#957 - Fantasia set
Fantasia Remix,
400 ebook pages
an original anthology, based on 18 issues of Fantasia Magazine, 1957 to 1962,
Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, Correspondence 1 and Correspondence 2
optimized for ebook viewing
Fantasia 11, ebook, 1958, a digital replica
Fantasia 15, ebook, 1959, a digital replica
Because of the popularity of Gene Bilbrew illustrations, we've seen Fantasia covers and speculated about the contents. For the first time in any medium, the best of Fantasia has been collected in a single digital volume, culled from 18 issues.
The anthology includes nearly all of the photos and illustrations from the set and at least two prose pieces from each issue. Both the prose and the images wander around diverse lifestyle themes, including wearing rubber clothing, cross-dressing, high heels, garters, corsets, wives in charge, swimming while clothed, domestic discipline, women who wrestle, spanking, and censorship. A light tone pervades.
Essays, newspaper articles, reviews, short stories (one by A. DeGranamour) and letters comprise the assortment of texts in the originals and the ebook anthology. Most of the prose was contributed by readers. The language is typical of its day, with polite euphemisms, oblique references, and conclusions derived mostly through surmise, speculation, inference and generalization rather than from data.
Illustrations by Mr. Bilbrew, W, Foss, Kron, M, and Muffy are supplemented by a few by Eric Stanton and a couple by John Willie. Other primitive illustrations are unsigned. Six issues of the collection have two-pages from Mr. Bilbrew's Campus Capers comic serial. A few ads are included in the mix.
Photos are mostly from readers but issues include movie and actress publicity photos as well. As this publication was produced in sunny Los Angeles, many photos are taken outdoors, poolside, and a couple at the shore.
Fantasia Remix optimizes the viewing experience with wide ebook pages that fill the monitor screen. Not every image has a horizontal orientation and, on many pages, choice details are enlarged next to the complete photo or illustration. The optimization technique is intended to reduce the need for zooming and scrolling. The interior pages of each issue are preceded by that issue's front cover and followed by that issue's back cover.
In every case, the ebook improves the appearance of the printed photos. Many white specks and scratches were retouched, and brightness and clarity enhanced. Some of the photos are scratched, small, grainy and dark on the printed page. Enlargement of some of the smallest photos to fill the pages results in a rough, grainy appearance. Even with the defects, every photo is intelligible, and provides a viewing experience superior to that of the original printed magazine.
The illustrations translated well to the ebook format. Despite minor imperfections, Fantasia Remix is a fun read. The anthology will also serve as a handy reference for collectors.
The 40 mb ebook covers the lifespan of this obscure California-based publication. The early issues measured 5.4 by 8.2 inches with about 60 pages in each. Beginning with issue number 15, the page size expands to 6.8 by 9.1 inches with about 44 pages in each issue. The editor continuously asks for material from readers. Issue number 20 has little art, the smallest and darkest photos (as if they were leftovers), and a solicitation for donations. It's the only issue without an illustration on the cover. Possibly, number 20 was the last in the series.
To ensure that our readers enjoy a thorough exposure to this mid-century lifestyle ephemera, two complete issues (one of each size) supplement the the 400+ page Fantasia anthology: number 11 and number 15. Because every word and picture of the originals are included in these two digital replicas, the span of pages in the anthology that optimizes the images from these issues includes no text.
Three ebooks, one optimized, two digital replicas, delivered by download link.