The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool: A Celebration of the Grooviest People, Events, and Artifacts of the 1960s [Paperback]

Chris Strodder (Author), Michelle Phillips (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

A celebration of the 1960s, this encyclopedia profiles the 250 most interesting personalities who significantly changed popular culture, including musicians, actors, directors, artists, athletes, politicians, writers, and astronauts. Sidebars provide a trip down memory lane with lists including the top movies, television shows, cars, Bond girls, Playmates, concerts, and cameos in beach movies, plus a running calendar of "what happened on this date" that lines the margin of each page for a day-by-day review of the most influential decade of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aimed at baby boomers as well as their kids, author and Web designer Strodder (Stories Light and Dark) has provided more than 250 profiles of actors, musicians, writers, politicians, athletes and others who defined a decade. Using a light, humorous approach, complimented by hundreds of vintage photographs and trivia sidebars-including lists of Wimbledon champions, memorable TV theme songs and "Record-Setting '60s Playmates"-each profile is divided up into subheads concerning career, love life and miscellany. Though he doesn't attempt analysis of people's lives or legacies (the darker moments of icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis get a sentence or two at best), and tracking down some names can be tricky (Kurt Vonnegut doesn't have an entry in the V's, but rather shares his with Joseph Heller), Strodder does an admirable job sharing professional and personal tales from just about everyone relevant to the storied decade.
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Review

"An essential catalog of 1960's culture. . . . The text has the quirky, tongue-in-cheek tone of An Incomplete Education."  —Library Journal

"A kind of old-fashioned MySpace of our generation."  —AARP The Magazine

"A groovy blast from the past. Get the low-down on more than 250 personalities who made a significant contribution to '60s pop culture."  —Inside Entertainment

"Want a fun, eminently groovy read this weekend? Check out The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool."  —quickstopentertainment.com

"Just when you think you've read every cool book on the 60s, here comes the coolest yet!"  —The Beat magazine

"An affectionate salute to those long-gone days we thought would never die."  —Hartford Courant

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595800174
• ISBN-13: 978-1595800176
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Pop Culture

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is The encyCOOLpedia of the 60s!, March 9, 2007

By 

Sheryl Patton (Mill Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool: A Celebration of the Grooviest People, Events, and Artifacts of the 1960s (Paperback)

Chris Strodder has written another fantastic book on the 1960s, but while his previous book "Swingin Chicks of the 60s" focused on 101 of the decade-defining women his current book focuses on the people, events, and just about everything that is memorable about this decade. The book has a "day in history" feature on every page that tells of births, marriages, movie openings and such for that specific date. Strodder writes about the big names of the 60s but always slips in the little-known, offbeat facts. He also writes about others that you might not have known or that might have slipped your mind and it's always clear why they are included. Strodder has side-bar information on astronauts, cars, movies, games, television shows, even Playboy Playmates. The book is fun and fact-filled. and if that isn't enough, the foreword is written by Michelle Phillips (of the Mamas and the Papas and Knot's Landing fame). This book is recommended to those that remember the 60s and those that want to.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and entertaining book, March 21, 2007

By 

Dan Dunham "2Much2Read" (San Rafael, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool: A Celebration of the Grooviest People, Events, and Artifacts of the 1960s (Paperback)

I found this to be a fun and entertainig return to a decade that defined the Baby Boomers.
Just thumbing through the "Encyclopedia" quicky brings back names and faces that I haven't thought about in 30 years. Peter Max, Anita Ekberg, and Olivia Hussey are three.
Did you khow that Candy Johnson was considered to be the greatest go-go dancer of the '60s? Neither did I.
Do you remember the TV show "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."? Ok, but I bet you don't remember what U.N.C.L.E. stood for. And how about T.H.R.U.S.H.? It's all here and more.
This is a must-have for any self-respecting triva player.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of knowledge!, March 11, 2007

By 

Bryan Peariso (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool: A Celebration of the Grooviest People, Events, and Artifacts of the 1960s (Paperback)

This encyclopedia is a colorfully thorough and well-researched collection of facts and interesting details over-flowing from the pages. Not only that but a healthy sprinkling of wit and a nice conglomeration of eye-catching vintage photos make this book an attractive read. The versatility of the writing style make it exciting to read through one article at a time or to flip through aimlessly discovering hidden gems of Sixties trivia. It's a great way to locate classic movies, famous athletes, or inspirational music. Don't try to play a Sixties version of Trivial Pursuit with Chris Strodder, but if you have this source of Sixties knowledge on hand, you'll surely be able to impress your friends.