On this week’s episode we’re talking about friend of the shop Edward Bernays. Known as “the father of public relations,” Bernays had an enormous influence on the way that products—and politics—are marketed to the American public. In the 1920’s he put a spin on Lucky Strike cigarettes as ‘Torches of Freedom’ (then worked on anti-smoking campaigns in the 1970’s) and he helped sell the idea that a modestly left-leaning Central American government was a communist menace in our own backyard. More importantly for our purposes, during the post-war housing boom he persuaded builders to include bookshelves in new homes, in a clever effort to sell more books. Learn more about Bernays, including how he met Ken, on today’s #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #64 - Fortune Magazine
First published in 1930, Fortune was a lavishly illustrated luxury magazine that thrived throughout the Great Depression, despite costing an exorbitant $1 per issue. In this episode we’ll flip through a few beautifully preserved issues, taking in cover art by Diego Rivera, fashion articles advising dowagers to avoid being outshone by their own diamonds, and advertisements touting the health benefits of smoking cigarettes. Plus, the story of a railroad heir whose fear of communism helped Ken’s father get The Brattle Book Shop on its feet.
