{"id":3072,"date":"2012-03-09T07:40:14","date_gmt":"2012-03-09T15:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coreyshead.com\/blog\/?p=3072"},"modified":"2019-05-27T10:28:06","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T17:28:06","slug":"color-me-nostalgic-the-coloring-books-of-troubador-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coreyshead.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/09\/color-me-nostalgic-the-coloring-books-of-troubador-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Color Me Nostalgic – The Coloring Books of Troubador Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Morlock<\/a><\/p>\n

I recently flashed on a memory of a series of coloring books published by Troubador Press in the 1970’s. Though I have never counted myself as a fan of “coloring,” the designs in these collections left an indelible impression on me.<\/p>\n

There is a specific smell that pervades the elementary classrooms of my memory. The thick, heavy scent of broken crayons and reams of low-grade paper. Maybe you’d expect me to focus on the pungent miasma of squirming, unwashed bodies, funky shoes, and forgotten lunches? Maybe with a little bit of puke and piddle thrown in for good measure – but no. When I think “kindergarten,” it is the unmistakable, unavoidable, almost (but not quite) pleasant redolence of crayons and paper that wafts back into my mind.<\/p>\n

Not My Vocation<\/h2>\n

Now, I don’t know about you but I was never all that taken with coloring as a kid. Oh, I had crayons, colored pencils, pens, and markers at my disposal. I just never really moved much past the primitive, “random scribble of color inside (and maybe outside) the frame” approach.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I likely would have but for my brother. Not only was he five and a half years older than I and artistically gifted but also a vocal (if righteous) critic.
\n“You don’t stay within the lines!”
\n“Stop using my markers! You press too hard and ruin them!”
\n“You’re tearing the page!”
\n“You colored his hand the same as the wall! That’s his *hand*, not a brick!”<\/p>\n

Hey, I was under ten – gimmie a break.<\/p>\n

The effect was soul crushing. I went through one, short burst of coloring and that was that. I spent the rest of my child and early adulthood thinking I sucked at artistic endeavors and hating any activity related to them.<\/p>\n

Beyond this painful awareness of my limitations as a colorist, I found traditional coloring book subject matter boring at best. Uninspiring, sparse, dead scenes on coarse, gray paper. Things like Porky Pig and his intended staring at each other with adoring eyes. Woody Woodpecker posed as if to say “Hi there, you post-toddler schmuk!” Yeeeeecchhhhhh.<\/p>\n

Enter Troubador Press<\/h2>\n

\"Troubador<\/a>Coloring never really came alive for me until a mid-70’s Christmas when my mom delivered unto my brother and myself a pair of coloring books from Troubador Press.
\nI received “Monster Gallery” and my brother got the “Science Fiction Anthology<\/strong>“.
\nMan-oh-man, what great stuff! Now we were talking!
\nBig, bold, and exciting line drawings of classic monsters and stories juxtaposed with thoughtful (if a bit erudite, given the proposed audience) blocks of descriptive text.
\nI also received a set of watercolor pencils (that’s right, you read right). The idea was that you’d do your coloring and then go over the work with a wet brush. Yeah, it worked as good as it sounds, especially in the hands of an artistically maladroit grade-schooler.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Troubador debuted their wonderful coloring book series in the early 1970\u2032s. These 11\u00d714\u2033, heavy paper stock coloring books covered a wide variety of subjects with a decided focus on wildlife. All contained detailed and thoughtful descriptions opposite beautifully intricate and eye-catching line drawings.<\/p>\n

We loved Troubador Press coloring books so much my mom would occasionally let us each get another. We got ours at “The Toy Box,” a small but excellent toy store in the Loveland Colorado of my youth. The first one I picked out on my own was the “Science Fiction Anthology,” which I’d coveted. My brother went for “Tales of Fantasy<\/strong>.” Far out!<\/p>\n

More Than Monsters<\/h2>\n

\"North<\/a>After finishing up “Tales of Fantasy,” my brother moved on into Troubador’s nature series. Titles like “North American Birdlife<\/strong>” and “North American Wildflowers<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

