Hail to the candidate : presidential campaigns from banners to broadcasts /

A trip into America's attic, the Smithsonian Insitution, invariably dusts off the quaint and the nostalgic, and the electoral junkies have their crack at the campy fun with this tome. Crammed with pictures of ephemera and realia left over from past campaign cavalcades, the book parades banners, posters, buttons, and novelties that seem just as meretricious as the modern imagery broadcast today, but with this substantive difference: the circus hoopla did get out the vote. The text, in close time with the illustrations, marches though the first few elections and hits its stride with the "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too" contest of 1840, replete with torchlight parades in honor of the allegedly homespun virtues, symbolized by a log cabin and hard cider, of candidate Harrison. The vestigial remnant of this innovatively populistic campaign--principally the propagation of a special presidential image (e.g., Fr{{‚}}emont the pathfinder, Lincoln the rail splitter, "I like Ike")--has been applied by its successors to the issues of their day. The authors, all staffers at the Smithsonian, discuss the use of other techniques and baubles, from playing cards to T-shirts, used to whip up enthusiasm or cash in on it. Definitely a bandwagon book. (Reviewed May 1, 1992)1560981776Gilbert Taylor

A curator at the Smithsonian, Melder ( Beginnings of Sisterhood ) presents persuasive evidence that the so-called ``evils'' of the modern American political system have existed since the nation's birth, bolstering his argument with illustrations of the hats, buttons, banners and other political memorabilia in the museum's collection. The first president, George Washington, was also the first to be concerned about his image (he was idealized even on a memorial pitcher) and the first to be subjected to smears. The substitution of symbols for rational discourse may have reached its zenith in 1840, when William Henry Harrison's handlers saturated the country with pictures of log cabins designed to reinforce the image of Harrison's rustic simplicity and wartime sacrifice. The real difference between campaigns of yesteryear and those of today appears to be the level of participation of the electorate. Before mass communication, the banners and torches, parades and debates of the ``hurrah'' era of campaigning tell of a giant, participatory festival that provided not only information but entertainment to generations of Americans. Thanks to Melder, even-20th century media addicts can revisit that era. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Keith Melder, curator in the National Museum of American History's Division of Political History, assisted by two fellow curators, has retold the history of American presidential elections with emphasis on the constantly changing paraphernalia such as buttons, banners, posters, etc., and what it says about the electoral process. Specifically, he finds that from the campaign of 1840 through the early 20th century politics was highly participatory (hence all the ``giveaways'' and spectacle) and now, despite the importance of campaign imagery, it has become more of a spectator sport. Many histories of the presidential election process are in print. What makes this book unique is Melder's use of the artifacts in the Smithsonian's Ralph E. Becker Collection of Political Americana to prove his thesis. The wealth of illustrations included makes the book equally suitable for political science or Americana collections. Previewed in ``On the Campaign Book Trail,'' LJ 3/15/92, p. 110-112.--Ed.-- Deborah Hammer, Queens Borough P.L., New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

YA-- Melder has reached into the Smithsonian's bottomless trunk of Americana and brought up a collection of homegrown political ephemera from banners and buttons to shaving mugs and spittoons, to show how presidential electioneering has been carried on for the last 200 years. The chatty, informative narrative covers the campaigns of presidents from George Washington to George Bush, and makes a perfect accompaniment to the 200 illustrations, half of which are in full color. A delightful way for students to learn about politics, especially in this, an election year.-- Richard Lisker, Fairfax Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.