models during the 1950s. Rossi's work has been assembled for the first time in the new book Camera Club Girls available from Blurb.com, and the four new editions (available in several sizes at very affordable prices) all appear in the book, including the cover image. Remarkable, hand-tinted photos, now over 50 years old and unavailable until now. Preview the work available HERE

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Publisher Jim Linderman

2010-09-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

Read Jim Linderman Interview from Collector's Weekly on Folk Art, Photography and More

Homespun Beauty: Jim Linderman on Folk Art’s Authentic Appeal

CLICK for FULL TEXT HERE

By Maribeth Keane and Bonnie Monte

For collector, blogger, and author Jim Linderman, beauty is all about the imperfections, which is why he’s so attracted to folk art. In this wide-ranging interview, Linderman talks about his favorite folk-art pieces he’s collected over the years, explains why he just can’t stand the phrase “outsider art,” and reveals what drew him to vintage photographs of circus freaks and glamour girls. Linderman can be reached via Dull Tool Dim Bulb.

Jim Linderman of Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Interview

2010-09-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

Homespun Beauty: Jim Linderman on Folk Art’s Authentic Appeal

Click above for Full Text

By Maribeth Keane and Bonnie Monte

FPM Jim Linderman Interview Adventures in Collecting and Publishing with Jim Linderman

2010-08-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

Adventures In Collecting and Publishing with Jim Linderman
Figure Photography Magazine (Originally Published HERE)

Last month we reviewed ‘Camera Club Girls’ by collector and publisher Jim Linderman; in the course of our communications about that article, I felt that I wanted to learn more about his adventures in self-publishing. So Jim had been good enough to join us again for a closer look at the in’s and out’s of collecting art, curating a collection, and getting the work into print – do-it-yourself to the max!

Jim Linderman has written the Grammy-nominated ‘Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography’ published by Dust-to-Digital and has published six Blurb books on vernacular photography and photographic history, including the critical acclaimed ‘Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, her Friends and the Work of Rudolph Rossi’ ‘The Painted Backdrop: Behind the Sitter in American Tintype Photography’ and ‘Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden: SSSSH! Vintage Vernacular Erotic Photography’.

FPM: Like you, Jim, I also have a fond enthusiasm for off-beat photographic trivia, retro kitsch, and forgotten documents. Before we begin talking about your self-publishing adventures, could you tell me about your collecting in general? Can you tell me a bit about your background, and how you began collecting the materials you eventually edited and published?

I always collected something, but increasingly as I age I realize I wasn’t making collections as much as I was assembling. I was always putting similar things together, in groups…to get a better understanding of them rather than a collection of things. Even then, my schemes how to acquire things and then comprehend them were more important than the physical objects themselves. I wanted to learn, and found learning easier when I had put together a group of objects on one place, but the process was most important. I guess ownership was less important than the steps required in selecting things to look for. I’ve never had much money, and always had to scrimp and suffer for things I obtained. Even early on, that shaped my eye.

One thing I do differently with my blogs and books than most folks, I think, is that I’ve always felt I had to go through the process of obtaining objects first. Nearly everything I use in my books and writings are things I have found and own. It makes me both appreciate more and learn more about the objects or images I have. If I do crib an image from somewhere, it is usually something no one would want to claim anyway…or at least not until I have put it into a context where it makes more (or less) sense than it did originally. My childhood was normal enough, Midwestern and safe. But I gravitated to the bad neighborhoods as much as I could. Beat literature, blues music and the library made me go bad!

Yeah, those damn libraries will do that to ‘ya, all right! But I notice that your collections are mostly image-based, as opposed, say, to text-based, like collecting odd poetry, for instance. Do you have a background in the arts? Not that one has to have any special training to be drawn to 50’s pin-ups, of course! We’re so sophisticated these days – socially and visually. One of the things I personally enjoy most about retro stuff is its sense of innocence. Is that something that attracts you, too?

Well, I do not have a background in any formal art training at all. Sociology and Library Science. I guess you would have to call me a self-taught” collector. I do, however, have the gene. I believe some folks are born with the same DNA strand which causes crows to bring shiny objects to their nests. I’ve collected just about as many things as you can imagine. Hand-Carved Slingshots from Tennessee. Painted American Indian Suitcases known as Parfleche. Privately printed books on who killed Kennedy and UFOs. Handmade Paper Dolls. Garage Pressed Punk Rock Records. As soon as I recognize an area or genre which has either been forgotten or neglected, I’m on it like glue. I immerse myself.

That’s how the ‘Take Me to the Water’ collection of baptism photographs came about. I noticed no one had collected them before, and there certainly hadn’t been a book. So, for ten years I bought every single real photo postcard or original photograph of anyone being immersed, and when I had reached well over 100, it was time for a book and music project (for which I and Dust to Digital, the publisher, were nominated for a Grammy this year). The original photographs were donated to the International Center of Photography in New York City, I believe the exhibition opens in January 2011. That is as example of collecting in depth, until I feel I have exhausted all avenues. I have never really been a “stamp” collector, where the goal was to fill in every pre-determined slot. The art world equivalent of that is the survey show. I don’t like survey shows. I like the complete picture which can only come from a good, driven collector or curator who likes to dig.

