Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America [Hardcover]

Daniel J. Boorstin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844661228 | ISBN-13: 978-0844661223 | Publication Date: June 1984

First published in 1962, this wonderfully provocative book introduced the notion of "pseudo-events" -- events such as press conferences and presidential debates, which are manufactured solely in order to be reported -- and the contemporary definition of celebrity as "a person who is known for his well-knownness." Since then Daniel J. Boorstin's prophetic vision of an America inundated by its own illusions has become an essential resource for any reader who wants to distinguish the manifold deceptions of our culture from its few enduring truths.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engrossing book — sensitive, thoughtful, damning, dead on target and in most respects unanswerable." — Scientific American

"Entertaining, acute, stimulating, timely, and intelligent . . . a brilliant polemic about a very real problem." — Saturday Review

"Excellent . . . it is the book to end all books about 'the American image' — what it is, who projects it, what effect it has at home or abroad." —The Observer --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

First Published In 1962, This Wonderfully Provocative Book Introduced The Notion Of "pseudo-events" -- Events Such As Press Conferences And Presidential Debates, Which Are Manufactured Solely In Order To Be Reported -- And The Contemporary Definition Of Celebrity As "a Person Who Is Known For His Well-knownness." Since Then Daniel J. Boorstin's Prophetic Vision Of An America Inundated By Its Own Illusions Has Become An Essential Resource For Any Reader Who Wants To Distinguish The Manifold Deceptions Of Our Culture From Its Few Enduring Truths. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (June 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844661228
• ISBN-13: 978-0844661223
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,557,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Credibility vs. Truth, Hero vs. Celebrity, August 9, 2001

By 

Panopticonman "panopticonman" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (Paperback)

"A celebrity is a person who is well-known for their well-knownness" -- an observation from this book that is one of the most often quoted bits of wisdom on the subject of celebrity, and deservedly so. But this is just one of many quotable observations made by Boorstin in this prescient, clear-eyed look at the beginning of the post-modern world. Written in 1962, this book has been mined by writers on modern society of every stripe: French postmods (who don't credit Boorstin), Neil Postman (who does). Though it suffers a bit from the outdated examples used to elucidate his points about the "Graphic Revolution" -- his line in the sand between the modern and pre-modern -- the book is so cogently argued that it rarely matters.

His main thematic device is to dichotomize pre-modern and modern/postmodern categories. For instance, in discussing celebrity he notes that the precursor of the celebrity was the hero. He explains the difference by saying that the hero was "folk" based, while the celebrity is "mass" based. George Washington was raised to the level of hero by the people for his deeds, his fame embroidered by them, cherry trees invented for him to chop down. On the other hand, celebrities -- the Gabor sisters to use one of his examples -- were celebrities before they even starred in movies. They were created by astute publicists and through their own knack of getting into the paper.

He actually starts his discussion about how the image has come to be substituted for ideals in his first chapter on the gathering and dissemination of the news. He notes the rise of the pseudo-event, e.g., the press conference, the press leak, the crafty reporter calling sources and playing their quotes off of each other until the reporter arrives at something he can call news. He notes that newpapers actually used to contain reportage on events, things that had actually happened that were not designed to be covered by the media. Crimes, he notes in his summary, are the almost the only kind of real news left. (This before the era of copycat murders).

A brilliant, insightful diagnosis of our image-laden world that still holds up after 40 years. The only thing that's changed perhaps is how accustomed we've gotten to the image and the extent to which we're now sold on authenticity by marketers. His discussion of Barnum as the precursor to advertising is worth the price of the book. His sections on public opinion polling, on public relations, on advertising are dead on, too. He also takes on the sociologists of the time for their "nodal" thinking, their bland concepts such as "status anxiety." No one is spared.

