Subliminal Ad-Ventures in Erotic Art [Paperback]

Wilson Bryan Key (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Branden Books (December 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0828319510
• ISBN-13: 978-0828319515
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,171,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why You Should Read This Book, May 16, 2000

By 

Greg Gault (Raliegh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Subliminal Ad-Ventures in Erotic Art (Paperback)

I have studied subliminal techniques for 30 years and I started because I read Key's first book, Subliminal Seduction. This book has examples from his previous works and need not be purchased if you have read them. If you have not been introduced to the world of subliminal art and have not read Key, you should get a copy. Subliminal means those images perceived at the unconscious level. Great artists through the ages have included subliminal embeds in their work and the world of commercial art uses them constantly. There is no "hard" evidence that hidden messages can change our belief system or behavior pattern, but the fact that creative artists and advertising specialists continue to use them might indicate they ARE effective. You will have to understand the psychology of perception to appreciate the possibility that you can be manipulated by hidden messages in visual images to accept Key's premise. For example, why would commercial artists continue to do it if there were no evidence that it works? Simply put, sex,guilt,power,greed,etc. does sell! Try the book and read more and see what you think. It is worth the time and money.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars read it carefully, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Subliminal Ad-Ventures in Erotic Art (Paperback)

Key has an uncanny insight into a subject that more people should become aware of. Most readers might say that it is difficult enough to control their own lives without having to worry about outside influences affecting their very thinking. This is where you will miss the boat so to speak by not taking the information in this book seriously. Nikolai Tesla compared most of humanity to "meat machines" and it seems he was right. The manipulation of our minds is more far reaching than even he could have guessed. What is being hidden from the machines (us)?

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Provocative and Inspiring Classic, February 22, 2004

By 

August Bullock, author of "The Secret Sales P... (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Subliminal Ad-Ventures in Erotic Art (Paperback)

Subliminal Ad-Ventures in Erotic Art is an updated version of The Clam Plate Orgy, a subliminal classic first published in 1980. It deals briefly with advertising, and then focuses on Key's interpretations of archetypal subliminals in art. This book had a tremendous influence on me and I highly recommend it.

Readers interested in this subject might also want to take a look at The Secret Sales Pitch, an Overview of Subliminal Advertising, of which I am the author. It was recently published (in 2004) and is available on Amazon.

I became engrossed in the subject of subliminal advertising after reading Key's first book, Subliminal Seduction, in the 1970s. I found the insights that he presented totally fascinating. I began collecting my own subliminal examples and putting on slide shows at colleges and coffee shops around Northern California. I sent a newspaper review of my work to Dr. Key and we met when I was in my mid-twenties. With my permission, he used one of my illustrations in his slide shows and in one of his books.

I enjoyed all of Dr. Key's books enormously, but I always felt that the general argument he was making could be presented more logically. Although the idea that images can have "secret" meanings or contain optical illusions that influence viewers unconsciously may initially seem outlandish, it actually makes perfect sense. In The Secret Sales Pitch I demonstrate this by correlating perceptual and psychological studies that establish the efficacy of subliminal stimulation with advertisements that contain subliminal techniques. I also review the history of subliminal persuasion from Vance Packard to the present, revealing that Madison Avenue's involvement in the topic is completely understandable. All of my examples are original, and the text is thoroughly documented with 32 pages of annotated references. A prominent psychologist have commented that my work is "convincing and ingenious."

Subliminal advertising in itself may not be a terrible thing, but it is terribly unhealthy for society to be in denial about it. The Secret Sales Pitch is not just an expose of secret techniques used in media; it is a textbook thoughtfully outlining how to make images that are unconsciously stimulating. Artists, students, and marketing professionals will find it inspiring. The 136 illustrations are printed in high resolution full color, and Projects and Experiments are included for both serious and casual researchers. I truly believe my book is a meaningful extension of Dr. Key's work, and I hope people interested in the subject of unconscious persuasion will take a look at it.