Wow! Busy guy! And a celebrity, to boot! Given that you experience collecting and curating as creative activities, I suppose that it’s only natural that you would want to share your discoveries with others. I have always argued that art is a communal activity; that art is created to share, being a form of communication, like storytelling. Few serious artists create something and then lock it away – they (at least) hope that someone else will see their work and appreciate it, or be affected by it in some way. It’s very interesting that a collector may have that same desire to share. I don’t think that all collectors feel that way, but you obviously do. So I can see that it’s not much of a leap from putting a collection together to publishing that collection for others to enjoy. So, how did that part of your work begin? You currently have an intriguing collection of publications available, and I’ve reviewed one of them; how did all of this get started? Were you getting requests from folks, or did you simply feel like it was the right thing to do?

After 25 years in living two blocks from Times Square, my lungs were so shot three doctors told me to get out, so I moved back to Michigan and now live near the beach mere steps from where my parents raised me. As my energy waned, the web grew, so it is now possible to use it for exploring as much as I used to in the car. My attention has also shifted to smaller things, visual things, photographs, comics, paper ephemera. It is still consistent with my feelings about picking an area and collecting in depth, and there are endless topics and areas to pick from. There is also more material available, it is less expensive, and easier to make a contribution. The web makes it easy to create and share images, and I use the objects I own as starting points for little essays and observations. A little Andy Rooney sneaks in, I worked with him during my years while at CBS News, but for the most part I avoid politics and opinion and such. I see both my blogs, of which I have a dozen or so, and my books (6 and counting) as art projects of my own. When done seriously, the blog is an art form, just as legitimate as painting or sculpture. I feel the same about “sharing” as I always did. First, there is enough for everyone! I used to laugh at people who cut in line at antique shows. After all, what were the odds they would be trying to buy the same thing I was? Second, at some point in my life I decided to leave a footprint, both digital and physical. So I do a daily blog post to clear my head, and in the meantime work on long range projects and goals. I treat my books as little art projects. Think “limited edition prints” or numbered editions. I always admired small press companies, and now with Blurb and other web-based printers, it is possible for anyone to make a book. I try to accumulate an area in depth, then package up a little product. I don’t make any money on them, the publisher takes it all…but they do provide a physical object and record of something I’ve done.

A creative act, a statement, a point of view – the same things other artists think about – ALL of the time! I have artist friends who also curate exhibitions, and they sweat over that work as much as they do over their own paintings or photographs. So I understand your motivations completely. I think most artists look at self-publishing more as a way to expose their own vision to a wider audience than as a way to pay the rent. Like you, it’s more about sharing than anything else. The million dollar question everyone is curious about is this: does self-publishing make sense? Is it effective? Does it help build an audience? Or is it just an expensive black hole to pour money into? Every artist thinks about it. The fact that Blurb makes all of the dough is certainly disappointing to hear! But, assuming that one goes into such a project with the intention to ‘get their work out there’ rather than to ‘make a pile of dough’, can you offer the rest of us any advice on the process? Has your experience with Blurb and/or other on-demand publishers been positive? Any war stories you’d like to share?

The advantage of online publishing with Blurb is that it costs nothing to do. Literally nothing. You do all the work, with their software, upload the finished product, and they do the rest. All if it. Printing, binding and shipping. As no minimum order is required, you have NO investment in the finished product and NO inventory to sit in the garage if none sell. Of course, you can buy as many as you like, and if you want to purchase 500 copies, they would certainly be happy to do it and ship them to you. With a “real” book, or at least one which goes through a major publisher, the ISBN process and with distribution channels, you have to invest in your product. With printing (likely, at this point, unfortunately, overseas) and shipping, you could easily reach ten or twenty thousand dollars without even selling one copy of your book. Then you have to figure out how to get it into the book distribution system (which at this point means Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the small organizations of independent booksellers) You CAN have an ISBN assigned to a Blurb book, it is a slightly more difficult process, but can be done. Since my books are art projects and a hobby, I don’t need to show a profit. Anyone who creates a Blurb book sets their own price, that is, given the cost one is charged to print each copy. Blurb is expensive… the base price is much higher than a similar book printed in quantity… so, given the economy and the trend towards e-books, I don’t see it as an alternative to publishing really. I price my books five dollars more than the cost to me. Since so few sell, and trust me, they don’t… that’s not really an income. As for selling and marketing, it’s all up to the author. Blurb provides badges one can use to link to the book, does a little indexing with search engines, but for the most part you own the book and you can do what you want. Buy twenty copies for friends. Print some to put on your shelf. But as a valid opportunity to publish to the real world, they are actually only a small step up from the “vanity” presses of old which would print, say, your uncle Charlie’s bar jokes or war memories.

Jim, I think that anyone interested in the technical details can do their own research on the quality of the various self-publishing services out there, especially since they are all evolving so rapidly; that said, my final question to you would be: In retrospect, with the experiences you’ve had thus far, do you feel that this is still a viable avenue for artists and collectors to get their work into the world? You’ve been far down this road to date – would you do it again? Or would you consider other options? Has the trip been what you expected / hoped for? And would you recommend your route to a fellow artist?

