The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture edited by Joan Carpenter Troccoli with a foreword by Lewis I. Sharp and Duane H. King (University of Oklahoma Press, $39.95 softbound)
Charles M. Russell was to Western painting and sculpture what Edward Curtis was to photography. During his lifetime, he was celebrated as the Cowboy Artist and was the only major painter and sculptor who worked on the open range. No one capture the true essence of the American West quite like Russell. This new collection of iconic images of paintings and bronzes is an absolute joy. His 1885 painting “Breaking Camp,” his black-and-white lithograph “A Critical Moment” from 1902 and issued by the Smith and Wesson Arms Company, and “The Horse Wrangler,” a 1924 bronze, both defined the West and established Russell as an international artist. This sixth volume in the Charles M. Russell Center series on art and photography of the American West is edited by Joan Carpenter Troccoli, a Senior Scholar in the Petrie Institute of Western Art at the Denver Art Museum. This is an excellent work that captures all of the genius of one of this country’s most accomplished artists.

Hammer Glamour: Classic Images from the Archive of Hammer Films by Marcus Hearn (Titan Books, $29.95)
The sexy sirens and distressed damsels of the Hammer Studios spill out of this book with all of the horror, blood and cleavage that one expects from this British cinema group. Authorized by Hammer and written by Hammer expert Marcus Hearn, this collection bursts at the seams with rare and previously unpublished photographs gathered from the company’s archives. In addition to the images, there are fascinating new interviews and an overview of the Hammer productions covering some 50 years of filmmaking. Featured are some of Hammer’s most popular female stars including Ingrid Pitt, Caroline Munro, Joanna Lumley and Raquel Welch. Who can ever forget Raquel’s fur bikini in One Million Years B.C.?

The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue 1957-1965 compiled and edited by Sam Stephenson (Alfred A. Knopf, $40)
A dilapidated, five-story loft building at 821 Sixth Avenue, between Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth streets in New York, became a late-night haunt for some of the biggest names in jazz including such iconic artists as Bill Evans, Zoot Sims, and Thelonious Monk. W. Eugene Smith left a comfortable job at Life magazine and his wife and four children in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, for this drafty loft and the artists who found their way there. From 1957 until 1965, Smith exposed 1,447 rolls of film at his loft, taking roughly 40,000 images. In addition to his pictures, the wired the space and recorded more than 4,000 hours of stereo and mono audio tapes capturing some of the greatest jazz artists of his day. Eleven years ago, this incredible archive was discovered and is being published for the first time. This is a virtual treasure trove, especially for jazz lovers. It is much like flipping through a scrapbook. There are images of old theater programs, notes written on scraps of paper, boxes of magnetic tape, and, of course, priceless pictures that are as remarkable as they are candid.

The Corvette Factories: Building America’s Sports Car by Mike Mieller (Motorbooks, $40)
What American boy didn’t lust for a Corvette? The car was formally introduced at General Motor’s 1953 Motorama staged at New York’s posh Waldorf-Astoria. Needless to say, it created quite a stir. Later that year, 300 Corvettes rolled off the production line in Flint, Michigan, and all were painted Polo White with red interiors. Standard, too, was Chevy’s Blue Flame six-cylinder backed by a Powerglide transmission. With those first cars, an American icon was born. Mike Mueller, author of “The Complete Book of Classic GM Muscle,” and “The Complete Book of Mustang: Every Model since 1964 ½,” has compiled a history of the Corvette that is comprehensive, accessible, and indispensable for the car lover in the family. Richly illustrated and highly readable, “The Corvette Factors” is as fun and thrilling as a ride in a 2009 ZR1.
Mustang 1964 ½ – 1966 by Colin Date (Motorbooks, $24.99 softbound)
Speaking of Mustangs, and we were, this collector’s originality guide documents the first years of production of Ford’s Mustang automobile. During the spring of 1964, Ford kicked off a massive campaign to introduce Americans to the company’s latest automobile. The new Mustangs sold more than 22,000 units the first day, and another 241,434 by the end of that same year. The first-generation Mustangs dominated the sports compact segment of the automobile industry and eventually became one of this country’s most popular cars. This well-written, comprehensive history of its beginning is fun and informative. Whether you’re a collector, a restorer, or just a Mustang fan, you should have this book.

