The Label Made Me Buy It: From Aunt Jemima to Zonkers -- The Best-Dressed Boxes, Bottles and Cans from the Past

By Ralph Kovel and Terry Kovel

Book Overview

Smoking chimneys, Aunt Jemima, streamlined trains, and Trojans have all decorated labels to help sell everything from soup to cigars. More than 300 striking labels feature these images and more--from bathing beauties and cherubic babies to Abraham Lincoln and Peter Pan. When Ralph and Terry Kovel started collecting labels, they learned that every label is an ad and a mystery. A label is designed to catch your eye, entice you to buy, tell you what the product is, why it's wonderful, and even if it's good for you. But if you learn to read clues on a label, it can tell you much more--who made the product, when it was made, and the consumer laws that governed its packaging, as well as the fashions, hairstyles, humor, prejudices, pleasures, and political ideals of the past. The Label Made Me Buy Itshows you the clues to look for. Learn the history of brands and companies, trace the methods used by label lithographers, and discover the romance and ingenuity of label designers. You'll also find out what "4011" means on a banana sticker, why grocery boxes are seldom black, and why a grape label picturing a tiger had to explain that the crate did not hold tiger meat. The labels in this book range from salmon and tomato labels of the 1860s to frozen pie labels from the 1970s. The products include tobacco, citrus fruit, candy, firecrackers, fabrics, canned goods, and condoms. Many show mouthwatering images of the foods we love or emotional representations of the childhood we remember. Label collecting has become a hobby of interest not only to collectors, but also artists and historians.??Tobacco, citrus fruit, and food labels, firecracker packages, and product stickers are eagerly bought, sold, and traded through organized clubs, auctions, shows, and the internet. This book will help historians understand why a label featured Chief Red Cloud, Joe Cannon, or Penrod--all well-known figures in their day. Old-fashioned food names like "shoepeg corn" or "telephone peas" are explained. An extensive index as well as the locations and working dates of lithographers and food companies are provided.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609601687
• ISBN13: 9780609601686
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.4" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book.

This is a excellent book. I highly recommend this book to anyone that collects antique crate and food labels. Lots of information in the book on the different labels, history of the companies, etc. Great color photos of lots of different antique labels. I give this book 5 stars. If you are into antique labels then this book is for you. You will be pleased just as much as I am.

Wonderful Graphics

I have a framed vintage fruit can label hanging in my kitchen and antique spice tins on a decorative shelf. I've always loved these reminders of earlier times. I'm glad to discover this book which expands even more my appreciation for the illustrations on old boxes, bottles and cans. In addition to giving you historical information about label makers and food companies, it has listings of patents, dates, legal wording, and lithographers. The book has many uses as well. You can photocopy the labels to use in craft projects such as scrapbooking, card making or decoupage. If you want them on the high-quality glossy paper that's in the book, maybe just buy a 2nd copy to cut up. The colorful labels range in size from 2 x 2 to 6 x 8 inches.

Completely entertaining and informative

Ralph and Terry Kovel created a wonderful coffee table book that outlines some of the best ICONS in commercial and advertising art. This book has deep appeal to not only designers but anyone who has a love for retro design and just plain cool art direction. American trends and packaging and even culture spring out of the depiction of many of these gorgeous four color labels. I enjoyed this book and even my teenage kids found it a really neat thing to look at.For history and antique buffs there is also enough information to make them happy as well.