Vintage Denim by David Little and Larry Bond (1996, Paperback)

It took me a long time on eBay to get this book at a price that I was willing to pay! It's 154 pages are packed full of great photos (colour and black & white) and the information is just as pertinent today as it was in 1996 when it was published.

I'm dabbling in some vintage denim for my BAR GR WESTERN STORE AND MORE since I live in 'Cowboy Country' in Alberta, Canada. Let's face it, jeans ARE western wear, jeans have been historically designed and ARE for Cowboys and Cowgirls, and finally jeans ARE worn by many western movie stars and country & western singers!

The table of contents include: Introduction, The Beginnings, H.D. Lee, Dust-Bowl Denim, Denim and Dudes, War, Postwar, Blue Jeans and Bikers, The Fifties, The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, Dealers and collectors, The Treasure Hunt - Pickers and Scouts, New Blues, Identifying Vintage Denim and Pricing Guide, Deja Blue and Resource List.

My favourite chapter is 'Identifying Vintage Denim' - it contains lots of interesting tidbits about the big three brands - Levi, Lee, Wrangler! This book definitely is not 'the Bible' as far as identification of vintage jeans is concerned. Helpful - yes! Definitive - no! There are many tiny details missing with respect to stitching, tabs, patches etc. that would prove most useful for the proper identification of jeans made in the 70's, 80's and 90's (before the big manufacturers moved away from North America).

My fav photo is the full-page, full-colour photo of Marilyn Monroe wearing a Lee Riders jacket in a publicity shot for the movie, The Misfits. This movie was the last movie that she made and it was also Clark Gable's last movie before he died.

If you love denim - this book does have some wonderful photos and delves into the 'history' of jeans. Who doesn't want to see Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando, Bruce Springsteen, and Daryl Hannah in denim?

Written by David Little
Photographs by Larry Bond
Published by Gibbs Smith

I started buying vintage jeans in 1985, when decent 501s stopped being made. I've been collecting vintage Levi's and Lees ever since. That's why I was eager to get this book, having heard of it as being the denim collector's bible. I was expecting to learn interesting facts I might not have already learned elsewhere, and hoping to see great pictures of rare models. Well, I was really surprised at how disappointing this book proved to be in every way. Many production dates are wrong, production eras are missing, illustration photos are often mirror images (501s appearing to be with a red tab on the left pocket instead of the right) and anachronic (e.g. post-1984 Levi's illustrating the '60s). Basically, the book is full of pictures of stonewashed and acidwashed jeans currently available anywhere a dime a dozen. There are (and were at the time of publishing) enough big E Levi's around to portray different denim grades and use for illustration, so why not use them when you're writing a book about them????
It seems the book was botched up in a hurry, and not necessarily by someone who actually loves vintage denim or knows much about it.
To summarize, I'd say this book is good material for the average housemom or granny who's just looking for basic knowledge to earn extra money on eBay with charity sale finds. NOT for the serious denim collector looking for rare data or pics of rare denim. Disappointing.

I loved the photos, and I liked the information on how to spot' vintage jeans...I feel it could have had more information on the different types as there are more that are not listed...it would be great if the book could have more varieties as there are more that are not listed in the book:)..I bought it so that i could learn more about how to tell if an item was vintage so I could sell on ebay:)