Today we’re taking a look at the golden age of the American automobile, via a collection of car catalogs from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. Full of slick illustrations and arty photographs (it was a great time for advertising, too), these catalogs recall a period of post-war prosperity, space race-inspired modernist design, and lax to nonexistent safety regulations. We’ll discuss which iconic mid-century models we long to drive the most—and delve into the pressing question of why new cars are so big and bland looking these days. Turn up the radio, buckle your seatbelt (if you have one), and join us on a nostalgic joyride through consumer history in this fast and curious #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #218 - Robert Frost Inscriptions
In this episode we’re talking about some recent finds that have a lot to tell us about the rare book business. We got a call about some early Robert Frost editions, which are nice but overall more people are selling items like this than buying them these days. The volumes are signed by the author, which is good but not especially rare: Frost was a generous, gregarious person, happy to sign copies of his books for friends, students, and fans. Along with the signatures he wrote out entire stanzas of poems that would be published in later collections, which is great: we have a winner!
Listen to learn more about the kinds of inscriptions that collectors value most, and, if there’s a podcast topic that you’d find valuable, feel free to reach out to us at info@brattlebookshop.com.
Brattlecast #217 - CBS Saturday Morning
Today we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at our recent appearance on CBS Saturday Morning. Host Dana Jabcobson toured the shop, interviewed Ken, and flipped through some of our favorite items—including one book that is truly priceless. We’ll talk about all the planning that goes into filming for a national TV show and answer some important questions (was Ken wearing makeup?) on this camera-ready new #brattlecast.
You can watch the full segment here.
Brattlecast #216 - The Ice Cream Diet
Can you slim down by eating ice cream every day? According to an optimistic 1946 book, probably! Today we’re talking about Ice Cream Diets, a too-good-to-be-true weight loss plan in which author Marion White argues that more ice cream is the key to health and wellness, possibly ice cream as part of every meal. We’ll discuss our favorite local places to find this superfood, other fad diets that have popped up over the years, and the ways that various industries have sought to put their thumbs on the scale of American consumption habits through PR campaigns and sponsored studies on this tempting new #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #215 - What's in a Picture?
This week, we’re talking about a new way of looking at old photos: looking beyond their primary subjects and bringing the background details into focus. Under close observation, almost every vintage postcard or photo album that comes into the shop inadvertently reveals a wealth of information about the texture of daily life at the time that it was taken. From the fashions and hairstyles of passersby to the style of cars and the prices in shop windows, these images act as a fascinating window into the past. We’ll also discuss the worrying lack of these valuable artifacts from the present and the more recent past—as more and more photographs remain online only and as AI introduces an element of doubt into everything we see—on this snappy new #brattlecast.