Skate Crazy: Amazing Graphics from the Golden Age of Roller Skating

Rating:
Summary: Eight wheels and no brakes.
Review: A tip of the hat to Lou Brooks for making this book such a delight to look at! The subject matter is pretty mundane and in the hands of many other book designers 'Skate Crazy' would just look bland but Mr Brooks knows his stuff. He knows how to select the right photos, handle color panels, overlap graphic images, choose a relevant typeface for headings and all the other little design elements that make each page sparkle and this book has 144 of them in a neat square format.

Although much of the material is similar Brooks has managed to split it into sixteen chapters and write a bit about each subject but the book is essentially visual. The four hundred rink stickers are the main pictorial items and nicely the index in the back is a geographical listing of past rinks across America. Strangely, despite a thorough coverage there are no close-up photos of skates, a page or two from a manufacturer's sales brochure would have been helpful I think.

'Skate Crazy' is a wonderful bit of nostalgia and if you rolled (or danced) around one of the three thousand rinks across the Nation in the Forties or Fifties you'll really enjoy looking at this book. Just super!

Rating:
Summary: Eight wheels and no brakes.
Review: A tip of the hat to Lou Brooks for making this book such a delight to look at! The subject matter is pretty mundane and in the hands of many other book designers 'Skate Crazy' would just look bland but Mr Brooks knows his stuff. He knows how to select the right photos, handle color panels, overlap graphic images, choose a relevant typeface for headings and all the other little design elements that make each page sparkle and this book has 144 of them in a neat square format.

Although much of the material is similar Brooks has managed to split it into sixteen chapters and write a bit about each subject but the book is essentially visual. The four hundred rink stickers are the main pictorial items and nicely the index in the back is a geographical listing of past rinks across America. Strangely, despite a thorough coverage there are no close-up photos of skates, a page or two from a manufacturer's sales brochure would have been helpful I think.

'Skate Crazy' is a wonderful bit of nostalgia and if you rolled (or danced) around one of the three thousand rinks across the Nation in the Forties or Fifties you'll really enjoy looking at this book. Just super!

Rating:
Summary: A terrific gift - not just for roller skaters
Review: Although this book makes a perfect gift for someone who loves to skate, it's just as good for art students, pop culture buffs, and lovers of quirky, crazy stuff. The infinite variety of roller-skate images is dazzling. "Skate Crazy" belongs on the shelf of every graphic designer. Plus, it's a lot of fun! Some of the old roller-rink photos made me laugh out loud, and the wild assortment of vintage stickers are a joy to look at. I've only been roller skating twice, but I loved this book!

Rating:
Summary: Lou Brooks Is On A Roll!
Review: Lou Brooks is one of America's foremost designer-illustrators and his work has appeared in nearly every publication in America at one time or another. SKATE CRAZY doesn't contain many of Lou's masterful illustrations, but it does have his wacky, inventive mark on every page. Illustrators and designers across the globe are going to be drooling over Lou's delectable choices. Beautiful old advertisements, postcards, signs and stickers abound in this book--lovingly restored in many cases by Lou's wife, Clare (also a first-class artist).

But it's not only Lou's colleagues who are lucky to have Lou's jam-packed gem available. His fun, informative writing will delight anyone on your gift list. Buy a copy for creaky old grannie--she probably spent time in her youth on roller skates, mesmerized by the drone of the Hammond organ. Get a copy for the couch potato of your choice--it's time to bring back those halcyon days and hit the rinks again. Roll off those extra rolls! Send a copy to your kid at college--a great way to discover a nearly-forgotten, but once very important American pastime.

This is one hell of a buy, as well. It is crammed to the gills with photos and graphics and will inform and delight everyone who is lucky enough to get a copy.

If I could, I'd give this one 10 stars! Congratulations, Louie!

Rating:
Summary: Lou Brooks Is On A Roll!
Review: This book is a great compilation of skating memorabilia from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The book is full of photos, ad illustrations, and postcards, but the best part is the stickers from individual rinks - there are over 400 of them! The restored graphics are amazing, and the vintage style will make anyone nostalgic for this era of skating. Anyone interested in art or graphics should take a look at the way Brooks updates the stickers, because he truly has done a fantastic job.

Rating:
Summary: Great trip down memory lane!
Review: This book is a great compilation of skating memorabilia from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The book is full of photos, ad illustrations, and postcards, but the best part is the stickers from individual rinks - there are over 400 of them! The restored graphics are amazing, and the vintage style will make anyone nostalgic for this era of skating. Anyone interested in art or graphics should take a look at the way Brooks updates the stickers, because he truly has done a fantastic job.