I would absolutely recommend it. First of all, one can be remarkably creative. The software provide all sorts of options and chances to experiment… yet it is so easy to create. Just enter the project with low expectations as to sales and you’ll be happy. I have found it useful for organizing collections… once they are documented in a book, they take on additional meaning for me and for those who can see the images. A blurb book is a wonderful way to show your work, they make simply outstanding gifts or promotional items… for the price of a piece of junk at your local mega-mall, you can give a literal work of art, and a personal one at that. Art and photography dealers might avoid yet another envelope of slides in the mail, but I guarantee they’ll look at a book sent to them. Several drawbacks we haven’t considered. The folks at Blurb have told me they have no plans to expand into e-publishing. It would be nice to be able to sell a version of your creation for the Kindle, Nook, or other readers, but no go. You CAN, however, elect to allow the entire book to be read on the Blurb site, and the page turning function is great. Digital photos on their platform actually look far better than they do in the printed books. Second, when creating a Blurb book, their software uploads each image, one at a time, into the file that is created for your book. Once loaded into their software and system, you can delete images, but you can not copy them out from the Blurb design interface. I’m sure they do it so no one can take the created book and use it for other products or publishing platforms. So when you create a book on Blurb, you should be sure you have retained copies of the images you used on your own hard drive or desktop as well. You can always, at any time, access your images online at Blurb, but you can not retrieve them once loaded into their program. Third, mistakes are permanent, you have to “republish” your entire book to fix them. EACH of my books has one tiny mistake others might miss, but every time I see them I cringe a bit. I know the Amish always intentionally leave one little error in a quilt because only God is perfect, but in a book it is just annoying!

Visit Jim Linderman’s Websites:
Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books
Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog
Vintage Sleaze
Old Time Religion
The Wondrous World of Wendt
The Painted Backdrop

FREE Online Reading and Viewing of TWO Historical Photography Books by Jim Linderman! Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page...and The Painted Backdrop...

2010-08-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

FLASH. As part of an award contest and process, TWO dull tool dim bulb press books are available ONLINE in FULL for FREE VIEWING! That's right, the complete, over 100 pages and all photos and text FREE ONLINE!

PLEASE FOLKS....Just remember to VOTE!

Follow the Links, click "VOTE" (provide info them ask for to prevent multiple votes) and READ by clicking "preview". Normally, only a few pages are available. From now until August 20, All the original historical photos from the collect and text by Jim Linderman are seen in crisp, digital form!

REMEMBER TO VOTE. These books will not be available online after the voting process. Thanks!

Camera Club Girls

Bettie Page and her...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

The Painted Ba...

Behind the Sitter i...

By Jim Linderman DUL...

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Click Below...Remember, you can only vote for one (But you can READ THEM BOTH! HAVE FUN! VOTE!

Books by Jim Linderman Art Photography History Unusual

2010-07-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Recent books by Jim Linderman Published by Dull Tool Dim Bulb

The Painted Backdrop

Published May 25, 2010

American Portraits
OUT OF PRINT CURRENTLY

Published April 6, 2010

Camera Club Girls

Published March 29, 2010

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place

Published February 19, 2010

Gals Gams Garters

Published November 22, 2009 OUT OF PRINT CURRENTLY

Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden
OUT OF PRINT CURRENTLY

Published November 9, 2009

Partial Catalog Dull Tool Dim Bulb Press Books in Print

2010-07-05T11:14:00.001-07:00

2010-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Two NEW Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books are in the works. Be Patient.

In the Meantime, feel free to join these two Facebook Groups (Also follow Dull Tool Dim Bulb)

Vintage Sleaze

Promote Your Page Too

Old Time Religion

Promote Your Page Too

Camera Club Girls Bettie Page and her Friends Review from Bettiepageblog.com

2010-06-26T07:33:00.002-07:00

Posted by Bettie Blogger at 5:10 PM

What was it like to be a member of the mythic Concorde Camera Club, following Cass Carr and snapping photos of nude models at a time when such a hobby could land you in prison?

The amazing blog Camera Club Girls explores the work of Rudolph Rossi, one such photographer. The photos, while hardly the glossy, highly choreographed and produced pin-ups to which we've become accustomed, give a clear vibe of these slightly scandalous shoots.

Here''s what the site has to say about Rossi:

Camera Club Girls: The work of Rudolph Rossi
The extraordinary hand-painted photographs of Rudolph Rossi. Rossi was an informal member of the New York City Concorde Camera Club in the repressive 1950''s. For a ten dollar fee, he photographed Bettie Page and a plethora of interracial models, then later meticulously hand-painted the photographs creating the illusion of color photography. An exceptional body of work by a previously unknown and unrecognized photographer and erotic artist from a time when such activity was taboo.

The blogger, Jim Linderman, appears to operate other blogs that (call me crazy) may interest Bettie fans... blogs with names like "Vintage Sleaze" for instance.

Camera Club

2010-06-26T07:33:00.001-07:00

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Linderman named "blogger to watch out for"

2010-06-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

Jim Linderman, Editor of Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books was recently named "Blogger to Watch for" by Artslant, the contemporary art network, an honor I do not take lightly! I have posted a handful of my more "artful" postings with them for about a year, they are listed HERE

Book Review Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, her Friends and the Work of Rudolph Rossi from Figure Photography Magazine

2010-06-14T05:52:00.001-07:00

Camera Club Girls

(Reprinted from Figure Photography Magazine HERE)

Jim Linderman sent me a copy of this little volume he has recently written and published, and it’s an awful lot of fun. For those of you too young to remember the 50’s and early 60’s (before the American Cultural/Sexual Revolution), there was a time when getting a model to pose in the nude for a camera was about as easy as landing on the moon, which we hadn’t done yet. Here’s a blurb from Jim’s website:

For over 50 years, the extraordinary Hand-Painted Original Photographs of Bettie Page and nude models of the 1950s taken by Rudolph Rossi lay hidden. Now, for the first time, over 100 have been published in Camera Club Girls by Jim Linderman. 114 pages, 35 pages of text and 180 pictures, the book tells the story of the informal groups of early camera enthusiasts in New York City who paid ten dollars each to photograph naked women, including Bettie Page, in dingy studios and outdoor excursions. As much the history of early erotic photography and Times Square smut as it is the story of the exceptional personal vision of an artist, master photographer and painter which has not been told until now. The photographic find of the decade, and an amazing story which combines passion, painting, photography and early porno in a tale never told.

