Customer Reviews

Hal Lifson's 1966!

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OK, pop culture aficionados -- if you've read _Populuxe_ by Thomas Hine, you've got the background for _Hal Lifson's 1966!_.

Whereas Hine's treatment of pop culture in the years leading up to the mid-sixties is more educational, Lifson chooses to present a photo album of sorts, with hundreds of pictures from the TV shows, movies, toys, games, comics, snacks, places and cultural bric-a-brac that were part of the background of life in 1966.

Lifson annotates many of these images with personal remembrances and anecdotes that help to put them in some cultural context, and there are interesting bits of trivia sprinkled throughout. But don't expect much deep information here -- most of the text is in the vein of "here's what I remember about this." As a result, some things that you might recall as personally significant get short shrift. But hey, it's not meant to be a comprehensive essay.

Still, this wonderful visual record will strike a chord with anyone who is old enough to have memories going back that far. You're sure to recognize something that defined the mid-sixties for you, as well as spot fun stuff that will make you say, "Oh yeah...I forgot all about that!" Close your eyes and breathe in -- you can almost smell the Gumby rubber. Sometimes a good nostalgia book works by just evoking those memories.

Thank you, Hal Lifson, for putting together a truly fabulous book about one of the best years ever, 1966. I have to admit that 1965 and 1967 were pretty cool, but '66 may actually have been the best--in my lifetime, anyway. Hal's book truly captures the flavor of popular culture of that very special time--the music, the TV shows, the movies, the ads, the toys, you name it. For me, '66 was James Bond ("Thunderball"), "T.H.E. Cat," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "I Spy," "Get Smart," "Wild Wild West," "Mission: Impossible," Agent Zero M, the Beatles. It was simply the coolest time to be alive. Hal, who clearly was alive during those 12 months, does a marvelous job of taking us down memory lane in this terrific little book. It's filled with great photos and a quaintly personal account of all the great things that went on 37 years ago. For anyone who was there, I highly recommend you order this book as a means of flashing back to that fabulous time. You'll be glad you did!

"Hal Lifson's 1966" is, indeed, the ultimate time machine. It works on two distinct levels. First, having lived in the San Fernando Valley during that period, I found the book to be the most delightful, teary-eyed journey back to the old stomping grounds...who says you can't go back home?! To see a picture of the old Encino Bowl...the last time I even thought about it was when I was sneaking a smoke in the parking lot on the way back from ELEMENTARY school! Second, and more important (yes, important), "Hal Lifson's 1966" captures the innocence of the period...perhaps the last innocence the country enjoyed before it was forced to grow up during the Watergate hearings. Indeed, the lack of any political references keeps the journey a magical mystery tour. Honey West, Catwoman, NANCY SINATRA...many a 13-year-old boy lost his innocence "appreciating" these classically sexy women. Thanks, Hal.

Hal Lifson took me on a journey that was so exciting, I couldn't stand it! From Batman to The Monkees to the Beach Boys song "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I feel like I've relived my childhood all over again. Now if I only had my Batman utility belt again....

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take that journey, even if you weren't born yet!

To even flip through this book is to become deeply enmeshed in the time that was (and for author Hal Lifson, still is) 1966!

If you grew up in the 60's like I did, you will gasp in delighted recognition with each turn of the page as you peruse this wildly colorful book.

This is not a highly inclusive record of everything from 1966; this is the author's own personal recollections of his youth and culture growing up in Encino, CA and all those things that comprised his environment during that time. Luckily for the rest of us, whether you grew up in that time or not, you will enjoy and very much relate to the stories Hal Lifson tells. For those of us who had a similar childhood, or those who want to get an idea of what it was like to be a kid in the 60's, this book provides enough detailed and factual captions to make it an educational must-read for anyone interested in 60's pop culture.

The pictures of the toys and products alone (remember using a real potato for Mr. Potato Head? Hey! I had that Mary Poppins lunchbox!) make this book worth getting, but Hal Lifson's observations and comments truly make you feel as though you were reminiscing with an old childhood friend about all the things that were important to you back then.
Extremely fun and highly recommended!

