Description

Advertising from the Antique and Classic Eras. The birth of the automobile industry in the United States quickly altered the way Americans live and, at the same time, created an economic boom for parts makers, engineers, designers, and advertisers.

When automakers discovered at the turn of the century that new buyers could be reached through beautiful illustra-tions and convincing text, art became a business and automobiles works of art.

This collection of automobile advertisements begins in 1902 with the first car ever advertised in a magazine – a Haynes-Apperson guided by a steering rod-and follows the development of car advertising through 1936. The austere photographic quality of the black-and-white Haynes-Apperson ad soon gave way to the soft, dreamy colour abstracts of the twenties and thirties.

Ad copy, too, changed considerably over the years, as author Yasutoshi Ikuta shows in his entertaining history. Where early ads stressed reliability, durability, and the mechanics of the car, later ads appealed more to the buyer’s sense of style and image.

Softback in generally very good condition for age.