Aimed at collectors and investors; this user-friendly guide explains arts value as an asset through comparisons with more familiar investments; including property; shares and gold. It draws on extensive research and interviews with key players in these other markets; as well as the authorrsquo;s own experience; to clarify the specifics of art as an asset class.
#2475226 in eBooks 2014-01-30 2014-01-30File Name: B00I2QCGLK
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Solid History of the Comics CodeBy RDDIn "Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code"; Amy Kiste Nyberg argues; "[Fredric] Werthamrsquo;s role in the crusade against comics has been largely misinterpreted by fans and scholars alike; who dismiss his findings as naiuml;ve social science; failing to understand how his work on comic books fits into the larger context of his beliefs about violence; psychiatry; and social reform" (p. xiii). Nyberg traces the origin of objections to comics back to the early 1940s; but explains that the panic did not intensify until after the war; when publishers; no longer able to use patriotism as an easy selling point; began branching out into horror and crime stories to maintain sales. Despite public cries for censorship; Nyberg argues that the U.S. Senate committee knew it was effectively powerless. Nyberg writes; ldquo;hellip;the intention of the hearings from the beginning was to force (or frighten) the publishers into adopting a self-regulatory code like that of the film industryrdquo; (p. 79). Nyberg demonstrates that Wertham offered vindication to mothers who felt responsible for juvenile delinquency. In focusing on the gendered argument against comics; Nyberg writes; ldquo;The issue of gender is linked to violence in Werthamrsquo;s study; since women are generally victims in comic bookshellip;In many comic books; women were portrayed as objects to be abused or to be used as decoys in crime settings. Women who did not fall into the role of victim were generally cast as villains; often with masculine or witchlike powersrdquo; (p. 95). Later; Judge Charles F. Murphy; the first ldquo;czarrdquo; of the Comics Magazine Association of America; hired a staff of five women to help him evaluate the comics that passed through his office. Nyberg writes; ldquo;Enforcing standards in childrenrsquo;s reading material was an extension of the motherrsquo;s rolerdquo; in 1950s America (p. 115). Though Nyberg reinterprets Werthams role in this history of censorship; she does not suggest that he was justified in his stance. In sum; Nyberg presents a balanced portrait of the moral panic over comics in the 1950s and its role in censorship.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Good overview of a complex issueBy Don McGowan"Seal of Approval" was recommended along with David Hadjus "Ten-Cent Plague". I have read them both. To my mind this one is better; but I may be approaching this from a different perspective than most. I work in an industry that is currently confronted with many of the issues that the comics industry confronted in the 1950s - the video game business - and so Im looking specifically for something that will be instructive and not just descriptive.Unlike Hadjus book; "Seal of Approval" is written by an academic (Nyberg is a professor at Seton Hall) and it shows. Its a very balanced historical overview coupled with an analysis of the Code and its various iterations over time. It speaks to the cultural context to the original Code but also to the way the companies governed by the Code adapted themselves over time; as well as the fact that not all publishers were governed by the Code and yet some managed to stay in business (Dell being the most significant). Its very well-researched (15 pages of bibliography) and its definitely worth picking up.The strongest part of this book is the way that it puts the crusaders in their social; cultural; and professional context. Fredric Wertham; who seems to have been the Jack Thompson or Carrie Nation of this issue; is often caricatured as... well... just like Jack Thompson or Carrie Nation. In Nybergs presentation we learn that Wertham was a social scientist of some note before he got to this issue. He may well have gone off the deep end when he got to comics but its interesting to see how he got there and explains why he got the exposure he didThe most cogent criticism Id give of the book is one thats common to books written by academics: except for social scientists who are used to doing interviews most academics dont like to get out and deal with people in their work and so they end up relying on source materials where source interviews might be more helpful. I dont know whether Nyberg did do interviews or not; but the sections on how the review process actually worked over time and still work today read like theyre assembled from materials. They could have used some perspective on how the business actually is done. As the guy who often does content review for Microsoft games; I know that a policy manual is tough to work with because of the edge cases and the subjective nature of reviewing; and if you went only from written documents youd miss the flavor of the exercise.But seriously; this is a good book on its own merits.As a source for consideration about whether and how the games business might develop "Seal of Approval" is also helpful. Although not perfect for the reasons I mention; the sections dealing with life under the Code and the changes to the Code over time have been instructive. Nyberg isnt Niall Ferguson either but Ill be recommending this book to colleagues anyway.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Highly informativeBy D. A. YurkovichIf you think Seduction of the Innocent was the sole factor in the establishment of the Comics Code; think again. This book is expertly written and extremely well researched. You will be shocked by just how much you DONT know about the history of this industry with regard to censorship.
