SITES WE LIKE

It’s amazing how many people are doing cool stuff online related to vintage and retro art, literature, fashion, and the like. Here’s our continually growing list of links to sites we like.

Books & Authors

Christa Faust
Ms. Faust describes herself as “an avid reader and collector of vintage paperbacks, a film noir enthusiast and a Tattooed Lady [who] writes primarily hardboiled crime fiction, but also does work-for-hire media tie in novels.” Quentin Tarantino has described her as “a Veronica in a world of Betties.” We refer to her as “someone you should be reading.”

Hard Case Crime
Hard Case Crime is a publishing house that specializes in hardboiled crime fiction, ranging from lost noir masterpieces to new novels by modern writers — all packaged with stunning original cover art in the grand pulp style.

Max Allan Collins
The “Nathan Heller” series. The “Quarry” series. The “Nolan” series. The “Road to Perdition” trilogy. Got your attention yet? In addition to that incredible output, Max Allan Collins also wrote the “Dick Tracy” comic strip from 1977 to 1993. Oh, and he’s also completed a number of books about a famous detective, based on notes and manuscript segments from the detective’s creator, a long-time friend of his named Spillane.

Pulp Covers
This site describes itself as “the best of the worst” – but if you’re like us, there’s nothing “worst” about this collection of images of classic covers. Creepy monsters, hard-living detectives, sultry femmes noir – they’re all here, and they’re all fantastic.

Fashion & Design

Films

The Film Noir Foundation
The Film Noir Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation created as an educational resource regarding the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of film noir as an original American cinematic movement. This is an excellent site with a wealth of information about this classic art form.

History

Esotouric
The creation of Kim Cooper and Richard Schave, Esotouric bills itself as providing “bus adventures into the secret heart of Los Angeles.” And while Cooper and Schave do, indeed, lead such tours (and while those tours are, in a word, fantastic), their efforts extend far beyond narrating fascinating stories of LA from the front of a bus, including (but I’m sure not limited to) history blogs, a podcast, a publishing house, and passionate advocacy on behalf of the preservation of historic Los Angeles.

Miscellaneous

Charles Phoenix
To be completely accurate, Charles Phoenix should either be in a category all his own or, at the very least, in one titled “All of the Above.” An author, historian, performer, fashion icon, storyteller extraordinaire, occasional tour guide, and self-described “Ambassador of Americana,” Charles Phoenix is a one-man force for the preservation of mid-century pop-culture and the celebration of kitsch (both classic and contemporary). 

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What are we missing? If you know of any sites that should be on this list, please leave a comment below or drop us a line & let us know!