Populuxe [Hardcover]

Thomas Hine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

The decade from 1954 to 1964 was one of America's great shopping sprees. Never before were there so many people able to acquire so many things, and never before was there such a choice. Thomas Hine calls it Populuxe--populism and popularity and luxury, plus a totally unnecessary "e" to give it a little class; the word itself is as synthetic as the world it denotes. With the help of more than 250 amazing and amusing pictures in black and white and color (and what colors!), Thomas Hine explores, recaptures and explains this glorious, vanished world of hopes and dreams and cock-eyed optimism. His book is both a celebration of a singular (and slightly bizarre) aesthetic and a revelation of America's not-so-distant past.

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

[Hine's] sympathetic grasp of...the affinity between the potato chip's 'free-form' shape and the doubly-curving furniture of Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen showed what a mysteriously alert sensibility could make of vulgar forms usually kept outside the pale of serious consideration.

Review

Hine's illustrated book is a fascinating trip down memory lane. But Populuxe is also an important social history...a study of adolescent America with boundless dreams, a nation of consumers coming of age. -- Don O'Briant, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thomas Hine sets forth in clear, entertaining prose his textbook of consumerism in the Push Button Age. This is more than just a coffeetable book...It is a historical/psychological analusis that documents the American Dream through the things we bought. -- Alan J. Adler, Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fine Communications (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567313167
• ISBN-13: 978-1567313161
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,425,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic treatise on post-WW II American pop culture, July 5, 1999

By 

Thomas Lundin (Lakeville, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Populuxe (Hardcover)

I thought I was fortunate when I was able to find and check out this book from my local library; now being able to own it outright is a wish fulfilled.

Hine presents what many consider to be the definitive treatment of American popular culture in _Populuxe_. From its roots in post-WW II mass consumerism to its demise in the pre-Vietnam global technocracy, Hine provides a comprehensive analysis of the commercial design sensibilities that defined the era. I'll bet those Nickelodeon TV Land folks have a copy of this book locked in a protected vault. If you're into Retro, or are a serious or casual student of Pop Art or American pop culture, you've probably seen this book often referenced as an authoritative work. Once you've read it for yourself, you'll know why.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun look at American History, April 1, 2003

By 

Dave "Dave" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Populuxe: The Look and Life of America in the '50s and '60s, from Tailfins and TV Dinners to Barbie Dolls and Fallout Shelters (Paperback)

I found this book in college, used as a text for the Industrial Design dept. I was a Criminal Justice major myself, but found this a great look at American culture.

This book could be a blueprint for the whimsical looks at the 50's seen on History Channel documentaries.

Hines book is a fun, unpretentious look at the times that led to the designs. It is refreshing that the author didn't take the easy route and simply churn out a tome laundry listing trends simply to make fun of them. The book shows a great understanding and admiration of the industrial art of the era without any pretense or hubris

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With Us Today, September 3, 2007

By 

Randall L. Wilson "Randy Wilson" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Populuxe (Paperback)

Populuxe describes the postwar era from 1955-1964 when American consumerism reached its fullest expression. Since that time we have just recycled and re-invented that period's concepts and trends. Mr. Hines points to the product launch of the 1955 Chevy as marking the beginning, as it was the first mid-price car with tailfins, terminating with the staleness of the "future" presented at the 1964 World's Fair that came in the months after the crushing blow of JFK's assassination.

Thomas Hine describes the era as one that simultaneously looked back to the old west and to a space age future. The old west was a useful paradigm because it brought to mind the pioneer spirit; the sense of self-invention involved and the space age came with the atom bomb, sputnik and the astronauts. Fueled by sudden prosperity, shaped by sophisticated advertising and product marketing, embraced by an American middle class rich with dollars and plenty of leisure, it was the time of ever-growing tail fins on cars, the latest kitchen gadget and exuberant roadside architecture.

While the book would be highly enjoyable just for the descriptions of the products and trends of those times as well as the treasure trove of classic photos, Mr. Hines does more than that. He shows how the tenets of consumerism were laid out in this time; from feeding people a readymade identity through the products they purchased to creating new markets by fulfilling consumers desires rather than their needs. A toaster was no longer a machine that grilled bread. It was a space aged accessory that told its purchaser that he or she was pioneer in the land of tomorrow.