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Most of us "Depression Era through Baby Boom" kids (I'm the latter) can enjoy some memories of the Dick and Jane we knew so well in first grade. But anyone whose memory is keen enough will know that the "Dick and Jane" family were hardly those we'd have wished to imitate. The kids apparently had no friends (though the book shows that, after "my time," they did acquire a few); were not terribly bright; hardly had a decent conversation (remember story one: "Oh, Look!"?); their prime concern seemed to be "helping mother," and they might have been an adult's dream (never caused trouble, and so forth) but were not a fellow kid's.
Those who look to this book for an explanation of Dick and Jane as representing complexity, as one reviewer does below, seem to have missed the point -- Dick and Jane represented cotton-candy ideals of a conservative and young-minded nature; to ask them to have represented more is to completely misunderstand what cultural studies assumes as a foundation. Those who come to this book with an open mind and an interest in mid-19th-century american culture as seen through the evolution of its primers and iconography will find this an excellent, well-presented, and fun work of scholarship.
For me the most impressive parts of this little volume are the excellent two page spreads that provide diagrams and cross-sections of each ironclad. With the Merrimack there is a drawing of the original sailing ship with the portion of the hull used shown in blue, a cross-section view, two overhead views on the inside and top of the ship, and a frontal cross-section. A similar approach is used for the Monitor with additional cross section views. The only complaint would be that the Monitor is done to scale vis-à-vis the Merrimac, which makes it on the small side; a chart lays out a direct comparison of the ironclads in terms of construction, size, and armament and there is also a map of the James River where the battle took place off Hampton Roads. The illustrations are equally good, especially the ones detailing the battle between the two ironclads. Those pictures are in color, while most of the early ones in the book are in black & white with gray tints. The cover painting, of the Monitor's captain talking to that of the grounded U.S.S. Minnesota while the Merrimac approaches in the distance, is the best of the bunch. Both the text and the illustrations are informative, although the publisher does have to play with the text font from page to page to get everything to fit alongside the appropriate illustrations. This is a nice little history of the "Duel of the Ironclads" that should not be forgotten. At the very least the artwork by Freeman could be salvaged for future use; after all, that is what they did with the Merrimac.
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I was a little disappointed with the reading of the book, but had just finished "The Nancy Drew Scrapbook" which is AWESOME, so that might be why I was expecting more from this book. I LOVED all the photos, tho, lots of nostalgia!
The material on how the books changed over the years -- especially the evolution of racial stereotypes of "Negroes," Jews, and Italians -- is truly fascinating. I never realized that the books I read in the seventies had been homogenized by a factory of authors. I now want to read the original books, if I can find them (eBay here I come!).
I could do without most of the overlong and annoying sidebars. Again and again they fill us in on how teens have changed over the last century, but seldom are the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew even mentioned in them!
I give this book an "A" for the terrific images and accurate and enlightening history, but overall, marred by some poor editorial decisions, the book deserves a "B." Still, this is required reading for those interested in pop culture and the literature of our youth. Now I'm off to solve the Secret of the Caves . . .
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Kertesz' black-and-white photos include many scenes that are haunting, touching, or whimsical. I especially like his street scenes, which capture everyday people. His many photos of Paris life in the 1920s and 30s remind me of the writings of Henry Miller (see, for example, Miller's "Tropic of Cancer").
Some memorable images: a young boy in Paris holding a delicate-looking puppy; a wandering violinist on a street in Hungary; a snowy view of Washington Square; a grubby old man urinating on a street in Paris; a portrait of an imperious Colette. There are some witty captures, particularly one delightful shot of umbrella-wielding pedestrians on a Tokyo street. Kertesz had a keen eye and a marvelous sense of composition; this book is a visual treat from start to finish.