Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the Hamburger (Paperback)

by Jeffrey Tennyson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Showcases the history and symbolism of the iconic American sandwich.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
The humble hamburger gets its just due in the colorful anecdotes and artwork, warm words of praise and wild, whimsical works of pop art and photography loaded into this sumptuous tribute. "I cannot think of a single fact that would have improved the book."--Richard McDonald, founder of McDonald's.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786880805
• ISBN-13: 978-0786880805
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #546,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Have to Feel it..., November 26, 2000

By A Customer

Hamburger Heaven is a delight. Five Stars isn't nearly enough to rate this eloquent, visually brilliant, ode to the nexus mundi of fast food gastranomies.

All aspects of Hamburger evolution are included here - the early, hotly-disputed origins of the beloved patty; the concomitant rise of the hamburger and the highway; the first real chains; the evolution of McDonald's, Burger King, and other current hamburger giants; and everything in between.

Moreover, the book is worth the price for the illustrations alone!

For anyone who appreciates the sheer nostalgia of burgers - the ads they spawned, the intimate connection between hamburgers and the ascendancy of the automobile and the simply delicious fusion of fast-food culinary genius, architectural treasures (in the form of early diners and drive-ins) and the thousand-and-one ways in which the almighty hamburger has changed our lives - this is THE historical record.

Read it with relish!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool pictures, nice history, November 16, 2005

By	Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the Hamburger (Hardcover)

Hamburger Heaven is a blast to the past, when there were Drive-Ins instead of drive-throughs. Starting with the history of the hamburgers as it related to the Tartars and brings it into the 70's, 80's and then 90's. It reports on the glory days of the Hamburger, when McDonald's was in it's infancy and there were far more unique chains than we can dream of today.

The history of the hamburger is much richer than most could imagine, and Tennyson does a wonderful job of exploring the past. Presented not only with facts, but with pictures, he does a wonderful job of showing the past so it's not only interesting, but nostalgic.

I love the fact that he is clearly enamored with his subject, and I love all the older graphics and pictures depicting the chains we have lost along the way. My only complaint about the book, and the reason that it got 4 stars instead of 5, was he doesn't talk about the excellent, out of the way places still open! Yes, he has two pages of addresses in the back, but only addresses. He doesn't tell us anything about these places, about what makes their burgers special. I would have really liked that.

The only other thing I want to say is that Tennyson is a graphic designer, and that does show. There are equal numbers of pages dedicated to graphics as there are to words, and sometimes the words are crowded by the graphics.

Over all, though, a nice, charming book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AllaboutBurgers and More!, September 22, 2000

By	Jeffrey Peikin (Gaithersburg, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

From it's inauspicious beginnings in the late 19th Century in America, this book follows the burger craze from it's supposed creation at the 1904 World's Fair through the present day.

You'll find out how the architecture of burger stands was both a reflection of and inspiration for the development of 20th Century American pop culture.

Every successful "hamburg" purveyor had its imitators, but the author shows how the rise of the "Big Boy" chain was an important predecessor of today's omnipresent McDonald's, Burger King's, Wendy's, et al.

The book is marinated with vintage photos, and concludes that America is still in love with the "slider" as evidenced by the Checkers chain's success.

If you're looking for a book on the history of the Wurlitzer adorned diners of the Art Deco era, this isn't the one. But this is a great book for people who want to know if there was life before Mickey D's two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

A fun and quick read that you'll love to share with children and grandchildren alike.