At a time when the world is facing the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources, consumer society is increasingly being called into question. Nowhere is this more evident than in France, where the consumer revolution has long been perceived as a challenge to artisanal crafts, local business, and other key elements of French culture. David H. Walker here charts the portrayal of consumer behavior in the works of Gide, Zola, Jean Valmy-Basse, and Elsa Triolet and analyzes these testimonies in relation to their social, cultural and historical milieu. Consumer Chronicles offers an imaginative look at the impact of affluence on French consumers, shopkeepers, and society and provides valuable insight into the history of the consumer mentality in the twentieth century.

A year-by-year history of America's most thrilling performance cars, from the '49 Oldsmobile 88 to the present. Easy picture-and-caption format, featuring nearly 1,500 photos, most in full color. Handy timeline with an overview of each period's highlights. Original brochure and advertising artwork.

In this signal work of history, Bancroft Prize winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lizabeth Cohen shows how the pursuit of prosperity after World War II fueled our pervasive consumer mentality and transformed American life. Trumpeted as a means to promote the general welfare, mass consumption quickly outgrew its economic objectives and became synonymous with patriotism, social equality, and the American Dream. Material goods came to embody the promise of America, and the power of consumers to purchase everything from vacuum cleaners to convertibles gave rise to the power of citizens to purchase political influence and effect social change. Yet despite undeniable successes and unprecedented affluence, mass consumption also fostered economic inequality and the fracturing of society along gender, class, and racial lines. In charting the complex legacy of our “Consumers’ Republic” Lizabeth Cohen has written a bold, encompassing, and profoundly influential book.

This text presents a global, eclectic and multi-disciplinary coverage of consumer behaviour. It looks at the impact of the Internet and other technological advances on consumer's lives, with a focus on how culture affects variables such as perception, emotions, lifestyle and decision-making.

The complete history of the world's best-loved trucks. Concentrates on the familiar--and collectible--pickup-truck models, but also includes Ford's medium-duty workhorses and big-rig 18-wheelers. » Popular picture-caption format. Hundreds of vintage and modern photos, period ads, informative text. » Features the most-famous and collected Ford trucks, including the classic 1948-52 F1, 1956 F-100, and modern high-performance Lightening.

A research trip to the Arctic and a new book - life can't get much better for David Rain. As soon as David finds himself in the icy climes, he starts to write his story of bears, dragons and the mysterious fire star. Soon he realises that his tale is beginning to mirror real life, and that an old adversary is on her way to meet him. Can David thwart her terrible master plan? Or will his world be destroyed for ever?

A warm, nostalgic look at a storied brand. Covers eight decades of the most-loved Cadillacs.

Brings the story of Chevrolet right up to date, wtih coverage from the birth of the brand in 1911 to today's new models. » Lively picture-caption format. More than 1700 photos, most in color. Vintage factory shots, brochure and ad art, original and restored classics, and all the latest Chevy cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. » This complete year-by-year history Includes historic timelines and model specifications, prices, and production totals.