The twist the postmods put on Boorstin's observations is that they say they take delight in the artificiality of the image, the bricolage, the spectacle, etc. (A postmod may be best known for their too-knowing knowingness and celebration of deception). But Boorstin is actually concerned about the destabilizing effects of the acceptance of the standard of "credibility" (which has supplanted "truth"). Too, he's worried that the American image we project is not based on ideas or ideals, but only things, only images. He says at one point that folks in the developing world prefer not to be hammered with the look of all things American, that it makes us look shallow as compared to those societies which are based on ideas (like Communism was -- ironically enough because it was founded on materialism). And though our images and our things apparently won out over Communism, there is still something pertinent about this observation. Pragmatism may have saved us from the ravages of idealism that gave rise to facist movements in Europe, but it spared us so that we could look empty-headed, only interested in moving ahead, unquestioningly.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an important book, July 26, 2004

By 

jose_monkey_org "jose_monkey_org" (ann arbor, mi, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (Paperback)

the pace of media in the world today makes this book more important than ever. boorstein clearly and effectively examines the nature of images, specifically in marketing and broadcasting, and their effect on how we engage those events. rather than a bunch of drivel, this book offers a clear, descriptive examination of the changing nature of the way in which we view the world. as an amatuer sociologist and market observer, this is fascinating stuff to me. the number of nature of the areas he examines in this essay, while not exhaustive, is representative and substantial.

this book isn't a complete tome on the subject, nor does it pretend to be. one of the great strengths of boorstin is that he doesn't attempt to be complete. instead he proposes a thesis or a thread of ideas and develops that. he's skilled at this task and remarkably clear. in a nutshell, don't treat this book as the sum and substance of the topic, it's just a great essay on the topic.

nor is this a book describing the ills of the world. it's an essay describing the changing nature of the world in which we live. if we are to be active participants on this world, we should be informed and study how it changes. technology's effects are not demonized, their impact is just described.

the age of the book, some 40 years or so, makes some of the events under discussion seem quaint or outmoded, but frankly they're just a foundation of today's media.

highly reccomended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major Social Theory, January 15, 2005

By 

J_Onyx "I never let my schooling interfere wi... (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (Paperback)

Serious readers should be impressed by any book- written by an American Professor- that is still printed and sold over 35 years after original publication. Boorstin was a major 20th century historian who was never forgiven, by the common run academic historian, for not being formally schooled in history. Proof that it is not only the average high school graduate & his parents who confuse schooling for education. Boorstin was a major Professor of History at the University of Chicago who possessed two JD degrees, one from Harvard and one from Oxford, and who was simultaneously member of the American and British Bar. He had no former schooling beyond law school.

Even more unforgivable, Boorstin, a Professor of History, penned a major work of social theory and social criticism in the 1960s (when radical students would not allow him to speak in his own classroom)But then, many historians still insist world recognized sociologist-historian Charles Tilly is not a (tell your history teacher the proper article is 'a', not 'an') historian and many sociologists claim he is not a sociologist. No matter. Tilly's work stands long after his critics are forgotten. Likewise, Boorstin's work has outlived that of most of his critics.

"The Image" presents Boorstin's acute observation that in Modern American public life image matters more than substance, especially in the market place and also in the corporate work place. A criticsm I have of "Image" is that Boorstin did not examine the decline of character(substance) and the rise of personality(social lubricant). It seems to me that the cult of "personality" (Outpatient therapists mostly "treat" personality problems, not mental illness) goes hand in hand with the "image" and "pseudo-event" phenomenon he labels and discusses.

Although the Image focuses primarily on the news media, many tiny academic careers have been established by Professors who cannabalized ideas from "The Image" (The Lynd's "Middletown" is another book cannabalized by academics for "new" research ideas. I recommend "Middletown" to history and urban cultural anthropology graduate students who have no real research ideas). That is, more than a few academics have risen to full professor status and salary by compiling a 'study' based on an idea plundered from "The Image."

Readers who like "The Image" should find Erving Goffman social-psychology theory enlightening, especially his classic "Presentation of Self in Everyday Life," another book that observes image has become more important than substance.

"The Image" (and Erving Goffman's work) is well written, clear, even an enjoyable read. Boorstin is a major academic historian who writes well and who knows how to 'tell a story.' "The Image" is not just for swells, autodidacts, or intellectuals. Readers interested in business, corporate or govenment careers can benefit considerably from insights obtained from Boorstin. His "Image" (and Goffman's "Presentation of Self...") can be used as "how to" manuals. Unfortunately, some readers will use these observations to better exploit people.