Genuine Plastic Radios of the Mid-Century [Hardcover]

Ken Jupp (Author), Leslie A. Pina (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Series: A Schiffer Book for Collectors

Mid-twentieth century table radios made primarily of brightly colored plastic represent a relative newcomer to the radio collecting arena. With designs that often resembled contemporary automobile grille and headlight configurations, these affordable radios were made by the major electronics companies as well as dozens of others with lesser known names. These examples of American industrial design and popular culture were once plentiful, and today they can be found at flea markets, garage and house sales, secondhand stores, and "antique" shops specializing in modern design. Colorful and collectible, mid-century table radios are both available and affordable. With more than 430 full color photographs of radios, plus advertisements and black and white vintage photos, this pioneering book is a must for anyone interested in radios, mid-century industrial design, or popular culture.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leslie Pia, Ph.D., has written numerous books on mid-century design and decorative arts, including Fifties Glass, Fifties Furniture, and Bakelite Jewelry. Ken Jupp is a collector and enthusiast of mid-century design, especially genuine plastic radios. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd; First edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076430108X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764301087
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 11.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Turn on and tune in to this book, November 4, 2001

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genuine Plastic Radios of the Mid-Century (Hardcover)

If you collect mid-century plastic radios you should own this book. Sixty-six manufacturers are represented with 450 color photos, the popular companies, such as Crosley, GE, Motorola, RCA and Zenith each have several models shown.

Besides a photo of the radio there are plenty of close-ups of tuning knobs, speaker grills, frequency ranges and each maker has a close-up of their logo. Also included are some period ads from the fifties.

Page 176 shows the front of a Trav-ler 5022 from 1950 and on the facing page is a shot of the back of the set. What a contrast, while the front is the best the marketing/design folk could come up with the back shows a clutter of wires, batteries and evidence of cheap mass production.

Looking at the design of the various models it becomes clear that as these radios all do the same thing it became important to sell the product on other (non-existant) virtues. The names (Wide-fi, Transitone) reflect high technology, big tuning knobs reflect scientific precision, some makers logos are heraldic reflecting snob values, the plastic cases were in bright eye-catching colors.

I think it would have helped if the dimensions of the sets had been included and the photography is very bland with the radios set against insipid backgrounds. Radios can look good, have a look at Philip Collins 'Radios:The Golden Age' and 'Radios Redux', dozens of beautiful shots mostly against a black background which make the radios jump out from the page.

This is a book though that any serious collector and those interested in fifties popoular culture and product design should have.