America's Wartime Scrapbook - Pearl Harbour to V-J [Hardcover]

Charles A. Numark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2006 | Series: America's Wartime Scrapbook

This book is an outstanding compilation of a variety of keepsake items and novelties produced in the United States to bolster morale during World War II on the homefront. From 1941-1945, America was a united machine committed to one common cause: the defeat of the Axis dictators. It was a period of heroes and tyrants, and one of great sacrifice. With America's young men fighting overseas, factories needed workers, and so millions of women went to work in the defence plants to produce war materials. Meat and sugar were rationed items, people grew their own vegetables and children collected scrap and savings stamps. Americans worked hard, spent 10% of their earnings on war bonds and knew that, as the phrase went, 'loose lips sunk ships'. Blackouts were in effect and entertainment was curtailed. So it was 'REMEMBER PEARL HARBOUR', 'BUY WAR BONDS AND STAMPS', 'SAVE FOR VICTORY' and 'BACK THE ATTACK!' Selected from Frank B. Adrian MD and Martin S. Jacobs' private collections, America's Wartime Scrapbook is full of a remarkable array of collectibles, ranging from sweetheart jewellery, propaganda posters, postcards, postal items, stamps and stickers, magazines, comics, toys and games.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since the 1970s, Robert Opie has amassed an unrivalled collection of packaging and apper materials. He is the author of numerous publications and has given many talks to schools, as well as on radio.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 63 pages
• Publisher: New Cavendish Books Dist (July 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187272714X
• ISBN-13: 978-1872727141
• Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 10.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,841,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home Front nostalgia., July 16, 2002

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Wartime Scrapbook - Pearl Harbour to V-J (Hardcover)

This is the ninth of Robert Opie's Scrapbooks and the first using material not from his vast collection, appropriately this covers the US war years while his first book covered the British war years. An amazing 1500 items, mostly printed ephemera, from the collections of Charles Numark and Martin Jacobs are displayed in the still-life photo style that Opie created for his wonderful Scrapbooks.

The book opens out to spreads fifteen by twenty-one inches wide. Each one has a large themed still-life photo covering, Pearl Harbor, Home Front posters, ads, comics, greeting cards, magazine covers, movie posters, civil defence, V-mail, newspaper front pages, victory gardens, kids games, sweetheart jewelry, patches and medals, tobacco products, popular music sheets and more. It can get a bit overwhelming with so much material to look at but this is why I love these Scrapbooks, you can return to them again and again and still find something new.

Another book, 'United We Stand', with patriotic material from Richard Perry's wartime collection covers the same area but unfortunately it is rather badly organised and only has three hundred items but a book that will perfectly complement 'America's Wartime Scrapbook' is Stan Cohen's 'V for Victory', an exhaustive photo record of the Home Front. If you lived through the war years both these books will be instant nostalgia.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NO COMPARISON TO OPIE'S GREAT WORKS, December 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: America's Wartime Scrapbook - Pearl Harbour to V-J (Hardcover)

This book is very colorful and has lots of interesting items. It has pretty fair organization but if one looks carefully and has knowledge in the area of homefront collecting, many fake and reproduction items abound. Nothing is more deceiving than smuggling in fakes to augment a collection that wasnt large enough to complete the project. Also you can see where Jacob's has reused items in different shots to once again make up for an inadequate pool of resources for publication. Overall I'd buy it but be on the lookout for the fakes like the bowling pins on the back cover!!...