WHAT’S YOUR POISON?: ADDICTIVE
ADVERTISING OF THE ‘40S-‘60S
KIRVEN BLOUNT
COLLECTORS PRESS
COLLECTORSPRESS.COM
ADVERTISING OF THE ‘40S-‘60S
KIRVEN BLOUNT
COLLECTORS PRESS
COLLECTORSPRESS.COM
According to What’s your Poison? in 1955, 60 percent
of men and 28 percent of women smoked cigarettes.
of men and 28 percent of women smoked cigarettes.
Whiskey was prescribed for larynigitis, aging, ‘the trembles,’ ‘the slows,’ ‘the
puking fever,’ and ‘the tires.’ At this time these vices were not only accepted,
they were pushed on America by the mainstream media. The majority of What’s
your Poison is dedicated to reprinting the hilarious and often startling alcohol
and cigarette advertisements from the ‘40s through the ‘60s. Most shocking are
the print ads hawking cigarettes using images of doctors, babies, and even
Santa Claus, who is seen puffing away in a Zippo ad.
puking fever,’ and ‘the tires.’ At this time these vices were not only accepted,
they were pushed on America by the mainstream media. The majority of What’s
your Poison is dedicated to reprinting the hilarious and often startling alcohol
and cigarette advertisements from the ‘40s through the ‘60s. Most shocking are
the print ads hawking cigarettes using images of doctors, babies, and even
Santa Claus, who is seen puffing away in a Zippo ad.
| COPYRIGHT 2005 COLLECTORS PRESS |
Kirven Blount acts as modern era anthropologist, sharing hundreds of
provocative pitches for controlled substances from the golden age of
illustration. Blount sets up each chapter with a funny essay on the culture of
vice, making connections to the history of humanity’s use of spirits and
tobacco. Did you know that Bourbon is the official spirit of the United States,
by an Act of Congress? My favorite quote is from Aristophanes in 424 B.C.:
“Come, bring hither quick a flagon of wine, that I may soak my brain and get
an ingenious idea.” Well, for most it will just seem ingenious at the time.
provocative pitches for controlled substances from the golden age of
illustration. Blount sets up each chapter with a funny essay on the culture of
vice, making connections to the history of humanity’s use of spirits and
tobacco. Did you know that Bourbon is the official spirit of the United States,
by an Act of Congress? My favorite quote is from Aristophanes in 424 B.C.:
“Come, bring hither quick a flagon of wine, that I may soak my brain and get
an ingenious idea.” Well, for most it will just seem ingenious at the time.
These176 pages of color ads, commentary,
quotes and history are fascinating and
relatively toxin-free. The only issue I have with
the book is its size. It’s a beautiful full-color
book jammed with ads, as many as four on a
single page, but at 6” X 5” you can’t always
read the text in the reprinted ads themselves.
That said, the size makes the book a bargain,
cheaper than a bottle of bourbon and almost
as much fun.
Craig Campbell
Drastic Plastic Press
quotes and history are fascinating and
relatively toxin-free. The only issue I have with
the book is its size. It’s a beautiful full-color
book jammed with ads, as many as four on a
single page, but at 6” X 5” you can’t always
read the text in the reprinted ads themselves.
That said, the size makes the book a bargain,
cheaper than a bottle of bourbon and almost
as much fun.
Craig Campbell
Drastic Plastic Press
| "LET'S PARTY" |