Superman: The Complete History

An entertaining retrospective of the first 60 years of Superman's history, including a look at the comics, radio shows, television programs and films that together built the legend known to millions worldwide. Among other highlights, author Les Daniels provides probably the best account anywhere of just how Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster created Superman and his supporting cast, what they went through to get the stories published and how they managed to lose their rights to to the Man of Steel. Lots of great photos and a terrific book design by Chip Kidd, with special illustrations by painter Alex Ross.

Cost: $35.00
Status: In print; visit your neighborhood bookstore

Superman: Serial To Cereal

Author Gary Grossman provides the definitive account of the great "Adventures of Superman" television show starring George Reeves. Lots of black and white photos and fun behind-the-scenes stories from the cast and crew. Also included are the two Superman serials starring Kirk Alyn. Originally printed in the early 70's, this book has been out of print for years and fetches ridiculous sums on eBay and elsewhere. The author recently unearthed a supply and is offering them for $50 each, not exactly cheap for a trade-size paperback, but certainly better than the $150-200 being asked by others for second-hand copies. Not much here for comics fans, but for the generations who grew up watching -- and loving -- George Reeves as the Man of Steel, it's a must-have.

Cost: $50.00
Status: available at www.supermanbook.com

The Great Superman Book

An encyclopedic reference to all the characters, devices, places and events featured in Superman and Action Comics from Superman's debut in 1938 to sometime about halfway through 1964, as compiled by historian Michael Fleisher. Originally envisioned as "Volume 3" of Fleischer's "Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes," the book got a name change to jump on the merchandising bandwagon for the 1978 Superman movie. Lots of fun stuff here, though the book ignores events fromSuperman's Girlfriend Lois Lane, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Superboy, World's Finest and Adventure comics, and everything after 1964, which after all was only the mid-point in a period of phenomenal expansion and innovation for Superman and his world. Good luck finding this one at a reasonable price, sad to say. The rare hardback edition is probably worth enough to put your kids through college!

Cost: $ Arm + Leg
Status: Out of print and hard to find. Try www.bibliofind.com or the next comics convention.

UPDATE!

Fans of "The Great Superman Book" received good news in 2007 as DC Comics reprinted the legendary volume under the name "The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 3: Superman," which was more or less the title intended for the book 31 years earlier. Printed on the pulpy paper stock used for DC's "Showcase" comic collections, this volume may not prove as long-lived as the original, but at $19.99 it's nearly one-tenth the cost, so you can't go wrong. The Garcia-Lopez cover is a nice touch, too.

Cost: $19.99
Status: Available at your local comics shop (and Barnes and Noble, and Amazon, and...)

Superman At Fifty: The Persistence of A Legend

"With a speed of 1,000 mph at 'lift-off,' and no air resistance, Superman could reach an altitude of three miles and cover 12 miles in one leap," or so postulates "The Art and Science of Leaping Tall Buildings," one of many fun articles in this 50th anniversary collection. What would be the cost of this expenditure of energy? How would the take-off affect people standing near Superman? All of these issues are examined, while other articles look at other pressing questions: How is it that Superman, a space alien, is considered the ultimate American? What breed of dog is Krypto? What motivates Superman's enemies? What's Superman's zodiac sign? Sometimes thoughtful, sometimes silly, this collection is always fun.

Cost: ?
Status: In and out of print. Ask your bookseller to order it for you in paperback form.

Browse the shelves for...