Why am I passionate about this?
My great uncle was an eccentric book collector who lived in an old, rambling house stuffed floor-to-ceiling with thousands and thousands of books. After he died, I inherited a tiny portion of his collection: a set of state guidebooks from the 1930s and 40s. These were the American Guides created by the Federal Writersā Project, the New Deal program that put jobless writers to work during the Great Depression. I dipped into these weird, rich, fascinating books, and I was hooked immediately. Some years later, I quit my job in publishing to research and write my own account of the FWPās unlikely rise and lamentable fall, Republic of Detours.
Scott's book list on the New Dealās contributions to the arts
Why did Scott love this book?
If you want to learn about the New Dealās contributions to the arts, thereās no better place to begin than with the art itself. This lavish bookāI keep it displayed on my coffee tableācollects hundreds of color posters created by the WPAās Federal Art Project, which put unemployed artists and designers to work during the Depression. Itās no wonder that many of these posters, mostly silkscreen, have been cherished by collectors for years: theyāre beautifully designed, often quite striking, and sometimes funny. And like most of the WPAās cultural endeavors, they were meant to serve the public good. Flip through this book and youāll find advertisements for national parks, a reminder to brush your teeth, and a warning to always report dog bites!
1 author picked Posters for the People as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
This lavish coffee-table book highlights 500 of the best posters produced by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during America's 1930s and 1940s. The WPA employed hundreds of out-of-work artists to raise awareness about public issues and civic life in the United States. These posters provide a snapshot of life (and graphic design) during the Great Depression and offer timeless messages about the merits of hard work, good parenting, a clean house, and healthy personal hygiene. "Posters for the People" includes many 'new' images never before published in book form. Full of beautifully reproduced images and fascinating text about a decisiveā¦
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