Collectors
have long been intrigued by Little Wonder. They look like children's
records, but the repertoire is largely popular hits of the day.
Priced at just a dime each, they caused an uproar in a complacent
recording industry, and they sold by the millions.
In
1917 Little Wonder was joined by another diminutive disc line, made
for the Harper Bubble Book albums — the first children's book-and-record
series.
Grammy
Award winner Tim Brooks and Little Wonder detective and archivist
Merle Sprinzen pull back the curtain to reveal the often-turbulent
story behind these labels and the people who produced them, in a
richly illustrated and carefully documented history.
The
discography is the most detailed ever published on these records.
It identifies the anonymous performers (which included Al Jolson,
the California Ramblers, and other major stars of the day) and holds
many surprising new discoveries — even picture discs, a recording
by presidential candidate Warren G. Harding, and an elusive group
of operatic recordings issued only in Italy.
7 x 10" quality paperback
232 pages • 50 illustrations
TIM
BROOKS edited the first book-length Little Wonder discography
in 1999. He is the author of the multiple-award–winning Lost
Sounds: Black and the Birth of the Recording Industry and co-author
of The Columbia Master Book Discography. Tim received a
Grammy in 2007 for the CD version of Lost Sounds.
MERLE
SPRINZEN has amassed what is probably the world's
most complete collection of Little Wonder records, Bubble Books,
and related materials. A senior marketing and business strategist
and angel investor, Merle earned her PhD from Harvard University
while a National Science Foundation Fellow.
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