In a Reddit group about VHS tapes, folks had been posting about enjoying a book by Cory J. Gorski. Titled, "VHS Collecting: The Modern Relevance of Home Video," I got a copy off of the internet and took the time to read it. It was a fantastic book! Clearly written by a fan of VHS tapes, the book breaks down the answers to the questions of, 'Why?" Namely, why do we want to collect a dead media? Why are some tapes worth a lot and others worth basically nothing? Why is VHS special and gets more attention than other formats such as Betamax or CED? Gorski expertly talks about why VHS is such a fun format and doesn't pull punches in admitting a lot of the appeal lies in nostalgia as well as how some stuff just can't be found on DVD or easily online, making a VHS tape a necessity for viewing some mostly-forgotten flicks.
"VHS Collecting," is a lovely introduction for those who are curious about VHS tapes and how to even go about starting a collection of them. It also is a good read even if you already collect VHS tapes sometimes and just want to read the thoughts of a fellow lover of the format. It's just a lovely and enthusiastic book! I'd encourage you to give it a gander if you have any interest in VHS.
5 out of 5 stars
Hey—this is Cory (the author of VHS Collecting). Thanks so much for the review David! Very kind words. I'm really glad you dig it and hope you find all the best gems next time you hit up a thrift store :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Cory! Yes, I loved the book!
Delete