Imagined Worlds: Donald Evans' World of Stamps

A while ago, my friend Julia lent me a copy of "The World of Donald Evans" by Willy Eisenhart. I liked it so much, I kept it for a couple of  years, and finally returned the book to her last year.  Because the book is so unique, I went and bought a copy of it for myself.

Donald Evans was an American artist who painted postage stamps and cataloged them in a compilation called "Catalogue of the World". The stamps are of fictitious countries with their own history, geography, climate, currency and customs.

Displayed on the pages of The World of Donald Evans are exquisitely drawn postage stamps of imagined countries in imagined worlds. Evan's attention to details can be seen in his taxonomic elaborations of his invented stamp collections. Plants, fruits and objects of one imagined country, quilt designs of another, all demonstrate the research and detail Evans placed in his art.

Stamps from the republic of Banana

Stamps of quilts from the Tropides Islands.

Check it out. One can't help but be mesmerized at the wild imagination of a non-existent yet orderly world and at the same time, be impressed with the artistry of Evans' work.

Sam Johnson's Bookshop

On Venice Boulevard, there is a used, or out-of-print book store that's been around for a while.  It's not the kind of book store that you'd think of visiting to get the newest bestseller.  Nothing there is new.  In fact, even the people who work there, or who own the store, are old folks who just seem to love old books and are having a good time hanging out at the store.

I don't know if they make money, because during the Christmas holidays when I visited, I was the only customer there at 7:00 p.m.  The owner came in and asked the cashier how much they made that day.  The lady behind the counter said that they made about $100 that day.  My purchase added another $50 to that amount, but still, that's not much. I vaguely remember that years ago, when I first visited Sam Johnson's, the owner told me that he purchased the property where the store stood so that he didn't have to deal with the cost of ever increasing rent.  So, maybe they are doing okay.

A decade ago, we were all lamenting that independent bookshops are being pushed out of business by all-in-one mega stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders with the the packaged gifts and the coffee shops. But considering that a decade later, in my neighborhood of West Los Angeles, both Barnes and Noble at the Westside Pavilion and Borders Books on Westwood Boulevard shut down, it's a wonder that the small indy stores like Sam Johnson's and another gem, Children's Book World still remains.  Maybe there is hope for independent book stores after all 

At Sam Johnson's, there are lots of out of print, or first edition books in every category.  I like the arts and  architecture sections.  I found an out of print book about the Los Angeles Union Station for $15, and a book of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture signed by the photographer who took the architectural photos in the book for $20.  Both were great Christmas gifts for my brothers in law, one a train buff, another an architect.

My greatest find at Sam Johnson's were the 1973 Herge Archives of the Tintin comic books, published by Casterman, covering Herge's work from 1929 to 1940.  The Archives are of the original black and white drawings and are in French.  Unfortunately, I only got volumes 1, 3 and 4.  Sam Johnson's didn't have Volume 2.

 

Sam Johnsons: 12310 Venice Boulevard    Los Angeles, California  90066 (310) 391-5047