Firecrackers!: An Eye-Popping Collection of Chinese Firework Art [Hardcover]

Warren Dotz (Author), Jack Mingo (Author), George Moyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

Firecrackers, sparklers, and rockets offer maximum flash for minimum cash, and over the years, manufacturers have created dazzling labels to hype their pyrotechnic products. FIRECRACKERS! pays tribute to this eye-popping art form, featuring some of the most vibrant and eccentric labels from the 1950s and 1960s. Conjuring memories of outdoor celebrations and childhood mischief, this scintillating collection of pop culture artifacts will kindle the imaginations of advertising art aficionados, paper ephemera collectors, and fireworks enthusiasts alike.

An explosive gift book featuring more than 180 rare vintage Chinese firecracker labels from one of the largest collections in the United States. A great resource for graphic artists, designers, and collectors of paper ephemera or advertising art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

WARREN DOTZ is a pop culture historian and the author of eight books on advertising art. As an authority on product label art, his commentary has appeared in Advertising Age, Brandweek, and the New York Times Magazine. He lives and works in Berkeley, California.


JACK MINGO is a writer with more than a dozen books and numerous articles in scores of publications to his credit. He lives in Alameda, California.


GEORGE MOYER is a licensed pyrotechnician and a lifelong collector of firecracker labels with one of the largest collections in the United States. He lives in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580089038
• ISBN-13: 978-1580089036
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.5 x 6.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, August 31, 2008

By 

B. Zuzelo "Thirwell1216" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Firecrackers!: An Eye-Popping Collection of Chinese Firework Art (Hardcover)

This book is a nice supplement to Firecrackers: The Art and History, which takes a comprehensive look at the history of firecracker label artwork. It is just a selection of high quality pictures of the labels themselves. A fun coffee table book! Would recommend for the collector of labels or just someone like myself who appreciates the artwork in general.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Firecrackers: An Eye-popping Collecion of Chinese Firework Art, July 26, 2008

By 

Ernest W. G. Loo "Firecracker King" (Honolulu Chinatown, Hawaii, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Firecrackers!: An Eye-Popping Collection of Chinese Firework Art (Hardcover)

It's a great little book for all firecracker labels collector young and old. A must-have guide for the Chinese-made fireworks in the 20th century. It is nicely divided into various catagory of labels such as jungle animals, children, sea life, outer space, wild, wild west, bombs, architecture, flying feathers, etc. This books consists of mainly pictures only. There isn't any description. There is another book by these same authors, Dotz, Mingo, and Moyer. It's called Firecrackers, The Art and History. That book goes into more details with a little description of the label. Both books are good to have. It makes a great gift for the fireworks fan that appreciates old Chinese art.