"One of the best books around for demystifying the deliberately mysterious arts of advertising."--Salon"Fascinating, entertaining and thought-stimulating."--The New York Times Book Review"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New YorkerOriginally published in 1957 and now back in print to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, The Hidden Persuaders is Vance Packard’s pioneering and prescient work revealing how advertisers use psychological methods to tap into our unconscious desires in order to "persuade" us to buy the products they are selling.A classic examination of how our thoughts and feelings are manipulated by business, media and politicians, The Hidden Persuaders was the first book to expose the hidden world of “motivation research,” the psychological technique that advertisers use to probe our minds in order to control our actions as consumers. Through analysis of products, political campaigns and television programs of the 1950s, Packard shows how the insidious manipulation practices that have come to dominate today’s corporate-driven world began. Featuring an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, The Hidden Persuaders has sold over one million copies, and forever changed the way we look at the world of advertising.Vance Packard (1914-1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and best-selling author. Among his other books were The Status Seekers, which described American social stratification and behavior, The Waste Makers, which criticizes planned obsolescence, and The Naked Society, about the threats to privacy posed by new technologies.

The Hidden Persuaders

Business & Money

VANCE PACKARD

Marketing & Sales

Pelican

Waste Makers

Economics

Penguin Books, Ltd.

People Shapers

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Nelson

This abridged edition of Vance Packard's 1959 The Status Seekers presents a picture of American society in the late 1950s that allows students to develop a more accurate and complex understanding of an often-caricatured era. Daniel Horowitz's introduction provides historical context, an assssment of the book's impact, and a discussion of its critical reception.

American Social Classes in the 1950s: Selections from Vance Packard's The Status Seekers (Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Daniel Horowitz

Bedford/St.Martin's

This abridged edition of Vance Packard's 1959 The Status Seekers presents a picture of American society in the late 1950s that allows students to develop a more accurate and complex understanding of an often-caricatured era. Daniel Horowitz's introduction provides historical context, an assssment of the book's impact, and a discussion of its critical reception.

American Social Classes in the 1950s: Selections from Vance Packard's the Status Seekers (Bedford Series in History and Culture)

History

Americas

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

From Library Journal\nThe author of The Hidden Persuaders and other well-known studies of contemporary mores concludes that "grostesque accumulations of family wealth" are having a deleterious effect on the nation's economy. Packard, who researched this book by interviewing 30 of the wealthiest men and women in America, proposes a wealth tax (as a supplement to the income tax) and a limit to individual fortunes. Readers may not agree with Packard's conclusions and proposals, but they likely will enjoy the opportunity to learn how the super-rich view, use, and protect their money. Packard squanders neither tears nor perfume on any of his subjects, but neither does he ignore their good works and expressions of noblesse oblige. The book should be in much demand. 
- A.J. Anderson, Graduate Sch. of Lib. & Information Science, Simmons Coll., Boston 
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.\nFrom Publishers Weekly\nThe super-rich are getting more like you and me: conspicuous, lavish consumption is out, big household staffs have given way to catering services, many moguls just want to "live quietly" and avoid publicity that might attract IRS agents, kidnappers, robbers or charity fund-raisers. That's the prognosis from Packard ( The Hidden Persuaders, etc.), who interviewed 30 ultra-wealthy people for this probe. Eighteen of them are self-made entrepreneurs; many made a killing in merchandising, real estate or financial services. The sample includes potato baron Jack Simplot of Boise, Idaho, Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, investment king Edward Bass, Dallas heiress Jane Hunt and New York realtor Sam LeFrakwhose net worth supposedly exceeds that of Donald Trump. From this cross-section, Packard concludes that while America's most wealthy do not constitute an elite leadership group, corporate raiders and "green-mailers" are the new robber barons of our society. He calls for a wealth tax, plus a ceiling on transfers of great fortunes to others, arguing incredibly that such policies might induce the self-centered ultra-rich to refocus on broad social concerns. 
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Ultra Rich: How Much Is Too Much?

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Little,Brown & Co

The people shapers

BANTAM BOOKS

Hidden Persuaders

Washington Square Press by Pocket Books

Humor & Entertainment

Television

Pocket

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by VANCE PACKARD. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by VANCE PACKARD