Toys from American Childhood

Toys from American Childhood PDF Author: Tim Luke
Publisher: Portfolio Press (NY)
ISBN: 9780942620443
Category : Toys
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Presents a history of toy makers and the toys they produced, which have become collectors items.

Toys from American Childhood

Toys from American Childhood PDF Author: Tim Luke
Publisher: Portfolio Press (NY)
ISBN: 9780942620443
Category : Toys
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Presents a history of toy makers and the toys they produced, which have become collectors items.

Dolls & Toys of Native America

Dolls & Toys of Native America PDF Author: Don McQuiston
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
As 85 color images reveal the beauty and craftsmanship of these unique toys, 25 historical sepia-toned photos place them in the context in which they were used, all accompanied by fact-filled captions and an authoritative text. Seven tales illustrate the role of toys in passing on valuable lessons.

An Early American Childhood

An Early American Childhood PDF Author: Florence Theriault
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780912823522
Category : Dolls
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description


Kids' Stuff

Kids' Stuff PDF Author: Gary Cross
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674030077
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
To sort out who's who and what's what in the enchanting, vexing world of Barbies(R) and Ninja Turtles(R), Tinkertoys(R) and teddy bears, is to begin to see what's become of childhood in America. It is this changing world, and what it unveils about our values, that Gary Cross explores in Kids' Stuff, a revealing look into the meaning of American toys through this century. Early in the 1900s toys reflected parents' ideas about children and their futures. Erector sets introduced boys to a realm of business and technology, while baby dolls anticipated motherhood and building blocks honed the fine motor skills of the youngest children. Kids' Stuff chronicles the transformation that occurred as the interests and intentions of parents, children, and the toy industry gradually diverged--starting in the 1930s when toymakers, marketing playthings inspired by popular favorites like Shirley Temple and Buck Rogers, began to appeal directly to the young. TV advertising, blockbuster films like Star Wars(R), and Saturday morning cartoons exploited their youthful audience in new and audacious ways. Meanwhile, powerful social and economic forces were transforming the nature of play in American society. Cross offers a richly textured account of a culture in which erector sets and baby dolls are no longer alone in preparing children for the future, and in which the toys that now crowd the racks are as perplexing for parents as they are beguiling for little boys and girls. Whether we want our children to be high achievers in a competitive world or playful and free from the worries of adult life, the toy store confronts us with many choices. What does the endless array of action figures and fashion dolls mean? Are children--or parents--the dupes of the film, television, and toy industries, with their latest fads and fantasies? What does this say about our time, and what does it bode for our future? Tapping a vein of rich cultural history, Kids' Stuff exposes the serious business behind a century of playthings.

An American Childhood

An American Childhood PDF Author: Annie Dillard
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006184313X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
"An American Childhood more than takes the reader's breath away. It consumes you as you consume it, so that, when you have put down this book, you're a different person, one who has virtually experienced another childhood." — Chicago Tribune A book that instantly captured the hearts of readers across the country, An American Childhood is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard's poignant, vivid memoir of growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s and 60s. Dedicated to her parents—from whom she learned a love of language and the importance of following your deepest passions—Dillard's brilliant memoir will resonate with anyone who has ever recalled with longing playing baseball on an endless summer afternoon, caring for a pristine rock collection, or knowing in your heart that a book was written just for you.

The Story of American Toys

The Story of American Toys PDF Author: Richard O'Brien
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Evokes the wonder and nostalgia of toys in America with the story of the inventors, manufacturers, and marketers behind the toys.

The Vietnam War in American Childhood

The Vietnam War in American Childhood PDF Author: Joel P. Rhodes
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 0820356115
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
A sort of nebulous sad thing happening forever and ever : childhood socialization to the Vietnam War -- Why couldn't I fight in a nice, simpler war? : comic books and Mad magazine -- Who bombed Santa's workshop? : militarizing play with commercial war toys -- One of the most agonizing years of my life : knowing someone in Vietnam -- Mom tried to make it for us like he wasn't even gone : father separation and reunion -- God bless dad wherever you are : POW/MIA -- How come the flags around town aren't flying at half-mast? : Gold Star children -- Yes, I am My Lai, but My Lai is better than Viet Cong! : Vietnamese adoptees and Amerasians.

The Craft of Toy Trains

The Craft of Toy Trains PDF Author: Bob Thon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Railroads
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Book Description


Exploring the History of Childhood and Play through 50 Historic Treasures

Exploring the History of Childhood and Play through 50 Historic Treasures PDF Author: Susan A. Fletcher
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538118750
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
A full-color trip through the treasures of American Childhood from 1650 to today. Remember the toys you played with when you were growing up? Each of those objects has a story to tell about the history of American childhood and play. Construction toys like Lincoln Logs and Erector Set offer insight into America’s booming urban infrastructure in the early 1910s and 20s, and the important role toys played in preparing children for future careers in engineering and architecture. A stuffed toy monkey from Germany tells the story of young Jewish refugees to the United States during World War II. The board game Candyland has its origins in the dreaded polio epidemic of 1950s. Exploring Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures brings together a collection of beloved toys and games from the last two centuries to guide readers on a journey through the history of American childhood and play, 1840-2000. Through color photographs and short essays on each object, this book examines childhood against the backdrop of culture, politics, religion, technology, gender, parenting philosophies, and more. The book features ten categories of objects including board and electronic games, dolls, action figures, art toys, optical toys, animal toys, construction sets, and sports. Each essay tells the story of the individual object its historic context, and each passage builds upon one another to create a fascinating survey of how childhood and play changed over the course of two centuries.

Shapers of American Childhood

Shapers of American Childhood PDF Author: Kathy Merlock Jackson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476664552
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The experience of growing up in the U.S. is shaped by many forces. Relationships with parents and teachers are deeply personal and definitive. Social and economic contexts are broader and harder to quantify. Key individuals in public life have also had a marked impact on American childhood. These 18 new essays examine the influence of pivotal figures in the culture of 20th and 21st century childhood and child-rearing, from Benjamin Spock and Walt Disney to Ruth Handler, Barbie's inventor, and Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.