Calendars match lives of owners

A calendar, unlike a diamond, isn't forever. But in today'sdisposable culture, 366 days (1988 is leap year) is quite a while,and what you choose to hang on your wall that long tells a good bitabout you.

The calendars people are choosing to cohabit with for 1988 saythey are becoming more cultured and sophisticated, better masters oftheir time, more responsive to laughter and less to the glamor andexcitement of Hollywood and TV.

They still respond to nature, enjoying the flora and fauna aswell as the sports they watch and indulge in under sun and sky. Andthey are attached to their pets.

They are concerned with self-improvement - in the form of dailythoughts of inspiration, Bible verses and knowledge of plainmiscellaneous trivia.

Although both men and women enjoy the proximity of attractivebodies - or at least printed facsimiles thereof - they insist ondiscretion and taste.

Following are results of an informal survey of what's happeningin 1988 calendar distribution:

The hottest calendar sales are in art scenes, with theImpressionists leading the way. Van Gogh, who never sold a paintingduring his lifetime but whose "Irises" sold a few weeks ago for $53million, is very popular.

High-quality nature scenes are perennial favorites in calendars.Sierra Club, Audubon, National Geographic - both calendars andengagement books published by these old standbys never fail to sell.

Engagement books of all kinds are increasing in popularity. Bigones, little ones, illustrated ones and padded-cover ones are pickingup in sales. "People seem to be more interested in getting control oftheir time," said Mary Sheehan at the Museum Shop of the BaltimoreMuseum of Art.

Garden calendars are popular. Workman Publishing Co. has agiant-sized one called "Garden Pleasures" and others called "FlowersRediscovered" and "Roger Tory Peterson's Birds," illustrated by theman called "the guru of bird-watching.'

Dinosaurs are becoming a fixture in calendar nature. AbbyGildd, at Waldenbooks, said, "Dinosaurs have become trendy. Theystarted with the 5- to 7-year set, but other people have picked up onit."

Skin is still in, in the form of a calendar featuring the annualswimsuit illustrations from Sports Illustrated. But that is aboutthe only cheesecake in calendar sales.

Women, too, have a taste for attractive bodies on their walls.A calendar called "First Impressions" features handsome men that SueAllman of the Baltimore bookstore Greetings and Readings called"stylishly cute." The calendars are bought, she said, by "oldergirls, younger girls - girls of all ages." Another calendar for "acertain kind of girl" is "Fireworks," which depicts "cutefirefighters in a variety of action shots."

In buying next year's calendars, people are thinking about theirfunny bone. There is a calendar called "The Improbable World ofVeteran Outdoorsman Patrick F. McManus Esq." and another on KrazyKat. A Doonesbury calendar is popular with university students.

"Students," said Lisa Pecoraro at the Johns Hopkins UniversityBook Center, "are a good place to look for trends."

Plain bucolic scenes and cute pictures of dogs and cats -the bread and butter of calendar art a few decades back - adorncalendars circulating as freebies.

"Unfortunately, most of them aren't as nice as the ones youbuy," said one observer. "For some reason, the design stopped ataround 1955."

Calendars match lives of owners

A calendar, unlike a diamond, isn't forever. But in today'sdisposable culture, 366 days (1988 is leap year) is quite a while,and what you choose to hang on your wall that long tells a good bitabout you.

The calendars people are choosing to cohabit with for 1988 saythey are becoming more cultured and sophisticated, better masters oftheir time, more responsive to laughter and less to the glamor andexcitement of Hollywood and TV.

They still respond to nature, enjoying the flora and fauna aswell as the sports they watch and indulge in under sun and sky. Andthey are attached to their pets.

They are concerned with self-improvement - in the form of dailythoughts of inspiration, Bible verses and knowledge of plainmiscellaneous trivia.

Although both men and women enjoy the proximity of attractivebodies - or at least printed facsimiles thereof - they insist ondiscretion and taste.

Following are results of an informal survey of what's happeningin 1988 calendar distribution:

The hottest calendar sales are in art scenes, with theImpressionists leading the way. Van Gogh, who never sold a paintingduring his lifetime but whose "Irises" sold a few weeks ago for $53million, is very popular.

High-quality nature scenes are perennial favorites in calendars.Sierra Club, Audubon, National Geographic - both calendars andengagement books published by these old standbys never fail to sell.

Engagement books of all kinds are increasing in popularity. Bigones, little ones, illustrated ones and padded-cover ones are pickingup in sales. "People seem to be more interested in getting control oftheir time," said Mary Sheehan at the Museum Shop of the BaltimoreMuseum of Art.

