Chapeau
Melon et Bottes de Cuir by Alain Carrazé and Jean-Luc Putheaud
(Published 1990 by Editions Huitieme Art, 200ish pages, no
price is indicated on the cover. Hardcover).
Contents:
Ruminations by/interviews with Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg,
Linda Thorson, Grant Morrison, Dave Rogers, David Fakrikian, Christophe
Casa-Zza and François Rivière. Episode Guide to all seven seasons
and The New Avengers, including detailed looks at 11 episodes. Short
essays on Brian Clemens, A Glimpse Behind The Scenes, The Lead Actors,
The Vehicles, A Tribute to Avengers fashion and Directors and Guest Stars.
Unique Selling Point:
The 250 photographs published in a hard-backed format.
Note
The first 1827 copies of this book were part of
a numbered, limited edition and included a numbered photographical plate
(see below right). There were also, "En outre, 100 exemplaires
hors commerce ont été marqués HC 1 à 100", but I'm not sure what
that translates as!! Oh, and before you ask - the autographs were
added later: it's a long story, but the basic reason is that I have a
lovely 60s Batman soundtrack LP that has been ruined by Adam West adding
his scrawl to it in gruesome gold ink, so I wanted something that could
be ruined by Diana Rigg (nice and restrained biro, thank god) and Patrick
Macnee (a felt tipped pen that looks like he had been cropping it with
his teeth) rather than compromising something aesthetically pleasing in
its own right like an annual or a jigsaw.
Review
For those delicious few years that I had this book
before it was translated into English (as The Avengers Companion), this
looked to me to be the perfect Avengers book - hardcover format, exquisitely
reproduced photographs and limited edition. It just seemed natural
that the words between the pictures would have something to say beyond
the usual platitudes. How wrong I was - this book functions best
in this edition because, with my terrible grasp of the French language,
I can't read the boring boring text. The Avengers equivalent of
those Japanese Gerry Anderson books that have lots and lots of lovely
photos and lots and lots of Japanese text - impenetrable but delicious
because of it.
One-Ten
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