Rating: 
Summary: A dazzling Sixties flashback.
Review: Another wonderful knockout edition in the Taschen six volume All-American Ads series, this book is bursting with pages (960) and color ads (well over 2500) and follows the same design format as the first two editions (Forties and Fifties) with ads as whole page or two or four to the page, all beautifully printed.Unlike the ads from previous decades I found these from the Sixties show a new awareness of design. Shapes and the use of white space is much more creative than in the past, typography, with increased use of photo-setting for headlines and text, gave the hard sell a crispness not seen before. Also Madison Avenue happily turned trend spotter and used psychedelic and op-art, for instance, to convey the message to the reader. There is something for everybody in the nine chapters, my favorites are in Automobiles (164 pages) where twenty-four ads use the painting skills of Arthur Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman to sell Pontiac cars, these pictures still look great today. In Consumer Products (166 pages) I can even remember one ad, for MasterCard, from Christmas 1969, it showed a realistic model of a city square with some of the buildings made from everyday products, when you get the book turn to pages 428-9 and be amazed. If you lived through the Sixties you'll enjoy this huge book, if you didn't you'll have a chance to catch up on some interesting popular culture.
Rating: 
Summary: I agree with the other reviews, but . . .
Review: being a car fan, I know about car ads from the 1960s. I have two major gripes:
1) They did not get the cars right. For example, often they would call a car a '66 when it was a '67, no doubt because the ad probably appeared in October 1966. Still, it would help to get it right.
2) One of the most interesting aspect of the 1960s was the psychedelication of American popular culture, and automobiles reflected this, exemplified best by the musclecars of the late 1960s. What about Dodge's "Scat Pack - the cars with the bumblebee stripes!"? Or Plymouth's Road Runner and the ad where the car looks like it's breathing? AMC's Big Bad colors? Pontiac's "The Judge can be bought"?
So some of you may be thinking, "Oh, what a geek!" but I wonder what else they could have gotten "more" right if they had actually did more research since they, I presume, aren't American.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: For the price, I had high expectations of the book - when I received it, it honestly surpassed them by FAR. The color, quality (all have been perfectly retouched), layout & ads they chose for inclusion are fantastic. A real collector's item & treasure in anyone's library. I've bought many "retro style" books and this is the best purchase I've made.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: For the price, I had high expectations of the book - when I received it, it honestly surpassed them by FAR. The color, quality (all have been perfectly retouched), layout & ads they chose for inclusion are fantastic. A real collector's item & treasure in anyone's library. I've bought many "retro style" books and this is the best purchase I've made.
Rating:
Summary: These books are a great resource, with limitations
Review: These books are a great resource and provide hours of enjoyable reading. My graphic designer keeps borrowing them for reference. When I was a kid, I used to love going through the old copies of TIME and NEWSWEEK...just to read the ads! I think they provide more insight into popular culture than articles.
There are some limitations. The source of materials seems to be from particular magazines, and perhaps some manufacturers did not consent to some ads. For example, in the Consumer Products section, there are ads galore for the SEARS bicycles, but NONE for the Schwinn "Sting Ray" - certainly the icon of mid-60's bicycling. Similarly, the car ads appear to favor big Cadilliacs and some offbeat marques. Perhaps the Euro-centric view of things colors (colours?) this.
Also, there is a certain amount of mockery in the book. Each section features a "winner" advertisment, which is often derided for its naievity or for its promotion of racial stereotypes, overconsumption, etc.
But, while our European friends may be laughing at us, it is clear that they lavish attention upon our degenerate culture - four volume's worth!
My only other suggestion is get a magnifying glass. Many ads are reproduced in quarter-page size and are hard to read. Many more are oddly cropped at the edges. While all four books are great, the 50's and 60's may be the best nostalga trip for many - and an interesting commentary on the evolution of popular culture during that time.
Rating:
Summary: Time travel back to the 60's!
Review: This is an excellent way to take a trip back to the 60's and some of the culture of that time. Look at those cars! How about that Maidenform Bra ad! How about those fashions and hairstyles! If you want to learn or remember some of what was popular then this is an excellent, thoroughly enjoyable way to do it!
Rating:
Summary: jam packed with cool ads
Review: This super thick book is packed with reproductions of various advertisements from the 60s. Each ad is wonderfully reproduced. Lots of memories will flood back if you are old enough to recall these products and their accompanying ads. Everyone else will simply enjoy how silly we were back in the 60s and how hip we thought we would be if we only owned these products. Especially hilarious are the ads predicting homes of the future! A truly outstanding compilation.
Rating:
Summary: jam packed with cool ads
Review: This super thick book is packed with reproductions of various advertisements from the 60s. Each ad is wonderfully reproduced. Lots of memories will flood back if you are old enough to recall these products and their accompanying ads. Everyone else will simply enjoy how silly we were back in the 60s and how hip we thought we would be if we only owned these products. Especially hilarious are the ads predicting homes of the future! A truly outstanding compilation.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: This thick book of 60's style technocolor print, on quality paper stock, if so fun to thumb through, you'll never get tired of it. It's so much more than a coffee table book that just stays on the table. You'll find new discoveries in it each time you pick it up. It's a great conversation piece too. Who knew the 60's would be so hip today?
Rating:
Summary: You'll want to look at it over, and over, and over again
Review: This thick book of 60's style technocolor print, on quality paper stock, if so fun to thumb through, you'll never get tired of it. It's so much more than a coffee table book that just stays on the table. You'll find new discoveries in it each time you pick it up. It's a great conversation piece too. Who knew the 60's would be so hip today?
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