Mid-Century Ads

In all the white noise that has begun surrounding the consumption of mid-century style, here comes another book that looks at the advertising of the era. Taschen is releasing "Mid-Century Ads: Advertising from the Mad Men Era"

Gleaned from thousands of images, this companion set of books offers the best of American print advertising in the age of the “Big Idea.” At the height of American consumerism magazines were flooded with clever campaigns selling everything from girdles to guns. These optimistic indicators paint a fascinating picture of the colorful capitalism that dominated the spirit of the 1950s and 60s, as concerns about the Cold War gave way to the carefree booze-and-cigarettes Mad Men era. Also included is a wide range of significant advertising campaigns from both eras, giving insight into the zeitgeist of the time. Bursting with fresh, crisp colors, these ads have been digitally mastered to look as bright and new as the day they first hit newsstands.

This two-volume set contains over 700 pages of advertisements from the '50s and '60s, including full-color ads and interesting insights from authors Jim Heimann and Steven Heller. Available in February 2012, this book should appeal to those newer fans of MCM who were introduced to the swinging age via shows like Mad Men. The book will retail for $59.99. Pick up from Taschen or Amazon via pre-order.