Rating: 
Summary: Great memories of a great year!
Review: I know Hal Lifson.I should,I'm his "east coast buddy" as he refers to me in the credits of this book.We have spent countless hours discussing the decade of the 60's,an in particular,his personal favorite year-1966-which of course dictated the contents and images displayed in this book.I also know the work,time and effort he put into this project--Hal's an expert-and it shows.No,this is not a refernce book of "all things "1966"-it is Hal's specific,personal childhood refelections on what was important,influential and cool to HIM as a youngster.This is one persons "best of" list,supported with an amazing array of pop culture images that just never ceases to dazzle.("The colors...the colors"!) Every well designed page is reproduced in breathtaking color,supported with Hal's witty text and printed on slick,quality paper--a genuine labor of love and a first class job that is a must-own for 60's junkies or pop culture buffs.Even if I didn't know Hal,this book would be on my shelf and I would be curious to know who this guy is---we have so many similar interests!
Rating:
Summary: WOW! It's a PRETTY coffeetable book!
Review: I live in Los Angeles and have heard this writer's radio show. And it's very fun! Great, sometimes forgotten music and informative background by a guy who is evidently PASSIONATE about that period. It always makes my drive time more enjoyable But when I first heard about this book I thought, "Well, that's nice. A book about "period" music for real retro-buffs. It'll probably be really dry looking with lists and back-up artists names and all sorts of retrospective stuff. But it's PRETTY. With glossy, European-book-type paper. And clean, kicky, Austin Powers-type colors and graphics. AND cool actors and actresses that lots of people forgot --- except evidently for Hal. It's really a coffeetable size and shape book that's easy and fun for guests to leaf through. Well....knock ME over with a feather!
Rating:
Summary: WOW! It's a PRETTY coffeetable book!
Review: I live in Los Angeles and have heard this writer's radio show. And it's very fun! Great, sometimes forgotten music and informative background by a guy who is evidently PASSIONATE about that period. It always makes my drive time more enjoyable But when I first heard about this book I thought, "Well, that's nice. A book about "period" music for real retro-buffs. It'll probably be really dry looking with lists and back-up artists names and all sorts of retrospective stuff. But it's PRETTY. With glossy, European-book-type paper. And clean, kicky, Austin Powers-type colors and graphics. AND cool actors and actresses that lots of people forgot --- except evidently for Hal. It's really a coffeetable size and shape book that's easy and fun for guests to leaf through. Well....knock ME over with a feather!
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Trip Down Memory Lane
Review: I purchased this book for my twin daughters, as they were born in 1966 and I thought it might offer them a glimpse of what the world was like when they made their debut. When it arrived, I casually paged through it and found that I couldn't put it down. The memories came rushing back and I was suddenly transported to a time when the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds ruled the airwaves and the ultimate sports car, the '66 Camaro, ruled the highways. Mr. Lifson leaves no stone unturned when it comes to pop culture: fashion, music, television, movies, advertising, cars....it's all cleverly packaged in this book, along with his thoughtful reflections on what it was like to be a child in a much more innocent time.
If you lived through the 60's, or just have a nostalgic interest in that era, then I highly recommend that you add this book to your library.
Rating: 
Summary: A Total Waste of Time!
Review: If you think that Nancy Sinatra was the biggest, hottest and sexiest babe ever to hit showbiz, then this exercise in self-aggrandizing narcissism is for you. "Written" (so to speak) by Sinatra's publicist (there are pictures of her EVERYWHERE), the book is little more than a series of scant captions and magazine covers. Amid the author's juvenile memories of what he claims was the best year ever (After all, who doesn't think "The Swinger" and "Munster, Go Home" were two of the seminal films of all time?) are the author's persistent claims that his six year-old libido was getting sexually aroused by the likes of Stephanie Powers and the chick from "The Green Hornet"! No mention is made of the space program, sports, politics, or Vietnam. Why? I guess Lifson didn't have any hot pics of Nancy Sinatra (or himself) at Cape Kennedy, or "fun" memories of sipping Kool-Aid while running from the Cong through a rice paddy near the DMZ.
Rating:
Summary: 1966 is Boss!
Review: If your a pop culture nut like me, This is the big one! The book really blew my mind. I have not seen so many cool 60's images in a book ever! Lifson's statement is insightful, and very funny. Rather than another "cold fact book" he adds an easy to read human narration, and lets the images of the year tell the story. I forgot how many incredible things happened in this one year. There is no denying the lasting influence of the year and Lifson nails it.
Rating:
Summary: Picks up where Populuxe left off
Review: OK, pop culture aficionados -- if you've read _Populuxe_ by Thomas Hine, you've got the background for _Hal Lifson's 1966!_.Whereas Hine's treatment of pop culture in the years leading up to the mid-sixties is more educational, Lifson chooses to present a photo album of sorts, with hundreds of pictures from the TV shows, movies, toys, games, comics, snacks, places and cultural bric-a-brac that were part of the background of life in 1966. Lifson annotates many of these images with personal remembrances and anecdotes that help to put them in some cultural context, and there are interesting bits of trivia sprinkled throughout. But don't expect much deep information here -- most of the text is in the vein of "here's what I remember about this." As a result, some things that you might recall as personally significant get short shrift. But hey, it's not meant to be a comprehensive essay. Still, this wonderful visual record will strike a chord with anyone who is old enough to have memories going back that far. You're sure to recognize something that defined the mid-sixties for you, as well as spot fun stuff that will make you say, "Oh yeah...I forgot all about that!" Close your eyes and breathe in -- you can almost smell the Gumby rubber. Sometimes a good nostalgia book works by just evoking those memories.
Rating: 
Summary: Wealth of Details
Review: Okay, so I grew up in LA, near cousin Hal! I can still honestly tell you that I enjoyed this book only slightly more because we are related. This effort is at once a culmination of years of ruminations and collecting; but at the same time, it is only the tip of the iceberg of this man's depth of knowledge of the field. Hal Lifson is systematically becoming a guru of 60's pop culture; his enthusiasm for the topic is semingly boundless. Hal is infused with the joys of cereal boxes and off-beat comic book characters; he displays knowledge about the musicians, action heroes and other zany characters who starred on their own TV shows. From toys to candies, sodas to girlie magazines, from foods to movies to sports icons, Mr. Lifson takes us on a happy journey down memory lane. I am hoping and betting that Hal's "1966" is destined to be one of his many cool collections to come! [Hopefully, he will "argue" and analyze more in the next one.] Though you are bound to come up with things that were left out, you won't be disappointed. You can't help but enjoy this easy read.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding tour of my own childhood.
Review: Pop culture books have always been my favorite, but this one is by far the best I've ever seen! You see things you missed every time you go through it! Great sharp, color, crystal clear photos of things you thought you would never see again! And a little helpful text refreshing your memory about everything you've seen, watched, listened to, went to, wore, ate, played with, read,drank, drove,in 1966! A lot of heart and soul was put into making this book, meant to touch yours ... and it does!
Rating:
Summary: Firing up dormant neurons and synapses
Review: Reading this book I am struck by how much things have changed in 37 years - and yet, how much things have stayed the same. I was ten in 1966, and I remember it well. I agree with Hal's opinion that 1966 was the signature year of the Sixties decade. Nearly everything that made the decade what it was was in place by the end of 1966. Also, we now know that simply because short-sighted television executives canceled shows like "Star Trek" and "The Green Hornet," doesn't mean they weren't cool. They were, and Lifson is an effective advocate for them. Hal has captured this important year in pop culture in words and pictures in a riot of colors. This is a book to store along with your high school yearbooks and other remembrances of the past. Well recommended!
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