God Bless Americana [Paperback]

Charles Phoenix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

Created with original slides taken by real tourists on vacations and road trips across the country, "God Bless Americana" is a delightful retro vacation tour of these United States.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kitsch-culture archivist-humorist-author and "histo-tainer" Charles Phoenix has always been fascinated with Americana. As a kid growing up in Ontario, California in the '60s and '70s, he became interested in '50s cars while visiting his dad's used car lots. From there his interests grew to art, fashion and architecture. After moving to Los Angeles in 1982 and enjoying a career in design, he began collecting and trading classic American cars. Success with the cars inspired him to pursue his passion for collecting and trading Americana full-time. Between combing town and country for cars and other classic treasures, he discovered vintage amateur family and travel 35mm slides and 8mm home-movie photography at thrift shops and flea markets. After ten years of collecting "orphaned" 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s family slides, his archive contains more than 200,000 slides.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Books (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558686444
• ISBN-13: 978-1558686441
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 10 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,137,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey that's not fair, December 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: God Bless Americana (Paperback)

Obviously at other reviewer never took a car-trip vacation with his or her parents. I am a fan of Phoenix's work (So California in the '50s is his best), but I think I'm objective when I say this book captures a slice of Americana that many people would like to forget and the rest of us want to enjoy. It's funny and it's poignant at the same time. Don't be dissuaded by that other review. This is a book with charm.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and fascinating, December 22, 2002

By 

Caitlin - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Bless Americana (Paperback)

This is the real deal. People's actual vacation photos of the America I wish was still out there to see on a road trip. The pix capture the genuine feel of the times without sentimentality or false nostalgia and Phoenix's commentary is a laugh-out-loud counterpart to the images. This is the best kind of affectionate satire. Hilarious, amazing stuff.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun but shallow, September 3, 2008

By 

J. R. Dudley "kamerawork" (tornado alley, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Bless Americana (Paperback)

Phoenix has a good sense of everyday humor, and in the millions of Kodachromes Americans shot from 1940 to 1980 there is plenty of material to make fun of. But I think he missed an opportunity for a more serious look at the era of the home slide show, the role of Kodachrome in preserving American history and the need to preserve potential treasures in our attics and basements. I also have to say that I have sold many slides that were of better quality than those used in the book. What I got from this book was an urge to do one myself.