Collected: The Batman Vault

Christmas is always a great time for my collection to expand, and this year was no exception. Case in point: The Batman Vault, given to me by my awesome wife.

I have several 'coffee table' books about Batman, including Chip Kidd's excellent 'Batman Collected', but the Vault is a little different from those books. It's more like an already-made scrapbook/library of Batman history and memorabilia. There's plenty to read, make no mistake, from the beginnings of the character and his creator's inspirations, to documentary-style narrative about the comic book's different ages and development.

Plenty of beautiful photos are included as well, but what sets this book apart in my opinion, are the various re-creations of actual Batman nostalgia scattered throughout the pages. Every so often, you'll find the regular stuff interrupted by a clear plastic sleeve, and inside it there are replicas of some truly rare printed items, such as color-by-number activity pages from a 1966 kids' book, a 'How To Draw Batman' booklet from 1978 and a 'Batplane' paper cutout model from 1943.

Needless to say, this is a phenomenal addition to my little museum, and any avid fan owes it to themselves to pick it up!