What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fifties Chronicle
The Fifties Chronicle is an irresistible journey through the affluent and anxiety ridden decade of the 1950's. Anyone old enough to remember the fifties will find the era brought back to life with page after page of compelling insight and captivating photography. Those born too late will find a highly readable detailed portrait of another age that brought with it the Korean War, the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement and Rock and Roll. Over 900 stunning photographs help capture the decade, most with in-depth captions. Thematic essays provide the reader a better perspective for each year, including the Korean War (1951), The Civil Rights Movement (1955), The Arms Race (1957), and The Beat Generation (1959).
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Publications International
4,309 books71 followersPublications International, Ltd. (PIL) is a leading North American publisher, producing hundreds of new titles each year and printing millions of books annually. CEO Louis Weber founded the company in 1967 with a mission to provide high-quality, high-value products for consumers worldwide.
PIL publishes books in many categories, including the popular Brain Games® series of puzzle, sticker and coloring books, in addition to cookbooks, children’s books, craft, reference and much more.
PIL's bestselling Brain Games® product line features a wide array of puzzle books, including standards such as word searches, crosswords, sudokus, codewords, and cryptograms, as well as variety puzzle books themed around crime, Christmas, summer, celebrities, and more.
The New Seasons® division publishes a variety of stationery products that combine unique formats with the latest trends in design. Among these are Sticker by Number titles, Color and Frame books, notepad sets, journals, and recipe keepers. These products are the perfect vehicle to de-stress and relax, organize your day, and record and share memories.
Collectible Automobile® magazine, another division of PIL, presents an in-depth look at the cars and trucks that Americans have known and loved for decades. First published in 1984, Collectible Automobile® magazine is released six times a year.
PIL's cookbooks feature visually outstanding presentations of culinary classics and world cuisine, including books that focus on the Mediterranean diet, plant-based cooking, restaurant recipes, and the best in entertaining.
PIL publishes books in many categories, including the popular Brain Games® series of puzzle, sticker and coloring books, in addition to cookbooks, children’s books, craft, reference and much more.
PIL's bestselling Brain Games® product line features a wide array of puzzle books, including standards such as word searches, crosswords, sudokus, codewords, and cryptograms, as well as variety puzzle books themed around crime, Christmas, summer, celebrities, and more.
The New Seasons® division publishes a variety of stationery products that combine unique formats with the latest trends in design. Among these are Sticker by Number titles, Color and Frame books, notepad sets, journals, and recipe keepers. These products are the perfect vehicle to de-stress and relax, organize your day, and record and share memories.
Collectible Automobile® magazine, another division of PIL, presents an in-depth look at the cars and trucks that Americans have known and loved for decades. First published in 1984, Collectible Automobile® magazine is released six times a year.
PIL's cookbooks feature visually outstanding presentations of culinary classics and world cuisine, including books that focus on the Mediterranean diet, plant-based cooking, restaurant recipes, and the best in entertaining.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 23, 2011
A very enjoyable walk through the decade of my birth, learning how it might have been through my parents and grandparents eyes. How difficult was it for my Mexican father and white mother to be a couple in the early fifties?
What I learned: "Racism ran so deep in much of white American society that the Red Cross maintained separate 'white' and 'Negro' blood supplies." p. 16 (I thought only the Mormon church and its Utah hospitals were guilty of that.)
"Minimum wage was 75 cents an hour." p.19
"By the end of the 1950's, about half of all brides would be under 19." p. 20
One telling quote encouraging early marriage: "Many young men could do much better work if they got 'the girl out of their dreams and into their kitchen." p. 20
"Levitt single family homes ranged from under $8,000 to just under twice that." p. 47
"In 1950 young readers first became acquainted with the fictional writing of librarian Beverly Cleary." p. 52
"Little Golden Books had become a phenomenon of children's literature."
