F.A.O. SCHWARZ TOYS THROUGH THE YEARS

by Marvin Schwartz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1975

There are low-priced objects as well as those that would be considered expensive, but none of the badly made imitations of fine products that unfortunately are found on the shelves of retailers willing to compromise on quality."" Seemingly the imperative to promote the company dies hard, and the commentary accompanying these selections from 60 years of F. A. O. Schwarz illustrated catalogs gears this less to the nostalgic curiosity elicited by the Sears catalog reprints, for example, than to the wide-eyed window gazing the store has always encouraged. Unlike, say, Creative Playthings, which plays to parental IQ-boosting anxieties, F. A. O. Schwarz caters to Americans' materialistic fascination with gadgetry and uncomplicated ostentation. Call it, then, a document of the possessions of the overprivileged--but as catalogs go it's overpriced by $7.70.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION