Customer Reviews

All-American Ads 60s (Icons Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a big fan of Taschen's hefty All-American Ads "Midi" series, so I ordered both the "Golden Age of Advertising" and "Icons" editions of 60's ads... unfortunately, I didn't conduct any research beyond Amazon's non-description of these two books, and I was disappointed to discover that they basically contain the same ads, albeit in abbreviated forms. The "Midi" book, a nearly unwieldy behemoth that retails for about $40, is the most comprehensive of the three, and perhaps the best choice for consumer culture enthusiasts-- spending twenty or thirty minutes browsing through its pages can be a somewhat dizzying affair. The "Golden Age of Advertising" edition is much more affordable, features the best and funniest of the ads, and is hardback, making it perhaps the best choice for the majority of buyers. The "Icons" edition, however, is sadly skimpy and (though the cheapest) clearly the inferior option of the three. However, the continual availability of all three editions is unlikely, and if the time comes that the "Icons" edition is the last available specimen, I would still recommend it to anyone with an interest in 60's material culture.

This smaller book has some 195 pages or so of the same advertisements of it's larger publication by Tashcen called, "All-Amercian Ads - 60s" on the jacket, edited by Jim Heimann. Taschen books always does a great job on their books no matter what. But this little book has a snipit version , a snap shot, compared to the larger version named above that has over 959 pages of full color ads (almost every single page is in full color). This smaller version offers the same exact ads but isn't as full a version as the larger. If you can get the larger version, it is worth it. Looking for something on the coffee table or a larger working reference resource, get the larger version. Looking for a small nalstagic book shelf piece or as a small gift, get the smaller version. Both are great. What I loved most out of the larger version is the great mid century modern architecture that is throughout, plus snap shots of the space program. There is also a large portion dedicated to cars and house gadgets and old TV's. Will bring back memories to anyone who lived in that era like I did.

Nostalgia is a part of the human experience, yet the reality is that the "good old days" never really were exactly what they are remembered to be. This book contains a simple look back at some of the classic print advertisements of the 1960's. Most of the ads represent alcohol and tobacco, cars, furniture, travel and leisure. Very few illustrate items such as diapers, food, everyday clothing or other basic consumer products.
While most of the ads are from the early sixties, representing a more sedate and predictable time, there are a few that demonstrate the growing counterculture movement of the late sixties. They are generally confined to ads for records and movies, which makes sense. There is nothing of great social importance in this book, although it does give a series of snapshots into how the advertising industry tried to present the world to the consumer market of the times.

This is a companion piece to the volume focusing on ads in the 1950s. In one sense, it's a real blast! Reliving the ads from that decade takes me back to my high school and college years. The volume begins with a (too brief) introduction of two pages. This begins to place the ads in context, but somewhat more detailed treatment would have been welcome.

The heart of the book, of course, is the ads. At the outset are automobile ads, featuring such lines as Cadillac (oh, the fins on the cars from the early 1960s!), Pontiac, Plymouth, Mustang, Studebaker (yes, it was still producing cars in the early 1960s), and the like.

The next section examines Business and Industry. At the start is the IBM Electric typewriter, Burroughs computer (no PCs then!), Bethlehem Steel, Motorola Hi-Fi system, and RCA Victor TV. There is a segment on Entertainment, too. Some of the movies: "The Birds," "Spartacus," and "Romeo and Juliet." Music? The Doors and Led Zeppelin. Fashion and Beauty? Lip-stick, cotton clothing, and Orlon (by DuPont). Food and Beverage ads. . . . Diet Imperial Margarine, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, Tang, and Libby's cream corn.

A lot of fun and a nice look back at marketing and the look of the 1960s.