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Diners: American Retro
The 1950s and '60s were the halcyon days of the American Dream. Life was easier, safer and altogether more innocent. Nowhere was this more apparent than the freeway, that symbol of the growth of American prosperity.
American Retro is a wonderfully evocative collection of gift books celebrating the motels, diners, cars and Main Streets that were the landmarks of those great highways.
Together with a selection of witty and nostalgic quotes, these charming books will be a perfect gift for those who remember.
American Retro is a wonderfully evocative collection of gift books celebrating the motels, diners, cars and Main Streets that were the landmarks of those great highways.
Together with a selection of witty and nostalgic quotes, these charming books will be a perfect gift for those who remember.
- GenresPhotography
112 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2000
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 5, 2021
Although I have never been to America, I have always been fascinated with diners, particularly those with a 1950s/1960s feel to them so when I spotted this book, it was a must have.
The introduction tells the reader that the great highways of America were its very heart and soul and that along the way succour was offered in the form of welcoming diners that served plates of wholesome freshly prepared dishes. These dishes were in the form of hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and malts, which were eaten all along such as Highway 61, Route 66 and Pacific 1.
This book celebrates the spirit of 1950's America with the many excellent images of diners, most of which have long since served their last 'special', bedecked in chrome detailing and neon lights. And in so doing it recaptures a little of what made those times special and it represents a nostalgic look back at an age that will both gently amuse and inform those who did not have the pleasure of being there at the time.
And accompanying the superb full colour illustrations are advertising slogans, popular sayings, puns and quotations from a variety of personalities, all of which bring to life an age when being economical with the truth came quite naturally to the advertisers and salesmen of the day, all of whom were desperate to paint a dazzling and futuristic world in which everyone could share.
Two of my particular favourites are the Eveready Diner in Hyde Park, New York, and the Empire Diner, also in New York, although at a glance one (particularly one who has never been there!) would not necessarily associate it with the Big Apple.
The introduction tells the reader that the great highways of America were its very heart and soul and that along the way succour was offered in the form of welcoming diners that served plates of wholesome freshly prepared dishes. These dishes were in the form of hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and malts, which were eaten all along such as Highway 61, Route 66 and Pacific 1.
This book celebrates the spirit of 1950's America with the many excellent images of diners, most of which have long since served their last 'special', bedecked in chrome detailing and neon lights. And in so doing it recaptures a little of what made those times special and it represents a nostalgic look back at an age that will both gently amuse and inform those who did not have the pleasure of being there at the time.
And accompanying the superb full colour illustrations are advertising slogans, popular sayings, puns and quotations from a variety of personalities, all of which bring to life an age when being economical with the truth came quite naturally to the advertisers and salesmen of the day, all of whom were desperate to paint a dazzling and futuristic world in which everyone could share.
Two of my particular favourites are the Eveready Diner in Hyde Park, New York, and the Empire Diner, also in New York, although at a glance one (particularly one who has never been there!) would not necessarily associate it with the Big Apple.
January 4, 2023
This is excellent
March 5, 2024
Diners galore....well, not exactly. Quite a bit of filler photos of food and signage. Some good photos bring back a simpler less pretentious non-foodie time. Cheap prices too!
March 22, 2010
This book had photographs of diners (and things diner-related) from across the United States. Most photographs included the city and state in which the diner was located, and the book was peppered with quotations, most of them food- or architechture-related. This collection was quick to flip through, but I really enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews