Presidential Campaign Posters: Two Hundred Years of Election Art - Softcover

The Library Of Congress

4.44

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9781594745546: Presidential Campaign Posters: Two Hundred Years of Election Art

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1594745544 ISBN 13: 9781594745546

Publisher: Quirk Books, 2012

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Review:

It is a large format paperback of beautifully produced, high quality reproductions of essential campaign posters ranging from Andrew Jackson s campaign of 1828 right through to Barack Obama s last time round. The journey takes in Zac Taylor, Lincoln, Nixon, Kennedy and Reagan.....The style of the posters moves from primitive almost woodblock pamphlets to the heights of graphic art from the late nineteenth century onwards. On the back of each is further generous background information and other prints. And, it s not just the immediate candidates of the two central parties that are remembered. Oh no indeed here we find again old friends Ralph Nader, Dick Gregory, Angela Davis, and your own, your very own Ross Perot! Every other page is a delight, each with an 'oh that s where it comes from' moment. Then there is the sudden shock that politicians one remembers, like Romney s father George, or Barry Goldwater looki so young. The weird haircuts, the strange staring eyes, those shifty looks are all there, faithfully reproduced......We all remember that Shepard Fairey poster for Obama but you may be less familiar with the venerable, centuries old tradition it belonged to. A fascinating new book charts nearly 200 hundred years of the election image, from General Andrew Jackson s 1828 bill ('Protector and Defender of Beauty & Booty') right up to the intoxicating 'Yes We Can' of Obama 2008. Of course it s not just a political story the book tells, but the story of America s cultural development, how it understood itself and how it represented those understandings --It's Nice That, April, 2012----a beautifully arranged presentation of over two centuries of incredible election art. In its 208 pages, Presidential Campaign Posters contains one hundred ready-to-frame campaign posters from some of the most memorable winners and losers from two hundred years of American presidential campaigns. Holding the rather weighty tome in my hands, the first thing that strikes me about Presidential Campaign Posters is the sheer quality of the book. Presented in full colour, and stunning detail, each campaign poster is supported by a textual description of the election campaign alongside key results and other useful snippets of information. This provides the reader with important contextual detail, and is a fantastic resource to support the posters which readers should note are presented with micro-perforations so they can be easily removed should the reader so wish. My only issue in this regard is that the book is so beautifully presented if you wish to use the posters for display purposes you really should purchase two copies of the book so you always have one available for reference! It really is rather hard to find anything particularly negative to say about Presidential Campaign Posters. From a UK perspective, I suspect it will likely not do anywhere nearly so well over here as it will do sold in the US, but then that really is to be expected. For history buffs, or those with a particular interest in American Politics this book really is a fantastic piece of work, and is an essential purchase for anyone with even a vague interest in the subject area. History classes in particular will especially benefit from this beautifully presented, informative book. --MJ Ryder, April, 2012---In the same poster-book format as Gig Posters Vol 1 and 2, Quirk Books delivers this July, 100 Presidential Campaign Posters, a large paperback with ready-to-frame, pull-out pages offering a history of American politics shown through the visual propaganda, showboating and one-upmanship that either won or lost its candidates a place in the White House. Maybe an unlikely subject to grace the walls of anyone but the most die-hard of political enthusiasts, (I could imagine some finding their way onto a dart board though) --Wings Art Word Press, May 2012

Nowhere, though, have posters taken root as much as in the US, In the bloated extravaganza of a presidential election, the most expensive and protracted democratic process on earth, they have always been a part of the ritual, as embedded in the process as party primaries, campagin debates, and the choreograped hoopla of the nomination conventions. For proof, you need look no further than the collection of posters Two Centuries of Incredible Election Art...' --The Independent on Saturday, July, 2012

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The Library of Congress has been the guardian of the nation's memory for more than two centuries. The writers and editors in its publishing office collaborate with curators, reference librarians, and subject specialists to produce books and other materials that open its ever-growing collections and activities to the nation and the world.

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