Remember When: A Nostalgic Trip Through the Consumer Era [Hardcover]

Robert Opie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 1840001291 | ISBN-13: 978-1840001297

Remember When presents a fascinating picture of everyday life in the 20th century - from the late Victorian era to the present day - exploring all aspects of society as reflected in the legacy of packaging, advertising, magazines and newspapers, toys and games, and royal and commemorative memorabilia that has accumulated over the century. These items tell history as people remember it, evoking the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of the past. There is much that will evoke happy memories - from the first Kit-Kat to Beatlemania, Meccano to The Picture Post. The 20th century has been the age of the brand name - from Bisto to Barbie, and these names have become a universal language that unites us. It is this language and the way of life that it evokes that this book celebrates so vividly. Remember When will be an absorbing sourcebook of images and anecdotes for all those interested in our past - from graphic designers to school children, social historians to lovers of nostalgia. - A new way of looking at history, traced through the objects that surrounded us all. - Will appeal to a wide range of readers - from graphic designers and historians to grandparents and schoolchildren. - Full-colour images taken from the acclaimed Robert Opie Collection of advertising and packaging.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Opie has been collecting packaging, advertising and social history material for over 30 years. His collection now extends to half a million items; part of it was on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London in an exhibition entitled The PackAGE - A Century of Wrapping It Up in 1975. In 1984 he realised his ambition when he established the first museum devoted to the history of advertising and packaging in Gloucester. He has written several books on the subject of packaging and social history including Rule Britannia (1995), Sweet Memories (1988), The Art of the Label (1987), Packaging Sourcebook (1989), Wartime Scrapbook (1989) and 1930s Scrapbook (1997).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840001291
• ISBN-13: 978-1840001297
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,191,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Nostalgic Trip Through Days Gone By., September 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Remember When: A Nostalgic Trip Through the Consumer Era (Hardcover)

I first set eyes on this gem of a book at my neighbours beach house whilst we were relaxing with a glass of red, and was entranced from the moment I picked it up. I am an avid collector of memorabilia and found this book to be excellent. I can identify with many of the items that were shown as being popular throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's. I regret that so much of what I had has long ago perished in rubbish dumps, and some of the items are so rare and collectable now. I found thememorablia from the 60's and earlier the most exciting, and loved reading about and looking at items that I hunt for in antique shops and markets! This nostalgic book is very hard, if not impossible, to put down once you start flicking through the pages, and is an absolutely essential purchase for anyone that has an interest in or is a collector of memorabilia. I cannot wait to order my copy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A century of the art of everyday life, October 21, 2003

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Remember When: A Nostalgic Trip Through the Consumer Era (Paperback)

The author takes us on a delightful trip through the consumer age with its roots in the Victorian era, when mass production first began. Since then, fashionable clothes, cosmetics, books, music and other good things have become available to the general public. The higher standard of living also went hand in hand with increased literacy and greater freedom for women.

This engaging book explores the 20th century decade by decade, looking at aspects of daily life like food, shopping, fashion, entertainment, travel, toys and games through the packaging material, advertising and products themselves. Important events like the World Wars, the coronations, the first man on the moon and the impact of radio and TV are also covered.

Opie's wonderful collection of original items includes comic books, records, newspapers, posters, magazines and various types of souvenir. These objects and images relive history as people remember it, bringing to life again the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of the 20th century.

The book contains an introduction under the headings The Robert Opie Collection, Understanding Our Past, Memories and Our Consumer Society. This is followed by separate chapters on The Victorians and The Edwardians. From there, the chapters follow the decades from The 1910's to The 1990's. The book concludes with an index.

Remember When will appeal to all readers with a fondness for the past, from historians to graphic designers, music, movie and art lovers to those just into nostalgia for the sake of it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Concentrates on England, not much on US, August 17, 2011

By 

The Wily One (Denver) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Remember When (Hardcover)

The potential buyer should know that this books focuses almost entirely on England, and there is very little on the culture of the US mentioned.

Within those limits it is a very nice tour decade by decade of the 20th century, as described in the other reviews.

Caveat emptor.