Jerry,
Thanks for your kind words about my new position in CAPS. There's no doubt that
they wanted me simply for eye-candy. But it's worth noting that CAPS is not
just for California collectors - any more than MAPS is solely for those living
in Michigan. I've been a member of both organizations for many years, and agree
that every serious collector should be a member of both. What puzzles me is the
number of MAPS members who don't belong to CAPS as well. The CAPS quarterly
journal, "The Sound Box," is the best - I repeat - THE BEST publication on
antique phonographs and related items. It's a large-format magazine (8 1/2" x
11") packed with photos and illustrations. Members just received their March
issue last week, and - as in every issue - there are a number of substantive
articles for the collector who wants to learn more about our hobby. The eight
(yes, EIGHT) articles in the current issue cover these topics:1) A discussion
of the Columbia Period Grafonolas, who made the cabinets
, and illustrations of 18 different models! 2) An article and 4 photos of an
unusual "Exposicion" gramophone by Larry Karp. Ever seen one of these? 3) Allen
Koenigsberg wrote about a long-forgotten 1905 advertising campaign using a
giant balloon tethered to a building in New York City to promote Victor Talking
Machines (w/5 illustrations). A sudden windstorm brought near-tragedy and one
man barely escaped with his life! 4) Thomas Rhodes ("Mr.Orthophonic") writes
about Joseph Maxfield's sound box - no, not the Orthophonic - the one BEFORE
that!? 5) So we thought we knew about EVERY recording of Thomas Edison's voice?
How about a 1917 Blue Amberol (yep - it predates "Let Us Not Forget")
containing Edison himself extolling the new Electrip Ediphone? Plus other
related artifacts shown in four photos. 6) Everyone knows that cylinder records
are vertically recorded, but if you read "The Sound Box," you're also aware of
two types of LATERALLY RECORDED cylinder records! 5 photos acc
ompany this article. 7) Charles Marowitz writes an article in each issue on
early recording stars, and I think he does an excellent job every time. This
issue, he covered Annette Hanshaw (including 3 illustrations), and she seemed
like such a babe in print that I was inspired to dig out a couple of her
records to see what she sounded like. 8) When we think "catalog sales," we
think of Sears - don't we? Well, Montgomery-Ward put Sears to shame in the
1899-1902 period with the wonderful phonographs it sold, such as Edison
Polyphones, Berliner & Johnson Gramophones, the "Thornward," and others. Nine
illustrations from actual catalogs are included in this article. And that's all
in just ONE issue of "The Sound Box!"? Rene Rondeau is the Editor, and does a
magnificent job of creating a beautiful, eye-catching journal with full-color
covers. There are 36 illustrations in this issue, which doesn't include the 5
pages of advertisements!
CAPS maintains a website at www.ca-phono.org. I encourage everyone who's not a
member to do themselves a favor and check it out. Sorry for the long essay, but
this is really too good to miss!
Best to all,
George Paul
California Antique Phonograph Society
PO Box 169
Victorville, California 92393
(Dues are only $25 and include a wonderful quarterly
newsletter)
