SchifferSpring2026

RECENTLY RELEASED | 43 ISBN: 978-0-7643-6968-1 Size: 5 1/2" x 7" (140 x 178 mm) Pages: 256 Price: $35.00, £31.99, 50.00 CAD Illustrations: 160 color and b/w photos Binding: hardcover BISAC: MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Country & Bluegrass Vintage Country The Essential Artists and Songs, fromOld-Time to Honky-Tonk, 1920–1970 By Tony Russell, Foreword by Scott B. Bomar Discover the roots of country music with Vintage Country —illustrated journey through over 100 pioneering artists, styles, and essential recordings. Vintage Country is the first illustrated book to explore the rural and urban roots of country music, tracing its evolution from early recordings and radio days to its 1940s–1950s rise, before Nashville’s dominance. Written by renowned historian Tony Russell, it profiles over 100 key artists and bands, including Jimmie Rodgers, Doc Boggs, Taylor’s Kentucky Boys, Red Foley, DeZurik Sisters, Carl T. Sprague, Hackberry Ramblers, Hank Williams, Molly O’Day, Merle Travis, and the Louvin Brothers. The book is organized into six chapters by style and era: pre-Depression “Old Time” music, Radio Years stars (1930s–WWII), cowboy & western music, Western swing, honky-tonk, and bluegrass. Each entry highlights the artist’s history, influences, and career, with an “essential recordings” list for quick reference. Richly illustrated with posters, sheet music, and artifacts, Vintage Country brings the genre’s origins to life through evocative visuals and expert storytelling, making it a compelling resource for music lovers and historians alike. Tony Russell is a leading historian of American vernacular music. He has been nominated twice for a Grammy for Best Album Notes and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Association of Recorded Sound Collections and the International Country Music Conference. Scott B. Bomar is an award-winning writer, researcher, and music historian based in Los Angeles. He has authored or coauthored six books. ISBN 978-0-7643-6968-1 ISBN: 978-0-7643-6983-4 Size: 11" x 8 1/2" (279 x 216 mm) Pages: 128 Price: $34.99, £31.99, 48.99 CAD Illustrations: 167 color and black-and-white photos and illustrations Binding: hardcover BISAC: ART / Body Art & Tattooing Lotteva Wagner Davis Hand Tattooist & Artist of the American West By Alan Govenar The true story of a strong, successful, and independent woman tattooist and artist through her own words and art; the third book in a series about the Wagner tattooist family Lotteva Wagner Davis was an American original—a tattooist and western artist in the early to mid-20th century. Following in the footsteps of her parents, Gus and Maud Wagner— tattoo artists and carnival performers—Lotteva was raised in the carnival and started hand tattooing in 1919, when she was just nine years old. She was one of few tattooists to have completely bare skin; her mother forbade her father to tattoo her, relenting only after his death, but Lotteva didn’t want to be tattooed by anyone but her father. This is the third book in the series on the Wagner family, Last of the Hand Tattoo Artists. It includes tattoo flash by Lotteva and her father, Gus, showing the evolution of hand tattoos from one generation to the next. According to her cousin, Lotteva was “a person with one foot grounded in the ordinary world and the other in this crazy carnival world.” Alan Govenar is an award-winning writer, folklorist, photographer, and filmmaker. He founded Documentary Arts, a nonprofit organization advancing perspectives on historical issues and diverse cultures. Govenar is a Guggenheim fellow and the author of over 30 books. He lives in Dallas, Texas. ISBN 978-0-7643-6983-4