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Daniel J. Boorstin

The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America Paperback – September 1, 1992

by Daniel J. Boorstin (Author)

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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.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

September 1, 1992
Dimensions

5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0679741801
ISBN-13

978-0679741800
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Daniel J. Boorstin's The Image

“A very informative and entertaining and chastising book.”
—Harper’s

“A book that everyone in America should read every few years. Stunning in its prescience, it explains virtually every aspect of our mass media's evolution and seductiveness.”
—Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Visit From the Goon Squad

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

“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

“A brilliant and original essay about the black arts and corrupting influences of advertising and public relations.”
—The Guardian

“Boorstin’s book tells us how to see and listen, and how to think about what we see and hear.”
—George Will

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.

Start reading The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition (September 1, 1992)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679741801
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679741800
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #78,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #44 in Media & Communications Industry (Books)
- #65 in Media & Internet in Politics (Books)
- #350 in Communication & Media Studies

Customer Reviews:
161 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		75%
4 star		17%
3 star		5%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Avid Reader

Excellent, Well Written and a Must Read for All In My Opinion

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2018

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This is one of the best books that I have read in years. Insightful, informative and enlightening all at once. I have watched these things happen since I was a child and often heard my elders referring to what was happening and all of those things fit into this book with ease. After reading it I believe many will be inspired to dig further into just what is and isn't going on as I have been. It is a must read for all in my opinion.

21 people found this helpful

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M.A.C.

Fresh view from an experienced book.

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018

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It was once said of this book, that it should be read by all school-age children – I can understand why.
Great books help you see the world in a fresh way by making you take a new look at yourself. This book was written in 1964, and has lost none of its relevance. It is cosmopolitan and sophisticated without being pretentious. The language is both visual and emotive – pulling the reader along on an adventure through the modern experience. The author cleverly uses anecdotes about the modern experience to highlight his artistic criticism. And that in a nutshell, is the substance of The Image.

11 people found this helpful

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Fred

Wow! Pseudo events and Image

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019

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I had no idea what to expect when this book was recommended to me. What could a book written 57 years ago teach me about the media in all its forms today? Well this book takes you on a ride that leaves you with new insights into the media and it’s power to influence events. The book is worth reading and I can only imagine what the author would be writing today in the wake of social media and the internet! I think it’s important book because it forces you to look deeper into things so you make more informed decisions. Don’t believe everything you hear or read is the clear message the book brought to me.

5 people found this helpful

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KD Murray, M.D.

Highly Recommend

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021

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A very insightful book that provides many cogent and contemporary comments on the state of media, politics and the American public....despite the fact that the book was written in 1962! Simply amazing!
We often lament that the media and politicians have changed (and not for the better) in recent years. And we pine for “the good old days”, but Mr. Boorstin’s book indicates that there has been, in fact, very little change in the media and politicians for more than a half century.
Well written; an easy read with an excellent ‘Afterward’ that uses contemporary issues to illustrate Mr. Boorstin’s observations.
I would highly recommend this book. It will clarify for the reader the role and intentions of both the media and politicians in providing information (propaganda) to the American population.

One person found this helpful

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David R. Lowe

Good introduction to the world of image

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018

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The examples in the book are dated, but the conclusions he draws are as true now as they were then. We are now living in a world of image. Facebook is probably the best modern example that image is everything and there really needs to be nothing behind it.

12 people found this helpful

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Martin Zook

Is it the information age we live in...or, the age of contrivance?

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2011

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If much of what passes as news today strikes you as contrived, then this likely is the book for you. Although it was first published in 1962, it remains most relevant today as Boorstin's revelations are still at play half a century after he brought them to our attention, even after the newspaper industry has largely become outdated, as TV news has fallen by the wayside, and even more so as digital media flood every cranny on Spaceship Earth.

"In the twentieth century...we expect the papers to be full of news," Boorstin notes early on in the text. And, according to Boorstin, therein lies the root of the media's evil: it has to meet the bottomless pit of our demand for news, which helps explain why a local TV station in Washington this week devoted extensive air time to a 10-year-old kid who aspires to be a food writer and sponsored a grilled cheese sandwich tasting event at his home.

The electronic media had not driven a stake through the heart of newspapers, although p.m. papers were being trimmed by TV and radio when Boorstin first published The Image. But the emergence of electronic media has accelerated the trend of producing contrived news to meet the public's insatiable demand.

The pressure to create images of news events has resulted in the emergence of celebrity, Boorstin notes. We see that throughout the day with celebrities offering opinions on things of which they know little or noting, washed up movie stars hawking insurance to the elderly, and movie actors testifying in front of Congress. We have singing and dancing contests to birth the next celebrities in litters with a gestation period corresponding to the TV viewing season.

But where I think Boorstin missed the mark was in thinking that celebrity would supersede the hero. The hero - with an annual extravaganza on CNN, hosted by their star hard news reporter, has adopted quite nicely to the demand for heroes, whether on the battlefield, the home, or the playing field, by fastening on the cape of celebrity.

The ideals of American have been overshadowed by the contrivance of images of America that do not consider the consequences of their creation, according to Boorstin. No where have we proven this more than in our accumulation of wealth and consumption, which is contrived as a virtue.

The downside to the age of contrived images, Boorstin concludes, is that it belittles all that it attempts to exalt.

This is still an eye popping read. And, at less than 300 pages, it won't tear you away from the blogs on the Internet, or Twitter news' 150-character packets, for too long.

22 people found this helpful

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Sonos

Of of the most important books to read in the 21st century

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

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If you are tired of the pseudo-reality, learn its history and liberate yourself from its effects. This is an exceptionally well written book, from the point of view of old school aristocracy. It presents eloquently and chronologically, the development of pseudo-events enabled by technological advancements. The writer is a good companion to McLuhan, Walter J. Ong and Jack Goody, although this was in no way intentional. Simply, the trajectory of the 20th and 21st century place the author into the same valuable tool box.

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S. C. Evans

A text from my college days that made a big ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2015

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A text from my college days that made a big impression in me. Basically a guide to how consumerist propaganda works.

One person found this helpful

Biffo

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2014

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One of the best books ever written on media and politics. A must read.

One person found this helpful

Elvis

Interesting observations that are still relevant today.

Reviewed in Germany on November 3, 2017

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This book has very interesting ideas, the only downside that should put this book to 6/10 is that it is filled with a lot of irrelevant and uninteresting dates, names and facts. The author sometimes begins to list every city name in which some random company had an event.
What eventually transforms the rating 6/10 into 8/10 is the right assumption at the end of the book, the assumption that Walter Lippmann could not make in his book "Public Opinion", which is: "One of our grand illusions is the belief in a "cure". There is no cure. There is only the opportunity for discovery. For this the New World gave us a grand, unique beginning."

2 people found this helpful

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Daffy Bibliophile

The American Dream, Imagine That

Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2011

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Well, it's easy to see where Chris Hedges got his inspiration for "Empire of Illusion". Boorstin's book, "The Image", came out in 1962 and attempts to peal back the layers of illusion, self-deception and blurred reality that characterized the United States of fifty years ago and today. Touching on a diverse range of topics including the concept of a "celebrity", press conferences, the decline of travel and the rise of tourism, Boorstin set the standard for books which try to see what America really is, not what Americans think America is. Reading "The Image" is like sitting in a barber chair watching yourself in a mirror sitting in a barber chair watching yourself in a mirror, looking at yourself in a mirror, ad infinitum. Boorstin never does quite make it to the final mirror, but he made a very good effort and produced a very readable book, at least that's according to "Reader's Digest".

All in all, this is a very good look at modern America and its self-obsession and, despite advances in technology, is not at all dated. I would recommend reading Propaganda by Edward Bernays and Public Opinion by Walter Lippman to get a fuller understanding of public relations, advertising and the whole empire of illusions.

2 people found this helpful

Marie L. Broch

Superb

Reviewed in India on April 13, 2021

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Required reading if you don’t want to be fooled by our contemporary systems. And interesting and fun

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