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Carroll O'Connor (1924-2001) as 'Archie Bunker' in ‘All in the Family’, circa 1975. Photo: Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images
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Holiday Gift List: Nostalgia
10 books about cultural history for the pop-culture connoisseur / BY Nathalie Atkinson / December 2nd, 2021
For that friend who’s a walking think piece, full of high- and low-brow commentary, these 10 books offer a savvy backward glance at some cultural touchstones.
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1All in the Family: The Show That Changed TelevisionJimmy Kimmel writes the foreword to this inside look at the sitcom that – as Zoomer has written—upended prime time TV when it premiered in 1971 by directly addressing social topics of race and class. It features interviews with cast and crew, as well as 99-year-old Lear’s memories of certain episodes.
Jimmy Kimmel writes the foreword to this inside look at the sitcom that – as Zoomer has written—upended prime time TV when it premiered in 1971 by directly addressing social topics of race and class. It features interviews with cast and crew, as well as 99-year-old Lear’s memories of certain episodes.
2All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever ToldWolk reads 27,000 Marvel comics – which began 60 years ago with the Fantastic Four – to put the ongoing epic (and billion-dollar industry) into social and cultural context. “The big Marvel story is a funhouse mirror history of the past sixty years of American life,” is how he puts it, “from the atomic night-terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and pluralism of the present day.”
Wolk reads 27,000 Marvel comics – which began 60 years ago with the Fantastic Four – to put the ongoing epic (and billion-dollar industry) into social and cultural context. “The big Marvel story is a funhouse mirror history of the past sixty years of American life,” is how he puts it, “from the atomic night-terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and pluralism of the present day.”
3Black Designers in American FashionAs the world mourns the unexpected loss of visionary creative director Virgil Abloh, who died of cancer last month at 41, this well-researched anthology looks at the cultural impact of those who came before him. Unsung designer Jay Jaxon, for example, was a direct precursor – as the head of Jean-Louis Scherrer – and the first African-American couturier to lead a Paris house. Profiles of enslaved makers and their descendants, like Virginia-born New York society dressmaker Frannie Criss, lead up to more recent pioneers such as Stephen Burrows, Scott Barrie, Willi Smith and Patrick Kelly.
As the world mourns the unexpected loss of visionary creative director Virgil Abloh, who died of cancer last month at 41, this well-researched anthology looks at the cultural impact of those who came before him. Unsung designer Jay Jaxon, for example, was a direct precursor – as the head of Jean-Louis Scherrer – and the first African-American couturier to lead a Paris house. Profiles of enslaved makers and their descendants, like Virginia-born New York society dressmaker Frannie Criss, lead up to more recent pioneers such as Stephen Burrows, Scott Barrie, Willi Smith and Patrick Kelly.
4Color Scheme: An Irreverent History of Art and Pop Culture in Color PalettesThis is a clever guided tour of visual culture that’s decoded by hue and colour concepts, like Prince’s stage costumes, the evolution of trend shades in Le Creuset cookware and the meaning of red caps in Renaissance portraits. It’s art history, current events and pop culture recounted and analyzed in entertaining swatches.
This is a clever guided tour of visual culture that’s decoded by hue and colour concepts, like Prince’s stage costumes, the evolution of trend shades in Le Creuset cookware and the meaning of red caps in Renaissance portraits. It’s art history, current events and pop culture recounted and analyzed in entertaining swatches.
5Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan AmA travel writer shares stories of the restless, ambitious and adventurous female Pan-Am flight attendants between the 1950 to the 1970s, although the book is structured around interviews with five women, so it focuses mainly on their 60s heyday. An entertaining look at the bygone, glamorous (and, with rescues during the fall of Saigon, often gritty) world of air travel.
A travel writer shares stories of the restless, ambitious and adventurous female Pan-Am flight attendants between the 1950 to the 1970s, although the book is structured around interviews with five women, so it focuses mainly on their 60s heyday. An entertaining look at the bygone, glamorous (and, with rescues during the fall of Saigon, often gritty) world of air travel.
6Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and AlcoholThis in-depth feminist history surveys the role women have played over centuries in shaping the industry and drinking culture, not only as consumers, but through their creativity in product innovation as well as on the business side of distilling, brewing, bottling and selling. As one critic said, it’s the Moneyball of women and booze.
This in-depth feminist history surveys the role women have played over centuries in shaping the industry and drinking culture, not only as consumers, but through their creativity in product innovation as well as on the business side of distilling, brewing, bottling and selling. As one critic said, it’s the Moneyball of women and booze.
7Polaroid NowEverything old is new again, including the first instant-gratification imaging camera system that was recently revived by popular demand. As this history and analysis of the Polaroid’s impact explains, contemporary global artists working in the medium now join avid practitioners like Andy Warhol and Chuck Close.
Everything old is new again, including the first instant-gratification imaging camera system that was recently revived by popular demand. As this history and analysis of the Polaroid’s impact explains, contemporary global artists working in the medium now join avid practitioners like Andy Warhol and Chuck Close.
8Profusely IllustratedLegendary artist Sorel, 92, pens a wonderful self-portrait of growing up in the Depression-era Bronx, learning to draw and working with the likes of Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser. His life’s work includes umpteen Vanity Fair and New Yorker covers, political satire in The Nation and the Esquire cover for Gay Talese’s now-classic 1966 article “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” the caricature that kick-started his career.
Legendary artist Sorel, 92, pens a wonderful self-portrait of growing up in the Depression-era Bronx, learning to draw and working with the likes of Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser. His life’s work includes umpteen Vanity Fair and New Yorker covers, political satire in The Nation and the Esquire cover for Gay Talese’s now-classic 1966 article “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” the caricature that kick-started his career.
9Set the Night on Fire The Doors guitarist weighs in for the first time in this tell-all that covers the band’s rise, creative process, fame and the fallout from front man Jim Morrison’s mysterious death in Paris. It has candid, conversational takes on events like their notorious Ed Sullivan Show appearance and the concert when Morrison was arrested on stage.
The Doors guitarist weighs in for the first time in this tell-all that covers the band’s rise, creative process, fame and the fallout from front man Jim Morrison’s mysterious death in Paris. It has candid, conversational takes on events like their notorious Ed Sullivan Show appearance and the concert when Morrison was arrested on stage.
10Woody Guthrie: Song and Art, Words and WisdomThe life and philosophy of folk icon Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) is illuminated with this volume of handwritten notes and draft song lyrics, ephemera and photographs assembled with his daughter Nora, the third-generation family archivist (after his mother and his widow) who now safeguards his work. Rosanne Cash, actor Jeff Daniels and historian David Brinkley also contribute their insight.
The life and philosophy of folk icon Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) is illuminated with this volume of handwritten notes and draft song lyrics, ephemera and photographs assembled with his daughter Nora, the third-generation family archivist (after his mother and his widow) who now safeguards his work. Rosanne Cash, actor Jeff Daniels and historian David Brinkley also contribute their insight.