Jim is a collector of cultural ephemera and oddments from those and other years – in this book he speaks of living near New York City’s Times Square back in the day. Before its Disney-fication of the 90’s, Hell’s Kitchen was one wild place. I probably bumped into Jim somewhere along the way, ’cause I was there, too. And it was something, let me tell ‘ya! But that’s another story :-)

‘Camera Club Girls’ is a delightful visual time capsule, recapturing the sexual zeitgeist of the time, and a lighthearted description of the lengths to which determined and enthusiastic amateur camera bugs used to go to fulfill their dreams of actually being in the same room with a woman who was willing to take her clothes off and stand still for a photo or two.

That may be difficult for youngsters to comprehend, accustomed as they are to today’s culture, immersed, indeed, inundated, with highly sexual language and imagery. Unless you live in Philadelphia. It’s still the 50’s here :-)

Now, I think that Jim is enthusiastic about his collecting, and indulging in a bit of hyperbole when he describes his photographic ‘discovery’, Rudolph Rossi, as ‘an artist, master photographer and painter’; there is precious little talent in art, photography, or painting evident in Rossi’s ‘work’. The photographs are banal and empty; imagining Rossi painstakingly colorizing his photographs by hand in order to create ‘art’ is a sad, lonely thought, at least to me.

That said, I will agree that the photographs certainly have a sweet, artless charm the captures the sexual and cultural innocence of the era, and the innocence of the photographers and models who participated in the camera club experience, as well. I have seen photographs of similar clubs in Japan that, I believe, still operate in the same manner today. And one can't help but wonder if, in some ways, the societal restrictions of the period didn't make it all the more fun, in a schoolboy kind of way

Some may find Jim's history of the camera clubs themselves more interesting than the story of Rossi's work in particular. This is a little book, but there's a lot of delightful nostalgia included that will appeal to those of us old enough to remember, and that will perplex the kids, who won't believe that America was once so weird.

Buy this book from Jim - You'll enjoy it!

187 Photographs, 114 Pages Hardcover or Softcover.
By Jim Linderman and Dull Tool Dim Bulb Book

(FHP, or Figure Photography Magazine Home Page HERE)

Link to Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Catalog on Blurb

2010-06-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

COMPLETE CATALOG, PREVIEWS and ORDERING INFORMATION for DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS
CLICK HERE

Jim Linderman The Painted Backdrop Tintype Art History

2010-06-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

Complete Dull Tool Dim Bulb Book Catalog 2010 with Links

2010-05-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS IN PRINT 2010
CLICK EACH TO PREVIEW OR ORDER

The Painted Ba...

Behind the Sitter i...

By Jim Linderman DUL...

Book Preview

The Painted Backdrop Behind the Sitter in American Tintype Photography of the 19th Century by Jim Linderman Available from Blurb.com Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books
The previously untold story of 19th century painters and their influence on American photography during the tintype era. Never before examined in detail, the book contains over 75 rare, unpublished original tintype photographs from the Jim Linderman collection. A Grammy nominated writer and collector who has been called “the perfect subject for a Harvey Pekar comic” this book is informed with Linderman’s wit and continues his examination of previously overlooked art and photography subjects. 80 Pages, 8’ x 10” with essays by Jim Linderman and Kate Bloomquist.

Camera Club Girls

Bettie Page and her...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

Camera Club Girls Bettie Page and her Friends The Work of Rudolph Rossi
by Jim Linderman Available from Blurb.com Dull Tool Dim Bulb
For over 50 years, the extraordinary Hand-Painted Original Photographs of Bettie Page and nude models of the 1950s taken by Rudolph Rossi lay hidden. Now, for the first time, over 100 have been published in Camera Club Girls by Jim Linderman. 114 pages, 35 pages of text and 180 pictures, the book tells the story of the informal groups of early camera enthusiasts in New York City who paid ten dollars each to photograph naked women, including Bettie Page, in dingy studios and outdoor excursions. As much the history of early erotic photography and Times Square smut as it is the story of the exceptional personal vision of an artist, master photographer and painter which has not been told until now. The photographic find of the decade, and an amazing story which combines passion, painting, photography and early porno in a tale never before told.

GALS GAMS GARTERS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT
Found in a dumpster over 50 years ago and now published as an art book! A scrapbook assembled by an anonymous aficionado of the female form in nylons found by a student in Virginia and saved all these years. A master of collage with scissors and tape, the artist meticulously created a giant homage to Gals Gams and Garters. Faithfully recreated here by owner Victor Minx, the pseudonym of a prominent photography collector and with an introduction by Jim Linderman, writer and proprietor of Dull Tool Dim Bulb among many other things. An extraordinary art book and document of a fevered brow from the fifties.

CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT
SHY SHAMED SECRET SHADOWED HIDDEN by Victor Minx and Jim Linderman

80 Pages with over 100 erotic nude original vintage photographs depicting women undressed but hiding themselves in a manner described by the book title. A brief note from the Curator. “Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden” consists of approximately 100 original photographs from the collection of Victor Minx, the pseudonym of a prominent collector of vintage photographs. All the photographs pre-date the digital era. That is, all are unique, original, vintage photos printed on paper at or near the time of their being taken. Some were printed in editions and sold “under the counter” or in the back pages of men’s magazines, others were taken as a memento by an amateur photographer for his own use. All fit the criteria indicated by the title of the exhibition. They were collected over time from various sources and selected for their pathos, artistic quality (or lack of it) historical interest and most of all, their authenticity. Each one has something to say about the relationship between women and men, sexuality, commerce, and how we define lust, desire, legitimacy, intimacy and allure. Each photo depicts an individual (or several on occasion) engaging in behavior which was likely not intended to be shared in proper company, yet each was taken, preserved and exists nonetheless, regardless of convention and acceptable standards at the time. Unlike the photographs of women seen in magazines, on the web and nearly every way the eye turns, there has been no air-brushing, manipulation or enhancement or. No one shown here is selling anything, except possibly themselves. What the camera and the photographer COULD do was done. A historic, unique and thought-provoking exhibition of rare photographs

In Situ: Ameri...

Photographs of Arca...

By Jim Linderman

Book Preview

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place Photographs of Arcane Americana from the Jim Linderman Collection.
Available from Blurb.com
Well over 100 photographs collected by noted collector and scholar Jim Linderman show the most unusual, curious and beautiful American Folk Art in location and being made long ago. The author is a Grammy-nominated artist and photos from his collection were used to produce the well-known Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950 release. This is the third book of photographs in the Dull Tool Dim Bulb series. More information on the author is available at his hub site www.dulltooldimbulb.com and on his many other art, culture and photography sites. A 112 page book.

AMERICAN PORTRAITS: MIDWEST MUNDANE Currently OUT OF PRINT
Not celebration, but documentation of a people, place and time which existed briefly in captured snaps of Central Michigan during and immediately after the Second World War. In Middle America on the cusp of the 1950s, a family fights isolation with few choices, missing sons distant neighbors and a seemingly bleak, unfortunate reality. Black and white portraits by an anonymous photographer, these are the images he left behind.

Review of Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page and her Friends from Lethal Dose

2010-05-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Camera Club Girls book Reviewed at Lethal Dose 5/27/10

Camera Club Girls - Bettie Page and her Friends: The Work of Rudoph Rossi

The purveyor of Vintage Sleaze, Dim Tool Dim Bulb, Old Time Religion, and more cool blogs than I could ever think of, Jim Linderman, was kind enough to send me a review copy of his book:

Now, anyone that likes vintage sleaze and old time religion obviously has a lot in common with me, so this book is a delight to behold. The pictures are just marvelous - beautiful, saucy, dreamy, and delish. You can preview them here.
But there's more than just the photos. Camera clubs, if you don't know about them (and really, why would you?) were often secret and mostly informal. Photographer Rudolph Rossi took and hand-painted all of the photographs that you see in Linderman's book, giving them an otherworldly and often dreamlike quality. As Linderman says in the introduction, "What sets him apart is that he never capitalized on his work, never profited by selling it to magazines, never played a role in advocating for or against censorship, never forced his beliefs or aims on anyone else. This was his personal, private world, beautiful and exceptional as it was, and for that it matters more than all the digital dolls that parade across our screens every day."

Support independent publishing! Check out Jim's other books, including Gals Gams Garters, Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden, and more. See them all at his main blog, Dim Tool Dim Bulb.

Tintype Book The Painted Backdrop Behind the Sitter in American Tintype Photography by Jim Linderman

2010-05-26T07:13:00.001-07:00

The Painted Backdrop: Behind the Sitter in American Tintype Photography is the previously untold story of 19th century painters and their influence on American photography during the tintype era. Never before examined in detail, the book contains over 75 rare, unpublished original tintype photographs from the Jim Linderman collection. A Grammy nominated writer and collector who has been called "the perfect subject for a Harvey Pekar comic" this book is informed with Linderman's wit and continues his examination of previously overlooked art and photography subjects. 80 Pages, 8' x 10" with essays by Jim Linderman and Kate Bloomquist. Linderman's most recent photography book was Camera Club Girls which tells the story of the amateur photographers who met to take nude photographs during the 1950s, discovered model Bettie Page, and started a revolution in erotic art...all through the work of one never before published artist.

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Catalog 2010 (Click to Enlarge)

2010-05-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Catalog 2010 (Click to Enlarge)
American Portraits: Midwest Mundane has just been published, more information is found HERE

The New Bettie Page Book Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page and Her Friends

2010-05-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to Order or Preview 15 pages. Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books #4 (Collect them All)

About Jim Linderman and Dull Tool Dim Bulb

2010-05-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Testimonials

"...one of the blog writers to watch for"
ARTSlant

"...collected over the years by Jim Linderman, a character who seems the perfect subject for a Harvey Pekar comic. Linderman treats collecting like a calling, and his finds have a resulting air of authority, stunning in their capture of bygone picturesque moments."
Derek Taylor Dusted

"The pictures, discarded artifacts of ecstatic Americana, come from the stash of Jim Linderman, who in his introduction recalls advice he’s plainly taken to heart: “Collect the heck” out of whatever you find interesting."
Drew Jubera Paste Magazine

"Documenting--one clipping at a time--the scrapbook of a leg and garter aficionado that was dumpster-dived in Virginia in the 60s"
William Smith Hang Fire Books

"Jim Linderman...makes us all look a little puny"
Could it be Madness-this?