When a time capsule is buried for a future generation to discover, it is generally anticipated this will occur in a thousand years or so. Well Hal Lifson has jumped the gun by about 963 years with his book "1966!". This coffee table-style book is a kind of printed version of a home movie that focuses on Hal's personal favorite year, 1966. With great recall- belying the fact that Hal was only 6 years old that year- he takes us on a fun-filled, sometimes sentimental journey through his early childhood. Whilst thumbing through the pages of "1966!", I couldn't help but be taken back to those halcyon days of the mid-1960s. I am the same age as Hal and so much of his childhood echoes my own. The pages are filled with wonderful photos of 1966 ephemera including food products, toys, household gadgets, and mod clothing that makes the era so destinctive. Also, there are fabulous pictures of many cool items that are a part of Hal's personal collection of 1966 artifacts. When was the last time you laid your eyes on a tube of Prell shampoo? How about that Schwinn Sting Ray you couldn't wait to mount and ride forever? And who could forget the lunch box- those little square metal containers featuring pictures of comic book heroes and T.V. show characters that we used to haul our lunch in to school? These and so much more are vividly pictured in full color on just about every page of "1966!". If you were there in the mid-1960s, and were old enough to participate, you will be overwhelmed with memory flashbacks that are sure to induce you to drag out those old board games or run for the television remote to click on to "T.V. Land" to remember just how good entertainment was in the 1960s. If you are too young to have been a part of the most exciting decade of the 20th century, than "1966!" will serve to clue you in on what you missed. I can say from my own experiences that 1966 was an amazing time to have lived; an era that was culturally stimulating and exciting. No other decade in my life was so special to me as the 1960s. Hal Lifson has succeeded in bringing back an era-if only in the time it takes to leaf through the book-that can never be relived. Thankfully, "1966!" enables us to remember-or to just plain view-and enjoy. In sharing with us his childhood, Hal has managed to give all of us a historically important retro journey to a simpler time. And if while looking back to 1966 through those rose-colored glasses of Mr. Lifsons you find yourself crying "96 Tears", I can assure you they will be tears of joy. Thank you Hal!

Hal Lifson's 1966! is essential reading (and viewing) for anyone interested in 1960s U.S. Pop culture. The book is well written and the illustrations comprise a great and thoughtful selection of pop "icons" from 1966: From images of tv's Batman to advertisements for toys, comics, music albums, films and other mass-marketed products, the book provides an excellent travelogue through a sometimes overlooked facet of a unique and explosive period in U.S. cultural history. The book is great fun (and that's enough) - but it also provides some keen insights into the visual context that gave rise to the work of Andy Warhol and many of the pop visual and media styles that still resonate today. The introductory writings by Adam West and Nancy Sinatra are great "bonus material" that add to the book's thoughtful approach to it's subjects.

I happily offer my two cents worth about this book. I expected to leaf through it over time but rather found myself reading it cover to cover and reminiscing over every photograph before putting it down. This is a fun and easy read for everyone! It's full of photographs and not much text. Just enough to bring back wonderful memories of childhood in the year 1966.

You won't find references to politics or drugs as this book was written from the eyes of a six year old child during the 60's. "Hal Lifson's 1966" highlights the fads, fashions, entertainment, foods, toys, etc., all the "fun stuff" a kid remembers from that era. I smiled with warm memories as I turned each page.

If you were around during this time, I think you will find, as I did, this to be a loving tribute to an amazing year. If you weren't around in the 60's, you should definately read this book to see what you missed....you would have LOVED living it.

I wish, and expect, great success for this book and I thank its author, Hal Lifson, for sharing his childhood memories with the rest of us to enjoy.

Hal Lifson's 1966! caught my attention because I was born in 1966. Flipping through this wildly eye-catching book made me remember things I loved about my own childhood during (mostly) the '70s. The Brady Bunch, Kaboom! cereal, Lik-m-Aid candy, my Flatsy dolls, and discovering Dr. Pepper were all great as a kid. But as an adult, Lifson convinces that the freshness and surreal creativity of '66 pop culture was indeed "the coolest!" How FUN was practicing the Bewitched nose-twitch, wondering if I could turn my bedroom into Jeannie's bottle boudoir, Nancy Sinatra's boots 'n miniskirt image, the Country Squire wagon with the wood panels (my parents' first car), etc., etc? If you're ready for a break from today's world of 9/11, Eminem, and Fat Bastard-type bathroom humor, Lifson is ready to take you on a very charming trip down memory lane.

This is an incredibly fun and interesting book filled with facts and photos. Lifson's light, clever touch on this seminal year in world pop culture combined with his encylopedic knowledge of the era makes this essential reading for anyone interested in knowing why the baby boomers turned out as they have. Further, the art direction is deft so that each page amuses as it illuminates. Terrific memories and memorabilia, recommended not just for collectors but students of mass merchandising, art direction, graphics, music, television and film afficionados.