by Don Spector ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 2016
A lightweight but engaging look back at days of long lunches and seemingly infinite expense accounts.
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A retired adman shares tales of hawking everything from Tareyton cigarettes to the AT&T Yellow Pages in this debut memoir.
For decades, Spector made his living in advertising, and he enjoyed every minute of it. If you’ve ever bought a bottle of Smirnoff vodka or booked a room at the Ramada Inn, he might have had a hand in your decision. (And if you’ve ever cursed that earworm tagline for Wisk detergent, “Ring around the Collar,” he brought you that one, too.) This memoir of those crazy days of three-martini lunches and large-busted secretaries appears designed to capitalize on the immense success of the former AMC TV series Mad Men. His anecdotes are breezy and brief with an inviting gloss of insider knowledge. Consider one Apple computer ad featuring one of Spector’s idols, legendary sci-fi author Ray Bradbury: according to Spector, the reason Bradbury looked so energized and engaged in his photo is because when the picture was taken, they were discussing porn star Linda Lovelace. He also tells of an ultrasecret meeting in 1970 regarding “Project Red Eye,” which turned out to be an early demonstration of the fax machine (“Coast to Coast in 6 Minutes” the copy brags). In a chapter titled “The Truth About Truth In Advertising,” the author remembers testing a shaving cream’s claim that it’s so good, “it can shave sandpaper.” It turned out to be true—depending on what kind of sandpaper you used, he notes. Spector can be quite funny, as when he avers that “The expense account is probably responsible for more hangovers than anything else in the modern world.” The book’s major drawback, though, may be the Mad Men hook that initially grabs one’s attention. This may mislead some readers, because although Spector hints at wild times, his behavior is that of a gentleman; he may diss a colleague who likes to take credit for others’ ideas, but that’s about as far as he’ll go. Still, although Spector isn’t as naughty as Don Draper, he still has plenty of stories to tell. He’s a genial companion for a whirl around Madison Avenue’s not-too-distant past, and fans going through Mad Men withdrawal may still find that Spector’s book helps ease their pain.
A lightweight but engaging look back at days of long lunches and seemingly infinite expense accounts.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5061-9434-9
Page Count: 210
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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