The Michael Jackson Fan Club

Oh dear, I guess you must have been worried for my absence in the last couple of months .. or maybe you were just caring about my collectables? Yes, I know, it’s not easy to quench the desire for collectibles but hey, you do need to make sacrifice to get your beauties so that you can show them off and brag about them. And that’s exactly what I did: travelling the four corners of the world looking for jaw-dropping collectables. Was I lucky? I’m always lucky my friends otherwise I wouldn’t be the chosen one to guide you through the world of Michael Jackson’s rarities, would I?

Anyway, I’ll keep those for another time because today I’m going to teach you about methodology. That’s right, even collecting requires some methods and, most of all, documentation that allows you to learn what’s out there to grab. What is it you’re saying? Experience? Of course it is useful but that’s something you learn after many years and if you are one of the many inexperienced fans out there here are some of the must-have books you ought to put your hands on to move your first steps into the world of collecting.

This first book was published in 1984 by Arbor House and written by Milt Machlin: “The Michael Jackson Catalog”. It is by no means as comprehensive as one would hope but it’s a very good start as it includes a lot of memorabilia, records, videos, clothing and much more from the early Jackson 5 days up to the Victory Tour. It is I’m afraid not a very easy book to find but if you see it, don’t let it go. It can now fetch up to 40 dollars.

Every serious collector will have to own a copy of this book: "Sequins & Shades" by Carol D. Terry. The author did an extraordinary work to collect what could be the most complete list of releases from the Motown days up to 1987 (that’s when the book was released). It is indeed a pity that it has never been updated and that it only includes the US and UK discography but it is nevertheless one of the few reference guides out there. It also includes a detailed bibliography of books, periodicals, magazines and reviews that were published throughout these years. Again, a rare book to get which is definitely worth at least 70+ dollars.

After these books were published there has been a long period of inactivity in the publishing of literature about the world of Jackson collecting. That’s until Chris Cadman and Craig Halstead came to our rescue. These authors have since 2002 published a very interesting series of books that, if you are serious about collecting, will have to own.

The first one, “The Early Years” not only tells you Michael’s incredible story, but it includes a chronological listing of every album, singles and collaborations released in America and the UK from the pre-Motown era to the last albums Michael released with his brothers. A Chartography is also included. You will also find a section with a selection of rarities from around the world which will surely stimulate your appetite. 

Next comes “The Solo Years”, a continuation of where the previous book left you wanting for more. It is similarly structured and also include a selection of rarities as well as Michael’s solo releases up to its date of publishing: 2003.

And now for the “crème de la crème”, their latest baby: “For the Record”, released in 2007. This hard cover book has a dictionary-like structure which, from “1-2-3” to “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” shares with you a huge selection of information on that particular entry. This includes curiosities that were collected by the authors in the many years they have been following Michael as well as all the juicy collectors that were released for that specific title. The good news is that these books are available and easily found. For more information you can visit this site: www.authorsonline.co.uk

Dr. Tenderoni