World Hotels - God Bless Americana

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Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.9
EAN: 9781558686441
Format: Illustrated
ISBN: 1558686444
Label: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 128
Publication Date: 2002-05-01
Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Studio: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company

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Editorial Reviews:

Take a trip across the country-and through time-in this fun, funky tribute to the America of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. Created with original slides taken by real tourists on vacations and road trips across the country, GOD BLESS AMERICANA is a delightful retro vacation tour of these United States.

Join the escapades that inspired a generation of unsuspecting camera-totin' tourists to snap and click their way across town and country. The tour kicks off in Los Angeles, California, and takes you on a vicarious vacation through Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami Beach, New England, Washington, D.C., and beyond. Experience the "future" at the 1962 Seattle and 1964 New York World's Fairs. See America's heartland, classic roadside attractions, hotels, motels, restaurants, and bars. Drop in on "long-lost relatives" along the way. A vintage map clearly charts the course of the journey.

Dedicated to those who blazed the trails and took the photos, GOD BLESS AMERICANA is a respectful, but tongue-in-cheek look at the American vacation of not-so-long-ago.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Fabulous!
Comment: This book is much better than I expected, that nasty review did not do it justice! Before I wrapped it for my husband, I read it from cover to cover and loved it! Only fellow thrifters understand the allure of someone else's pictures and the amount of history they contain...would like to see more books like this!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Fun but shallow
Comment: Phoenix has a good sense of everyday humor, and in the millions of Kodachromes Americans shot from 1940 to 1980 there is plenty of material to make fun of. But I think he missed an opportunity for a more serious look at the era of the home slide show, the role of Kodachrome in preserving American history and the need to preserve potential treasures in our attics and basements. I also have to say that I have sold many slides that were of better quality than those used in the book. What I got from this book was an urge to do one myself.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Forgotten but not lost
Comment: This book as well as all of Mr Phoenix's works is a must read for all who remember better times and for those who forgot just what life in America was like before the negativity of todays culture.
It sings to the heart and gently nudges the brain of those who are old enough to have experienced an America that is,I'm sad to say, almost gone.If you are too young to remember then be careful.After reading this you may find yourself wishing to have been born earlier.Buying this book as well as all of Mr Phoenix's time-capsules of literature is a gift for the soul.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Funny and fascinating
Comment: This is the real deal. People's actual vacation photos of the America I wish was still out there to see on a road trip. The pix capture the genuine feel of the times without sentimentality or false nostalgia and Phoenix's commentary is a laugh-out-loud counterpart to the images. This is the best kind of affectionate satire. Hilarious, amazing stuff.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Hey that's not fair
Comment: Obviously at other reviewer never took a car-trip vacation with his or her parents. I am a fan of Phoenix's work (So California in the '50s is his best), but I think I'm objective when I say this book captures a slice of Americana that many people would like to forget and the rest of us want to enjoy. It's funny and it's poignant at the same time. Don't be dissuaded by that other review. This is a book with charm.

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