The twentieth-century American experience with the automobile has much to tell us about the relationship between consumer capitalism and the environment, Tom McCarthy contends. In Auto Mania he presents the first environmental history of the automobile that shows how consumer desire (and manufacturer decisions) created impacts across the product lifecycle--from raw material extraction to manufacturing to consumer use to disposal. From the provocative public antics of young millionaires who owned the first cars early in the twentieth century to the SUV craze of the 1990s, Auto Mania explores developments that touched the environment. Along the way McCarthy examines how Henry Ford’s fetish for waste reduction tempered the environmental impacts of Model T mass production; how Elvis Presley’s widely shared postwar desire for Cadillacs made matters worse; how the 1970s energy crisis hurt small cars; and why baby boomers ignored worries about global warming. McCarthy shows that problems were recognized early. The difficulty was addressing them, a matter less of doing scientific research and educating the public than implementing solutions through America’s market economy and democratic government. Consumer and producer interests have rarely aligned in helpful ways, and automakers and consumers have made powerful opponents of regulation. The result has been a mixed record of environmental reform with troubling prospects for the future.

The joy of finding an old box in the attic filled with postcards, invitations, theater programs, laundry lists, and pay stubs is discovering the stories hidden within them. The paper trails of our lives -- or ephemera -- may hold sentimental value, reminding us of great grandparents. They chronicle social history. They can be valuable as collectibles or antiques. But the greatest pleasure is that these ordinary documents can reconstruct with uncanny immediacy the drama of day-to-day life. The Encyclopedia of Ephemera is the first work of its kind, providing an unparalleled sourcebook with over 400 entries that cover all aspects of everyday documents and artifacts, from bookmarks to birth certificates to lighthouse dues papers. Continuing a tradition that started in the Victorian era, when disposable paper items such as trade cards, die-cuts and greeting cards were accumulated to paste into scrap books, expert Maurice Rickards has compiled an enormous range of paper collectibles from the obscure to the commonplace. His artifacts come from around the world and include such throw-away items as cigarette packs and crate labels as well as the ubiquitous faxes, parking tickets, and phone cards of daily life. As this major new reference shows, simple slips of paper can speak volumes about status, taste, customs, and taboos, revealing the very roots of popular culture.

Mania dreams of becoming Poland's Shirley Temple. She is seven when World War II begins and 11 when she witnesses her mother die in Auschwitz. A year later, she is transferred to the work camp, Reichenbach. Johanne, an SS guard, slips her food and looks out for her, giving her hope that she will survive. Johanne even voices her desire to adopt Mania when the war ends. But when at last it does, they are suddenly separated. As the years pass, Mania often thinks about Johanne and wishes that she could thank her. Then, decades later, their lives serendipitously reconnect. Mania hires a cleaning lady whom she is sure is Johanne, but the woman elusively denies it. Lisa Birnie interweaves the true stories of these two remarkable women with her own experience of the war as she attempts to discover the truth. Her book fearlessly traverses gray areas of war, belief, and memory. Will Johanne admit to being the one who saved Mania? Is she deliberately keeping the truth a secret? Or is Mania mistaken? As Mania often says, Life's full of secrets, and every secret has a purpose.

The automotive salvage business in America, 1900-2010 : an overview -- Parts, parts cars, and car enthusiasts : the art and practice of direct recycling -- "Arizona gold" : enthusiast-specialty salvage yards, 1920s-2000s -- "Junkyard jamboree" : hunting for treasure in the automotive past, 1950-2010 -- Not in my neighbor's backyard, either : junkyards, gearheads, and zoning and eyesore ordinances, 1965-2010 -- Of clunkers and Camaros : policymakers, enthusiasts, and old-car scrappage, 1990-2009 -- Something old, something new

Cincinnati Magazine taps into the DNA of the city, exploring shopping, dining, living, and culture and giving readers a ringside seat on the issues shaping the region.

If You Collected It, You Can Scrap It! Empty those shoeboxes and "junk" drawers, collect your photos, explore the attic-and create keepsake albums to display and share! 28 projects celebrate all the best days and special memories of your life. Scrapbook page ideas and full instructions from dozens of top artists. Complete materials lists including where-to-buy info. Don't keep your memories locked away any longer! Jan helps you sort, sift and select treasures to create amazing pages you can enjoy, display, and share. Step-by-step instructions and materials lists are included so you can re-create your favorite pages, or adapt the ideas for one-of-a-kind pages of your own.

Elise didn’t want to be in the town at all–and certainly not in the scrapbooking shop… A month after Elise Shelton and her family arrive in Forest Falls, Oregon, she wanders into Rebekah Graham’s scrapbooking store. Elise deems Rebekah too perky and judges scrapbooking to be another never-gets-done chore, but she’s also drawn to the community of women who gather to crop their photos, lay out pages, and share their lives. The women rally around Elise when her husband is called back into the army and her family is thrown into turmoil. When Rebekah’s daughter faces a medical crisis, challenging Rebekah’s desire to control her life as tightly as she plans her scrapbook pages, the women must support each other. As both women battle to overcome their fears and to grow in faith, they discover unexpected gifts–and an unlikely friendship that will change their lives.