"Yo no sé ustedes pero creo que es uno de los mejores sitios que he visitado en mucho tiemp"
Color Me in Blog

"...there's something beyond the endless photos and postcards and weird propaganda from another time that he lovingly documents - I think it's the collection as a whole, the portrait of a person fascinated with culture and communication. I have met people like this before, and in reading Dull Tool Dim Bulb I feel I have been lucky enough to meet one more. This site is a goldmine in terms of links..."
The Hyggelic Life October 2009

"...an amazing collection..."
Revel in New York October 2009

"Jim Linderman has a nice little colllection of interesting books and blogs...But every so often he just loses it."
American Digest March 2010

"FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE, COLLECTOR JIM LINDERMAN has searched high and low for authentic things--unique and special objects that define the artistic culture of the American experience. From folk art to popular culture, from pulp fiction to Delta Blues-- Jim is a walking authority on so many things American they are too numerous to mention. One thing is certain-- his collecting interests are for things that have fallen through the cracks, those things lost and forgotten--the box of material under the table at the flea market booth. If it wasn't for dedicated collectors like Jim Linderman-- so many important objects about our culture would have surely been lost to time and indifference."

"Jim Linderman maintains a most interesting blog about the most amazing things from his collection—a site he calls “Dull Tool Dim Bulb,” the only curse words his father ever uttered. I love it, and read it everyday."

"...an excellent writer and I devour your blog daily. I am impressed at your deep knowledge of things within your niche..."

John Foster Accidental Mysteries

Bettie Page Book

2010-04-30T20:31:00.001-07:00

Camera Club Girls is Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books number Four. 112 Pages Published 2010
Available for Preview and Purchase HERE

Jim Linderman pairs with Anonymous. American Portraits: Midwest Mundane is Dull Tool Dim Bulb Number Five

2010-04-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

A Michigan family faces bleak reality and a seemingly worse future in American Portraits: Midwest Mundane, the fifth vintage vernacular photography book published by Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books. A collection of extraordinary documentary photographs of a single family in wartime taken by an unknown but remarkable photographer, the book contains 75 images taken from 1943 to 1948. With healthy sons at war and the country barely recovered from the depression, these frontal and direct photographs reveal the often harsh and empty existence of central Michigan. Children are raised by women and grandparents, chores handled by those who barely could, and only tiny glimmers of happiness and hope appear. The participants in this black and white drama crawl through a dark time in history with few options. Already compared to the work of Mike Disfarmer, Seldom has a single photographer captured a the human void so well in snapshot form. Compiled by Jim Linderman, writer and publisher of numerous ground-breaking vernacular photography books. Available from Blurb.com

Independent Book Publisher Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books

2010-04-19T06:01:00.001-07:00

Directory and Links to ever-expanding publisher of odd, offbeat, unusual and authentic vintage art and vintage photography books by Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books and Jim Linderman.

#1 Gals Gams Garters reconstructs a 1950s scrapbook put together by an anonymous aficionado of the leg which was found in a Dumpster in Virginia.

#2 Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden contains over 100 original vintage unique photographs depicting nude women all engaged in hiding their identity in manners indicated by the title.

#3 In Situ: American Folk Art in Place documents a large collection of photographs and real photo postcards showing American folk art objects, environments and their makers. Included are carnival signs, religious objects, weathervanes, whirligigs and more.

#4 Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, her Friends and the Work of Rudolph Rossi tells the story of the secret and informal camera clubs of the 1950s through the work of previously unknown amateur photographer and artist Rudolph Rossi. The artist took photographs of Bettie Page and her friends and meticulously hand-painted each photo to create an unreal, personal world.

#5 American Portraits: Midwest Mundane 100 vernacular photograph portraits taken by an anonymous Michigan photographer in the late 1940s

Forthcoming Dull Tool Dim Bulb projects include "Wondrous World of Wendt" which will show over 100 never seen original antique photographs taken by carnival and sideshow photographer Frank Wendt in the 1890s and "The Painted Backdrop: Behind the Sitter in American Tintype Photographs" which will be the first book to discuss the relationship between painters and photographers in the early days of photography.

The physical book is disappearing quickly, but editor, collector and iconoclast Jim Linderman sees these small and beautiful books as art projects more than traditional publications. The printed page has many drawbacks not found in digital environments, yet there are still reasons to document and share collections in printed form. Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books fills that need by creating instant collectibles with a quirky, unique quality, all containing physical objects of authenticity and value.

The book publishing arm of Dull Tool Dim Bulb is DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOKS

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books 2010

2010-04-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

Bettie Page, the FBI and Camera Club Girls the Book

2010-04-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

In a timely coincidence, documents just released under a freedom of information request by The Smoking Gun reveal famed pin-up model Bettie Page was interviewed by Hoover's hounds concerning a Harlem camera club operation. The new Book Camera Club Girls tells the story of the very same Camera Club locations and studios the FBI was apparently investigating! New York City studios and informal meetings of amateur camera enthusiasts (and some shady characters) who not only created the photographs and books which interested the censors of the 1950s, the operations made her career. The book also discusses the camera club operation in Harlem run by Cass Carr, a jazz musician who charged photographers ten bucks to take all the pictures they liked. A fascinating story, and illustrated with over 100 never before published Camera Club Girl photographs taken by Rudolph Rossi at the time. These photos have never been published until now, and the story of the Camera Clubs has never been told in this way! See Links to the just published book HERE . Photo above of Bettie Page from Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, Her Friends, and the Work of Rudolph Rossi

Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, Her Friends and the Work of Rudolph Rossi The Book sample page and cover

2010-04-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Jim Linderman's new book Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page, Her Friends and the Work of Rudolph Rossi
Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books Number 4 2010 Available NOW Order at Right

American Portraits Midwest Mundane by Jim Linderman

2010-04-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Now Available
Not celebration, but documentation of a people, place and time which existed briefly in captured snaps of Central Michigan during and immediately after the Second World War. In Middle America on the cusp of the 1950s, a family fights isolation with few choices, missing sons, distant neighbors and a seemingly bleak, unfortunate reality. Black and white portraits by an anonymous photographer, these are the images he left behind.

