Photo © Dennis Connors Compiled by Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America The cover of A Consumers' Republic is beautiful, but it also powerfully communicates the message of the book. In postwar America, consumer goods like cars became symbols of the nation, their acquisition a way of fulfilling citizenship. Arriving at this cover, however, was not a simple process. It took a lot of intense communication the designer, Steven Amsterdam, my editor, Jane Garrett, and myself. What follows are our emails between February 25, 2002, when I turned in my manuscript, through September 25. 2002, when we finally received approval to adapt a DeSoto advertisement for the cover of the finished book. From: Lizabeth Cohen To: Jane Garrett; Knopf Production; Knopf Design Sent: February 25, 2002 Subject: Suggestions for design of A Consumers' Republic I think it is important that the cover illustration convey a message about the significance of mass consumption to the vitality of the nation in the post-World War II era (economically as well in fulfilling traditional American ideals of freedom, democracy and equality. For quite a while I have had an idea that the cover be an American flag where the stars are consumer commodities like stoves, refrigerators, cars, houses, televisions, etc. (in the design style of the 1050s.). Long after I got this idea, someone brought to my attention a similar conceptions that Adbusters.Org had on its website, this one with brand logos not commodities. I think the typeface might be classic "modernist" 1950s graphic design. From: Steven Amsterdam To: Jane Garrett Sent: May 9, 2002 Subject: A Consumer's Republic Design I'm working with a thesis that, as a result of individual drives, demographic growth patterns, and governmental policies, we've gone from being a nation of citizens to a nation of consumers. There are a lot of ways to represent this and I'd like to come up with something that is original and appropriate. The logo flag that she mentions in her notes is dead-on. It's strong graphically, but it's not ours to use or ape. I'm sure the people who created it would not want it to be used by a multinational conglomerate to sell a product. Some of her other thoughts on images and type limit us to the 40s and 50s.... It's always eye-catching to employ old ad techniques but my feeling is that a reader would be more inclined to view a book with such a cover as being strictly a history and not being immediately relevant. I would like to address consumerism in a modern way without necessarily making it contemporary. This may be the long way of asking if she or you are wedded to the period treatment for the jacket. Let the record show that I am well aware of the utter ridiculousness of discussing marketing possibilities for this book. My aim is not to sell, but to please the author and honestly engage the consumer. Any further directions or thoughts to this end would be appreciated. From: Lizabeth Cohen To: Jane Garrett; Steven Amsterdam Sent: May 13, 2002 Subject: RE:FW: A Consumer's Republic Design Dear Jane and Steven, First, let me say how pleased I am that Steven "gets" the book and the need to link consumption to citizenship/politics/the nation in some way. That's a great relief. When I was in NYC the end of last week, I saw a billboard near 6th Avenue and 42nd Street of the American flag with corporate logos for stars, so Steven is absolutely right, that design is too well known for us to adapt it. I think Steven raises a good point about a cover that reads historical vs. of contemporary relevance. I'm open to either, depending on the design. I should say, however, that it is a book of history--however recent--so we don't want to mislead readers.... In late May, Steven sent Jane and me his first proposal for the dust jacket, pictured here. Jane's first reaction was: "The cupcakes have to go." (We later learned they were doughnuts. ) But she asked for my response as well: From: Lizabeth Cohen To: Jane Garrett Sent: May 28, 2002 Subject: First Cover Design Dear Jane, I just got the proposed cover design. While I like the bright colors and the overall attractiveness of the design, I'm afraid the cover misses the mark in some crucial ways: 1. Food consumption is not the kind of consumption that really mattered in creating the "Consumers' Republic." Mass produced food was a very small part of the mass consumption market that boomed after WWII. What really mattered for creating a dynamic mass consumption economy was the consumption of consumer durables manufactured and distributed on a mass scaleÑrefrigerators, cars, stoves, washing machines, even suburban homes. 