Thursday, May 21, 2009

Early American Advertising: A Fabulous Compilation of Advertisements, Honest and Otherwise Large and Small from 1799 to 1924

The book has a very long title which normally would have put me off but surprisingly once I started reading it, I found it quite enjoyable and easy to read. Compiled by Bob Perlongo sometime in the 1980’s, this book has an extensive collection of advertisements from 1799 to 1924 featuring ads from real estate to washing powders to medication that can cure all ailments (yes... really. You’d be sued if you claimed something like that in this day and age!).
Some of the claims made by the products are really out of this world, maybe believable in that era but quite funny when you read it now. It’s a good book that provides samples of the early days in advertising and you can really see how we have progressed in terms of communication and design. Perlongo also accompanies some of the ads featured with comments on his observation on the designs, copy or overall look and feel of a particular ad which helps to make the book much more of an interesting read.

Note: This book counts as one of my five books to read for the Non-Fiction Five Challenge100+ Reading Challenge which ends in December. running from May to September and my

1 comment:

Lisa Roe said...

I think I would love this book! I always tell people, 'Advertising works on me!' because I think ad work can be ingenious, awful, hysterical, and thought provoking.

Related Posts with Thumbnails