After a few basic approaches, he got bored and began to experiment with color. He’d choose only two shades to fill out an intricate image or shift the colors in the spectrum to create a consistently surreal landscape of fascinating, if “wrong,” color. He had no idea what he was doing but, man, did he know what he was doing!<\/p>\n

Everyone was impressed. My mom would show off his work to visitors and he would cut out and tack up his favorites to his wall.<\/p>\n

I tried to ape him with a red and blue colorization of the “Planet of the Apes” from “Science Fiction Anthology” but screwed it up. The color choice just sucked, anyway. After “Monster Gallery” and “Science Fiction Anthology,” I started “North American Sealife<\/strong>” but soon petered out. For me, its content didn’t have the punch of the previous books. I was also ashamed of my puny efforts in comparison to my brother’s. My efforts showed no inspiration or talent and it depressed me.<\/p>\n

I also discovered that I was mostly bored by the pastime.<\/p>\n

Coloring someone else’s design, much like working a puzzle, was not for me for one very basic reason. You weren’t really *creating* anything.\"North<\/a>
\nSure, my brother learned a lot about color from those books. Or maybe he just demonstrated what he already, intrinsically knew. Either way, to me, until he started to draw his own images to color, it was all just masturbation. Creatively stagnant and dissatisfying. I left coloring books behind.<\/p>\n

Yet, somehow, the illustrations and approach of the Troubador Press books stayed with me.<\/p>\n

Tracking Down Troubador Press Today<\/h2>\n

During these last five years or so, my mind would flash back to those crazy pages. The whirling whip of the cruel Morlock. The cowering madness of the man in “Brave New World.” My brother bitching at me about the ruined tips of his markers …<\/p>\n

\"Science<\/a>And so I sporadically hunted for the books, though I couldn’t remember anything beyond their subject matter: no names, no authors. A wiser set of search terms finally brought me the results I so desperately sought. For the first time in over three decades, I saw the cover again, the name “Monster Gallery,” and almost fell over. A host ofvery powerful memories came flooding back to me.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Troubador is out of business and their books long out of print. Further, it seems I’m not the only one upon whom these books made an impression.<\/p>\n

“Monster Gallery” now regularly sells for $50+. A reprint also exists (with an incredibly ugly cover, I might add), \u00a0which can be had for around $7. Many of the other titles command similar prices, though a little searching yielded copies for $20 or less.\u00a0It doesn’t look like any of the other books in the series were resissued.<\/p>\n

\"Brave<\/a>As I collect those I can find, my girlfriend, who still enjoys coloring as an adult, eyes the stark black and white of the pages with avarice and intent but I shoo her away. My plan is to scan them for posterity and the opportunity of multiple colorings, should the urge arise.<\/p>\n

Savee’s illustrations in the two I have managed to track down are evocative of an earlier time. Scooby-Doo mornings both eerie and innocent. Not every image or subject is magnificent but I love them, none the less. If you’ve read this far, you might, too.<\/p>\n

I’ve attached a smaller, lower res, electronic version of “Monster Gallery” that I found online and didn’t feel too bad about posting since the book is out of print – peruse them or … print them out and have a go: The Monster Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

More Info on Troubador Press<\/h2>\n

The Story of Troubador Press<\/a>: An Interview with Malcolm Whyte
\nMonster Gallery – Leah Waskey Mark Savee (illus) – ISBN: 0912300329<\/strong>
\n(the reprint – Monsters – ISBN: 0843138807)<\/strong>
\nScience Fiction Anthology – Ken Savee and Mark Savee (illus) – ISBN: 0912300523<\/strong>
\nTales of Fantasy – Larry Todd – ISBN: 0912300604<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently flashed on a memory of a series of coloring books published by Troubador Press in the 1970’s. Though I have never counted myself as a fan of “coloring,” the designs in these collections left an indelible impression on me. There is a specific smell that pervades the elementary classrooms of my memory. 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