Review by Choice Review
Hoffmann and Bailey, the former a published authority on librarianship and popular culture, present the first in a proposed series devoted to American fads. This volume covers 122 topics, from Colonial days ("Wandering Portraitists," "Yankee Doodle") to 1988 (e.g., "Elvis Is Alive"). Treatment is concise, if not superficial, from 191 words ("Big Little Books") to 6 pages ("Answer Songs"--popular music is a specialty of Hoffmann's). The authors' comments can range from questionable ("David Cassidy has proven to be the most notable teen idol of the rock era") to confounding ("It is more than coincidence that Meet the Beatles, the band's first major American release, was issued in England on November 22, 1963, the same day President Kennedy was assassinated"). There are random illustrations but, curiously, none corresponds to such art entries as "American Gothic" or "M.C. Escher." Bibliographies, though not exhaustive, are included with each topic. Despite some holes and errors, this is useful as a quick reference, adequately meeting the authors' goal of a source "that is well-documented, provocative, and simply fun to read." A. Ellis Northern Kentucky University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