2. I understand why the designer used the bar code stickers, but I'm afraid they are quite recent in vintage and thus give the book a deceptively contemporary image. One could look at this cover and have no idea that the book within had anything to do with history.... 3. Missing completely is the nation/citizen connection to consumers. I had been very impressed with the designer's first memo to us, conveying that he understood the argument of the book and grasped the blurring of the lines between consumer and citizen that I argue has taken place over the postwar era, as Americans were encouraged to consume to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens and came to expect that traditional American goals of equality and democracy could be achieved through a prosperous economy delivering goods to all. 4. I understand that the book's back cover aims to create a good background for reviewer blurbs, but I think the huge expanse of grass conveys public or at least huge open space (professionally cared for) when what I call in the book the "landscape of mass consumption" consisted of single-family, privately-owned homes in suburban sub-divisions, with privately/corporate-owned, commercial shopping centers serving as the nucleus of communities. If the designer would like the back jacket to convey something about space or land, then images conveying a privatized, market-oriented suburbia would be more appropriate. From: Steven Amsterdam To: Lizabeth Cohen; Jane Garret Sent: June 3, 2002: Subject: Plan B OK, then, Plan B. I am fond of the image of the bride with the coffee pot that the author provided as an image for the interior [now on p. 120]. Shall I try something with that or scan old ads for something in the same vein? As far as conveying the consumer as citizen, I will consider this further. (In my defense, the doughnuts were not meant literally, but as a metaphor of the illusion of choice. Clearly, that did not come across.) From: Lizabeth Cohen To: Steven Amsterdam Sent: June 3, 2002 Subject: Re: Plan B Thanks, Steven, for taking our response so well! Now I do see that they are doughnuts and not cupcakes. My apologies. Three problems I see with using the bride with the coffeepot for the cover, even though it's a great image: 1. It's black and white. 2. It fits in the text with a quote I have from Bride Magazine. I'd hate to wreck that link between text and image. 3. With my text quote, this image conveys consuming for the sake of the nation as well as yourself, but without that quote the larger political meaning doesn't come across very well. Here are some other thoughts: Building off an image/ad of a car of the 1950s could work, identifying the era well (by style), conveying the importance of the automobile in postwar society and economy, and possibly placing it in some appropriate locale. Is there some way of bringing in the nation? A 4th of July picnic? The Statue of Liberty or the nation's capital in the background? The car parked in front of a New England town green with a classic meeting house, a la Charles Sheeler, Ben Shahn, Grant Wood, Edward Hopper, or Norman Rockwell? "Americana" with a new mass consumer twist? The next day, I flew to Europe for a long-scheduled trip. Several days later, Steven's second jacket design was mailed to me in Rome. I opened it with trepidation--and fell in love! Jane thought it was terrific too. So we thought all was settled until six weeks later when Jane sent me the following note: From: Jane Garrett To: Lizabeth Cohen Sent: July 19, 2002 Subject: FW: A Consumer's Republic Problem Oh, dear. The jacket art may be in trouble. See below. From: Steven Amsterdam To: Jane Garret Sent: July 19, 2002 Subject: A Consumer's Republic Problem RH legal is making us do some legwork on the jacket and it's not clear at the moment whether we'll be able to use it. I don't know if you want to pass that on to her or not, but it is, at the moment, up in the air. For the record, it's an ad for a DeSoto. Then, Steven went on a search to find out who could give Knopf permission to use this advertisement. It turned out Chrysler had bought DeSoto after this ad came out. He had to get in touch with everyone from the Chrysler archivist to the Chrysler Heritage Museum to the legal department at Chrysler. Finally, three and half months after he had designed the original coverÉ. From: Steven Amsterdam To: Jane Garret; Lizabeth Cohen Sent: September 20, 2002 Subject: A Consumer's Republic Ð Getting Closer Word from my friends at the Chrysler Heritage Museum is that the powers that be have signed the forms and sent them back to us. It sounds like a "yes" to me. I won't believe it till I see the form in my hand. More to follow, as soon as the mail arrives. From: Steven Amsterdam To: Jane Garret; Lizabeth Cohen Sent: September 20, 2002 Subject: We have the paperwork! Mission accomplished!