The Advertising Man

Dillon, Jack

ISBN 10: 0061220000 / ISBN 13: 9780061220005

Published by Harper's Magazine Press [in Association with Harper & Row], New York, 1972

About this Item

The format is approximately 5.75 inches by 8.75 inches. [4], 316 pages. DJ has some wear and soiling, and flap creased. Signed by the author on the half-title page. A classic from the era of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and before the time of Mad Men. From a 1972 New York Times review by Martin Levin: Jim Bower is an advertising man who sees huckstering as an art, then suddenly finds himself working for a new agency president who thinks it is a science. Bower relies on his "knack" for creating word magic. His boss relies on market surveys, copy testing, the whole bag of motivational "research." This classic professional conflict becomes the mainspring of a really good novel about mayhem on Madison Avenue. Mr. Dillon, who is himself an agency V. P. (Doyle Dane Bernbach), zeros in on the life of a man about to lose his job. (Bower is about to lose his wife as well). What is entirely believable is the crunch of the business. The author is unfailingly artful at reproducing the specific gravity of all manner of indigenous dialogue, from occupational to bar car recreational. This requires a highly special gift. It's easier to capture the flavor of the Orient Express than of the 6:05 to Westport. People talked about the ads that James Bower wrote - and that was why Bower was in trouble. This story is about the ruin of a top copywriter will fascinate you with its ins and outs of the agency world. But far more surprising is that a grown man would risk everything he had in life for anything like ads and commercials. The protagonist is a man who works hard and drinks harder, and in spite of being decent and hard-working, his life is about to fall apart. His work world is changing. His new boss isn't about the art of advertising--he's into focus groups and research and solid results. He comes down hard on our hero, giving him plenty of warning, to no avail. There is also trouble on the home front. The wife is tired of being married to an anachronism, and opts for a younger, smarter, better-looking model, with as much fuss as trading in an older car. The book is about the necessity of change. First Edition [stated], first printing [per page 316].

Seller Inventory # 87224

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Advertising Man
• Publisher: Harper's Magazine Press [in Association with Harper & Row], New York
• Publication Date: 1972
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061220000
• ISBN 13: 9780061220005
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Ed Centner (author photograph)
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)