Europe Invaded by Partworks!

"This isn't a newsstand anymore; it has become a store."

The U.S. has always seemed to have a fascination with collecting popular ephemera. Relatively young in its life in comparison to other nations, our lack of deep history - the ancient narrative currents found in countries such as Great Britain, Sweden, Italy and China - has bestowed us with a connection largely to the things created in the shallower waters of our own time. Scotland has Balmoral, America's got the Disneyland Castle.

However, anyone tempted into the belief that the accumulation of "stuff" is a peculiarly American phenomenon is wrong. eBay was founded by a Frenchman, although his formative years were spent in the States. (That both refutes our point and makes it at the same time.) A story in today's edition of the International Herald Tribune sheds light on the growing invasion of "stuff" in Europe.

"Collectibles Overtake European Newstands" reports on the transformation of kiosks from newstands into "gaudy bazaars" in places like Italy. Particularly noteworthy to Yanks might be the rise of so called "partworks."

Partworks are "serialized publications sold on a weekly or biweekly basis that hold out the promise of making a specialized collector out of anyone with enough patience to see a series through to the end," the story noted.

Now that's an American idea if we've ever heard one, except for the part about patience. Like, uh, if they'd publish a new partwork every day, we'd have our collection in no time.

SIDEBAR:

To underscore the American fascination with pop ephemera, here's word on the 17th annual Village Gate spring Toy and Collectibles Show in Rochester, New York, from today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.