American Portraits: Midwest Mundane by Jim Linderman

2010-04-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

American Portr...

Midwest Mundane

By Jim Linderman wit...

Book Preview

Jim Linderman Camera Club Girls Photography and Passion from the Repressive 1950s. Rudolph Rossi, Photographer, Painter, Bettie Page and More

2010-03-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

Preview Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden Dull Tool Dim Bulb Book

2010-03-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Shy Shamed Sec...

SSSSH! Vintage Vern...

By Victor Minx with ...

Book Preview

PREVIEW DULL TOOL DIM BULB BOOK Gals Gams Garters

2010-03-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

Gals Gams Garters

The Virginia Stocki...

By Victor Minx with ...

Book Preview

Review Gals Gams Garters The Book

2010-03-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

(Above and below) Pages from the book Gals Gams Garters. Click on image for larger view.

(Above and below) Pages from the book Gals Gams Garters. Click on image for larger view.

IN THE LATE 1960s, A VIRGINIA COLLEGE STUDENT FOUND A SCRAPBOOK IN A DUMPSTER. Dumpster diving was nothing new, people have been digging through other people’s trash for centuries. What he found was no ordinary family scrapbook, but the personal collection of someone’s personal stash of scantily-clad women. Cut from vintage men’s magazines of the 1950s, the anonymous collector used scissors and tape to arrange his private soft porn collection taped to the pages of a commercially bought scrapbook. Perhaps the creator’s wife found them and tossed them out, perhaps he passed away or maybe he found Jesus. Whatever the reason, they ended up in that dumpster and today are the subject of a new book called Gals Gams Garters by Victor Minx. Victor Minx is the pseudonym of Jim Linderman, a longtime collector and blues music expert. Delve into the personal archive of an anonymous aficionado of legs and garters.

As a designer, these pages are beautiful, almost randomly arranged clippings, where the yellowed tape becomes an integral part of the composition. Random colors from the magazine and the spaces between the clippings work together to build a solid page—one man’s private fantasy made public.

Order your copy of Gals Gams Garters here.

And while you are at it, check out the other Jim Linderman blog — Dull Tool Dim Bulb.

John Foster Accidental Mysteries January 2010

Review In Situ American Folk Art in Place Accidental Mysteries

2010-03-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place

Click on image for larger view.

Click on image for larger view.

A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, HIMSELF A NOTED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER, with over a dozen books and monographs to his name, his work held in the most famous museums in the world, told me just a short time ago: “I rarely collect actual images anymore by other photographers. I collect their books. Books are the new collectible.”

That statement took me by surprise. Not to say that actual images are not collectible—but a lot of what he said is true. Which is why you should run, not walk—to your computer and consider buying this book “In Situ: American Folk Art in Place.” It is written by noted folk art collector and scholar Jim Linderman and it will someday be considered a rare book.

This book shows Jim’s longtime private collection of the most unusual, curious and beautiful American folk art in location—as it was made long ago. Many pieces have long since vanished, in fact most were never meant to last but a short time. Sometimes the best in situ folk art environments were made spontaneously and with great inspiration. Others took years to make, the product of careful planning and hard work.

Jim is a Grammy-nominated artist and photos from his collection were used to produce the well-known Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950 release. This is the third book of photographs in the Dull Tool Dim Bulb series.

More information on the author is available at his incredible Web site www.dulltooldimbulb.com and on his many other art, culture and photography sites. “In Situ: American Folk Art in Place” is a 112-page book available both in hardcover, with jacket, and softcover. In fact, by going to his site you can see the book and click on the image to buy it. Your book will be delivered in a couple of weeks if not sooner.

Many of the photographs are real photo postcards which are over 100 years old and have never been seen before. This is a major collection being shown and shared together for the first time.

Jim Linderman of Dull Tool Dim Bulb Profile Home of Folk Art

2010-03-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Art of Collecting, One Man’s Vintage Take On It

04 March 2010 Home of Folk Art

The Home of Folk Art

Jim Linderman is a Folk Art collector who considers his collecting an art form. He is also a man with some unique talents. He’s an artist, an author, a self professed Americana iconoclast, and a pop-culture historian. Combine all that with his passion for collecting historical photos, music, and objects and you start to get the picture. By following these passions over the years and seeking his own unique place in art, music, and collecting – Mr. Linderman has reaped some nice rewards. It has even landed him a Grammy nomination along the way.*

One of the great aspects in Folk Art collecting is to seek out the rare, the unusual, the fun, and the obscure. Linderman is a man taking this aspect of collecting one step further – publishing his findings to share with the rest of his fellow collectors. He recently released a book titled In Situ: American Folk Art in Place. It is a book showcasing his collection of beautiful, curious, and unusual vintage Folk Art photos taken in location across America - spotlighting the ‘history’ of Folk Art from earlier years.