Garden calendars are popular. Workman Publishing Co. has agiant-sized one called "Garden Pleasures" and others called "FlowersRediscovered" and "Roger Tory Peterson's Birds," illustrated by theman called "the guru of bird-watching.'

Dinosaurs are becoming a fixture in calendar nature. AbbyGildd, at Waldenbooks, said, "Dinosaurs have become trendy. Theystarted with the 5- to 7-year set, but other people have picked up onit."

Skin is still in, in the form of a calendar featuring the annualswimsuit illustrations from Sports Illustrated. But that is aboutthe only cheesecake in calendar sales.

Women, too, have a taste for attractive bodies on their walls.A calendar called "First Impressions" features handsome men that SueAllman of the Baltimore bookstore Greetings and Readings called"stylishly cute." The calendars are bought, she said, by "oldergirls, younger girls - girls of all ages." Another calendar for "acertain kind of girl" is "Fireworks," which depicts "cutefirefighters in a variety of action shots."

In buying next year's calendars, people are thinking about theirfunny bone. There is a calendar called "The Improbable World ofVeteran Outdoorsman Patrick F. McManus Esq." and another on KrazyKat. A Doonesbury calendar is popular with university students.

"Students," said Lisa Pecoraro at the Johns Hopkins UniversityBook Center, "are a good place to look for trends."

Plain bucolic scenes and cute pictures of dogs and cats -the bread and butter of calendar art a few decades back - adorncalendars circulating as freebies.

"Unfortunately, most of them aren't as nice as the ones youbuy," said one observer. "For some reason, the design stopped ataround 1955."

Calendars match lives of owners

A calendar, unlike a diamond, isn't forever. But in today'sdisposable culture, 366 days (1988 is leap year) is quite a while,and what you choose to hang on your wall that long tells a good bitabout you.

The calendars people are choosing to cohabit with for 1988 saythey are becoming more cultured and sophisticated, better masters oftheir time, more responsive to laughter and less to the glamor andexcitement of Hollywood and TV.

They still respond to nature, enjoying the flora and fauna aswell as the sports they watch and indulge in under sun and sky. Andthey are attached to their pets.

They are concerned with self-improvement - in the form of dailythoughts of inspiration, Bible verses and knowledge of plainmiscellaneous trivia.

Although both men and women enjoy the proximity of attractivebodies - or at least printed facsimiles thereof - they insist ondiscretion and taste.

Following are results of an informal survey of what's happeningin 1988 calendar distribution:

The hottest calendar sales are in art scenes, with theImpressionists leading the way. Van Gogh, who never sold a paintingduring his lifetime but whose "Irises" sold a few weeks ago for $53million, is very popular.

High-quality nature scenes are perennial favorites in calendars.Sierra Club, Audubon, National Geographic - both calendars andengagement books published by these old standbys never fail to sell.

Engagement books of all kinds are increasing in popularity. Bigones, little ones, illustrated ones and padded-cover ones are pickingup in sales. "People seem to be more interested in getting control oftheir time," said Mary Sheehan at the Museum Shop of the BaltimoreMuseum of Art.

Garden calendars are popular. Workman Publishing Co. has agiant-sized one called "Garden Pleasures" and others called "FlowersRediscovered" and "Roger Tory Peterson's Birds," illustrated by theman called "the guru of bird-watching.'

Dinosaurs are becoming a fixture in calendar nature. AbbyGildd, at Waldenbooks, said, "Dinosaurs have become trendy. Theystarted with the 5- to 7-year set, but other people have picked up onit."

Skin is still in, in the form of a calendar featuring the annualswimsuit illustrations from Sports Illustrated. But that is aboutthe only cheesecake in calendar sales.

Women, too, have a taste for attractive bodies on their walls.A calendar called "First Impressions" features handsome men that SueAllman of the Baltimore bookstore Greetings and Readings called"stylishly cute." The calendars are bought, she said, by "oldergirls, younger girls - girls of all ages." Another calendar for "acertain kind of girl" is "Fireworks," which depicts "cutefirefighters in a variety of action shots."

In buying next year's calendars, people are thinking about theirfunny bone. There is a calendar called "The Improbable World ofVeteran Outdoorsman Patrick F. McManus Esq." and another on KrazyKat. A Doonesbury calendar is popular with university students.

"Students," said Lisa Pecoraro at the Johns Hopkins UniversityBook Center, "are a good place to look for trends."

Plain bucolic scenes and cute pictures of dogs and cats -the bread and butter of calendar art a few decades back - adorncalendars circulating as freebies.

"Unfortunately, most of them aren't as nice as the ones youbuy," said one observer. "For some reason, the design stopped ataround 1955."