The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer edited by Robert Kimball, Barry Day, Miles Kreuger, and Eric Davis (Knopf, $65)
I didn’t realize just how talented Johnny Mercer truly was until I took the time to read his lyrics. Naturally, almost everyone is familiar with such standards as “I’m an Old Cowhand,” “Dearly Beloved,” and “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” but what about “Welcome, Stranger” from the 1936 British stage production of “Rise and Shine,” or even hius very first published lyric, “Out of Breath (And Scared of You,” introduced by Sterling Holloway in “The Garrick Gaieties” of 1930. It is in his lesser known songs that I think Mercer shines. Mercer was born in Savannah in 1909 so this superb collection is being issued to mark his centennial year. His credits include more than 1,000 songs, sometimes including the lyrics as well as the music. He collaborated with some of the biggest names in the business such as Harry Warren, Jerome Kern, Henry Mancini, Richard Whiting, and Jimmy McHugh. In addition to the lyrics, there are wonderful images. This is a fitting tribute to a man who had the ability to take a simple song lyric and propel a popular song into art.

Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History 1955 to the Present compiled and edited by Gail Buckland (Alfred A. Knopf, $40)
As Gail Buckland states in her introduction, rock and roll has a handmaiden, and her name is photography. She underscores her point by one of the most exciting array of rock images ever gathered between two covers. There are the sweat-drenched Elvis playing in Tampa during the summer of 1955, captured by William V. (Red) Robertson, Buddy Holly on his tour bus in 1958, an image by Lew Allen, the iconic portraits of The Beatles by Richard Avedon, and the electricity of Charles Peterson’s mind-boggling mosh pit at Endfest, Kitsap County, Washington, in 1991. More than 200 photographs by some of the industry’s best photographers capture all of the intoxication, rebellion, and spirit of rock and roil, It’s all here, Bob Dylan and his girlfriend on a snowy street in Greenwich Village, John and Yoko in bed in New York City, the eyes of Amy Winehouse, the B-52s, and Keith Richards and Patti Hansen showing off their new daughter in 1985. Bucklands text about the photographers and their influence adds just the right touch.

The World in Vogue People Parties Places edited by Alexandra Kotur with an introduction by Hamish Bowles (Alfred A. Knopf, $75)
The 300 photographs in this collection feature some of the most celebrated actors, artists, models, First Ladies, and social figures that have graced the pages of Vogue magazine from the 1960s through this year. From Truman Capote’s still –talked-about 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel to Marilyn Manson’s wedding to Dita Von Teese in Los Angeles, these incredible images were captured by top photographers that include such heavy hitters as Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. This stunning array of portraits, and images of the houses, gardens, and parties of celebrated figures from many worlds have — whether we like it or not — defined the very era in which we live. Of special interest are the candid images of celebrities. For example, there is Jennifer Lopez being walked by her Doberman pinschers, Nicole Kidman strolling near Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall frolicking at home, and even a quite nude Charlotte Rampling. This wonderful book is $75 and worth every penny.
Lincoln Life-Size by Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt, & Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. with a foreword by Harold Holzer (Alfred A. Knopf, $50)
This collection of Lincoln photographs focuses on his face. Beginning with one of his first photographs taken in Springfield in 1846 by Nicholas H. Shepherd, and continuing through one of the last, if not the last, the Henry F. Warren image captured in March of 1865, the authors have enlarged most of the important ones to life size. In doing so, we see, perhaps for the first time, the character of his face reflecting an entire array of Lincolns — wise, bemused, melancholic, and even downright homely. Even Lincoln was well aware of his homely features. During one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas called Abe two-faced. Lincoln didn’t miss a beat and looked Douglas squarely in the eye as he replied, “I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I would wear this one?” Perhaps it was that very candor and self-criticism that had made him one of our most beloved former presidents. The foreword by Harold Holzer is concise and informative.

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