p. 85
"Whites only libraries..." p. 87
"The Bracero Program brings in more than 3 million Mexican workers in the 1950's." p. 88
"U. S. Army Sergeant John R. Rice, an American Indian, was killed while fighting in Korea in 1951. Local caretakers of a private cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, stopped his burial when they realized that he was not a Caucasian. President Harry Truman was so incensed that he ordered that Rice be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D. C." p. 89
"Several similar laws enacted in the 1950's would ultimately strip 109 tribes of federal services and protection. These policies would impoverish many tribes." p. 119
"Human understanding of DNA, the greatest scientific milestone of the last half of the 20th century, was acheived by an unlikely pairing of men.One was American and the other British. (Feb. 1953) p. 157
"On the strength of whimsical illustrations and a knack for rhyme and rhythm, Theodor Geisel introduced American children to a new world of creative wordplay with, The Cat in the Hat (1957)." p. 355
("...Dr. Seuss-a moniker that combined his mother's maiden name and his never-completed doctorate from Oxford...")
An overall great book with loads of information and beautiful, quality pictures of the era.
What I learned: "Racism ran so deep in much of white American society that the Red Cross maintained separate 'white' and 'Negro' blood supplies." p. 16 (I thought only the Mormon church and its Utah hospitals were guilty of that.)
"Minimum wage was 75 cents an hour." p.19
"By the end of the 1950's, about half of all brides would be under 19." p. 20
One telling quote encouraging early marriage: "Many young men could do much better work if they got 'the girl out of their dreams and into their kitchen." p. 20
"Levitt single family homes ranged from under $8,000 to just under twice that." p. 47
"In 1950 young readers first became acquainted with the fictional writing of librarian Beverly Cleary." p. 52
"Little Golden Books had become a phenomenon of children's literature."
p. 85
"Whites only libraries..." p. 87
"The Bracero Program brings in more than 3 million Mexican workers in the 1950's." p. 88
"U. S. Army Sergeant John R. Rice, an American Indian, was killed while fighting in Korea in 1951. Local caretakers of a private cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, stopped his burial when they realized that he was not a Caucasian. President Harry Truman was so incensed that he ordered that Rice be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D. C." p. 89
"Several similar laws enacted in the 1950's would ultimately strip 109 tribes of federal services and protection. These policies would impoverish many tribes." p. 119
"Human understanding of DNA, the greatest scientific milestone of the last half of the 20th century, was acheived by an unlikely pairing of men.One was American and the other British. (Feb. 1953) p. 157
"On the strength of whimsical illustrations and a knack for rhyme and rhythm, Theodor Geisel introduced American children to a new world of creative wordplay with, The Cat in the Hat (1957)." p. 355
("...Dr. Seuss-a moniker that combined his mother's maiden name and his never-completed doctorate from Oxford...")
An overall great book with loads of information and beautiful, quality pictures of the era.
May 9, 2017
This book was a very thoughtful gift from my brother. He knew I loved the golden era, and rightly assumed I'd be consumed by a 500-paged 9x11-inch hardcover book detailing every trivia of the decade. I've kept the book as a coffee table book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as my well-intentioned relative had hoped.
The Fifties Chronicle felt like a textbook, and I don't just mean because of the dimensions. The writings were very dry and educational, and the formatting was very similar to an academic book. Chapters were separated by year, and strips on the side of each page were filled with day-by-day trivia. Pages were usually quartered and segmented into educational information about some occurrence within the year. At least 50% of the book was content of the Korean War, which added to the textbook feel. Those in the market for a rather cold analysis of a mid-century decade, this would be a very interesting read. Those, like myself, who would have preferred something warmer, with more of a cultural focus rather than a scientific and wartime focus, might want to try another book.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/the-fi...
The Fifties Chronicle felt like a textbook, and I don't just mean because of the dimensions. The writings were very dry and educational, and the formatting was very similar to an academic book. Chapters were separated by year, and strips on the side of each page were filled with day-by-day trivia. Pages were usually quartered and segmented into educational information about some occurrence within the year. At least 50% of the book was content of the Korean War, which added to the textbook feel. Those in the market for a rather cold analysis of a mid-century decade, this would be a very interesting read. Those, like myself, who would have preferred something warmer, with more of a cultural focus rather than a scientific and wartime focus, might want to try another book.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/the-fi...
January 21, 2011
Enjoyable coffee-table book about the 1950s... impressive in the breadth of the coverage of world events as well as U.S. culture (pop & otherwise).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews