Video stores are generally in the entertainment business, so it’s unfair to criticize the vast majority of them for not carrying specialty tapes such as “Wallpaper Like a Pro” or “Secrets of the Tarot Revealed.” Yet those tapes and thousands more pertaining to small parts of the spectrum of human endeavor do exist and do have an audience.
How is the special-interest audience to find its tapes?
The easiest answer is to reach for a book, “The Complete Guide to Special Interest Videos” by James R. Spencer, now in its second edition ($19.95, James-Robert Publishing). A CD-ROM version of the guide ($49.95) is available in DOS, Windows and Macintosh.
Spencer runs a mail-order video company in Scottsdale, Ariz., called the Video Learning Library, and his guide is essentially a catalog of his 9,000 titles. Virtually all the tapes, divided into 41 categories and many subcategories, are available for purchase or rental. Order forms are included in the book.
“Guide” is subtitled “More Than 9,000 Videos You’ve Never Seen Before,” and the breadth of subjects, from history to hobbies, is breathtaking. One discovers 140 titles on horses (“Your First Pony,” for example), 150 on aviation (“Howard Hughes and His Aircraft”), 40 on investment and finance (“Stock Selection Guide”) and 30 on pregnancy and childbirth (“When Baby Comes Home”). Nothing is too obscure, whether you want to learn basketweaving, flower arranging or beer brewing.
Culture is also represented, with sections on fine arts, drama and literature, and music and dance. The unexpected often turns up-the religion section lists the movie “King David,” starring Richard Gere.
A Video Learning Library spokesman says the company lists titles from major studios, such as Paramount and MCA, and from producers who have made just one video. He estimates that the company deals with 500 to 600 suppliers. Each entry in the 700-page book contains a capsule description, running time and price, and the spokesman says 85 percent of the titles are in stock.
Most of the company’s sales are to libraries, schools, businesses and individuals, but rentals are also available. After paying a $45 membership fee-actually a security deposit-you can rent up to three titles at a time for a week at $6 each. Renters also pay $8 in round-trip shipping but they get a free copy of the catalog. Rental fees can be applied toward purchase.
The book version of “The Complete Guide to Special Interest Videos” is available in bookstores or directly from Video Learning Library, 15838 N. 62d St., Suite 102, Scottsdale, Ariz., 85254-1988. Phone 800-383-8811.
The book is $19.95, plus $2.50 for shipping. The CD-ROM disc is $49.95 plus $4 for shipping. The disc is distributed to computer stores by Quanta Press.
