Cold War Hothouses: Inventing Postwar Culture, from Cockpit to Playboy [Illustrated] [Paperback]

AnnMarie Brennan (Editor), Jeannie Kim (Editor), Beatriz Colomina (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1568983026 | ISBN-13: 978-1568983028 | Publication Date: June 1, 2004 | Edition: 1

The technological innovation and unprecedented physical growth of the cold war era permeated American life in every aspect and at every scale. From the creation of the military-industrial complex and the beginnings of suburban sprawl to the production of the ballpoint pen and the TV dinner, the artifacts of the period are a numerous and diverse as they are familiar. Over the past half-century, our awe at the advances of postwar society has softened to nostalgia, and our affection for its material culture has clouded our memories of the enormous spatial reorganizations and infrastructural transformations that changed American life forever.
Cold War Hot Houses casts a clear, even playful, eye on this pivotal time in history, examining topics as diverse as the creation of the interstate highway system and the shopping center, and the domestication of the national parks as well as the production of such seemingly mundane products as the drive-in theater, aluminum foil, and the king-size bed. The result is a vivid snapshot of American culture that still resonates today.
This beautifully illustrated collection of essays is based on a series of seminars focusing on the impact of the Cold War on the built environment, which was recently conducted at Princeton University by Beatriz Colomina. Colomina is editor of Sexuality and Space.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a fascinating look at the cultural conditions that shaped the modern world, true stories behind the Technicolor gloss. -- Wallpaper, November 2004

Both enlightening and entertaining. -- RIBA Journal (UK), September 2004

These essays decode the chronology of events from World War II to today's radically transformed American landscape. -- ReadyMade, January 2005

About the Author

Branden Hookway studied architecture at Rice University and has worked at Bruce Mau.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568983026
• ISBN-13: 978-1568983028
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a nostalgic looking back, July 4, 2006

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This review is from: Cold War Hothouses: Inventing Postwar Culture, from Cockpit to Playboy (Paperback)

The book is a collection of essays that give us a frankly nostalgic look at American society during the Cold War. Now that the war is over, and the US won a largely bloodless victory, the passage of time has removed much (all?) of the tension and fears. All that is left is a safe nostalgia, burnished by the analysis offered in these essays.

So we see the changing sexual mores, epitomised by Hugh Hefner and his Playboy magazine, and extrapolated by its imitators like Penthouse. While the changing tastes in architecture and furniture are created and driven by Fuller, Eames and others. Much else is covered in the book. Mostly of the experiences of the middle and upper classes of American society. With relatively little coverage of the poverty and racial discrimination of the times.