Arguably, this photo collection could be thought of as a more non-traditional approach to what is considered Folk Art collecting. However, it makes perfect sense coming from a historian’s point of view such as Mr. Linderman. The images are ones that may not have survived had someone not taken the time to “collect” them and bring them together. He has saved a piece of American Folk Art history and has made it possible for us all to enjoy his collection. We are thankful that he’s sharing.

*Jim Linderman’s first book (which includes an album) titled Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950 along with record label Dust-to-Digital was given a 2009 Grammy nomination in the Best Historical Album category where Linderman is listed as a compilation engineer.

In Situ: American Folk Art in Place by Jim Linderman

2010-02-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

Jim Linderman In Situ: American Folk Art in Place

2010-02-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Dull Tool Dim Bulb proudly announces the third book in the Dull Tool Dim Bulb series!

Untitled (Cropped Detail) from Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden the Book

2010-01-28T11:08:00.001-08:00

Anonymous (Detail) circa 1930 original photograph Collection Victor Minx from Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden the Book

Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden Image Afro

2009-12-17T09:02:00.001-08:00

Untitled (Afro) 8" x 10" Anonymous circa 1968 Collection Victor Minx. An image from Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden, the Dull Tool Dim Bulb Book

Link from Art Nudes Photography Site

2009-12-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Vintage photo collector and writer Jim Linderman has just published a couple of books that might make nice gifts for someone on your list this year.

The first is his illustrated essay on vernacular erotic photography from his blog of the same name:

Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden

The second is a reprinting of a marvelous old scrapbook of "racy" clippings found in the trash over 50 years ago.

Gals Gams Garters

Original Link to Site HERE

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books

2009-12-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

Gals Gams Garters and Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden Victor Minx Profile

2009-12-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Bettie Page, Anonymous Artists, and Cocktail Napkin Nudes and Dirty Drawings combine for space on the sites (and books) maintained by Victor Minx, a collector and Garage Sale shopper who collects and presents a mind-boggling array of, as he says, Gals Gams and Garters .
Actually, like purveyors of filth from the Fifties, Minx is a suitable pseudonym for a well-known vintage photography collector and published author who believes hidden ephemera and detritus of the past tells us a great deal about who we are today, and his products resemble more an art project than simple sleaze. To date, he has published two books , one a compilation of vintage vernacular erotic photographs (which means amateurs who could barely handle a shutter release, much less proper lighting) A 1950’s Scrapbook of women models in Stockings posing for barely capable hacks who fed the girlie magazines to the men’s market while trying to cash in on Hugh Hefner’s empire. At times hilarous but just as often beautiful or heartfelt, the sites are all worth following simply for audacity sake. The most recent, Vintage Sleaze , documents not only extraordinary forgotten illustrators, cartoon artists and erotic doodlers, it contains essays on noted artists such as Eric Stanton and School of Visual Arts students who went bad. Another site chronicles he extraordinary hand-painted photos of the Fifties produced by one Rudolph Rossi , who joined Camera Clubs who hired models such as Bettie Page for naked outings, he then meticulously colored each photo with vibrant colors. A major discovery, the work is striking as well as odd. Two books have been self-published, more are promised and all are fabulous. There is no real guide to the sites, but several are linked here. More of an art publishing house than a pornographer, all the output is colorful, harmless and although much, as they say, “not safe for work” none will harm you. The books are published in limited edition on demand, links are provided on the sites, and the blogs themselves are free to browse, subscribe to or comment on.

Unusual Gift Books from Small Art Photography Presses 2009

2009-11-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Not only are the most interesting small press art and photography books not carried by your local Barnes and Noble, they might not even EXIST until you order one! Web technology has made anyone a publisher overnight and the books are printed just as fast! Order now, you will have the hardcover with a book jacket before you know it. No harder than ordering from Amazon and a whole lot more interesting, not to mention obtaining a collectible and gift your friends will certainly not have browsed before. The following two books come from the small press DULL TOOL DIM BULB an adventurous and clever collector who has had his vintage photography collection documented many times and founded the press for special, limited edition books with beauty, significance and a built-in collectible appeal. They are small but choice, all killer, no filler and decidedly adult, so preview well (the publisher provides a free-ten page preview) The Art house DULL TOOL DIM BULB has completed two books.

The first Gals Gam Garters documents the anonymous scrapbook of a 1950s leg fetishist. He cut out hundreds of women's poses from pulp magazines, from the waist down, clad in all manner of stockings. Risque but with no nudity, the hundreds of illustrations were manipulated, positioned and taped on the pages in an amateur collage...and the whole scrapbook was found in a dumpster 50 years ago! Portions were previously published on the web to great interest (though likely to the great dismay of any living relatives) A secret but fascinating show for the risque retro fan.

The second, also released by Dull Tool Dim Bulb, is "Shy Shamed Secret Shadowed Hidden" which shows the amazing vernacular vintage erotic photographs of Victor Minx, a pseudonym. The photos, collected over years, each show a woman in states of undress but hiding her facial features. They are extraordinary, and each vintage photograph has much to say about women, allure, the camera and more.

Both available online with a few clicks! Neither of these adventurous and unique books will have been seen by your friends, but ALL deserve your attention! All are well documented and reviewed online, with free preview pages. There is life in publishing still, and not all books yet come on a kindling (an unusual name for a product, as books being used for kindle brings up memories of book-banning fires, eh?)

Links and clicks here will bring you where you want. Thank you for reading, for parcipating and supporting! Hardcover books are limited to 250 and 100 copies respectively, paper bound editions are unlimited, for now.