{"product_id":"9780262048835","title":"Designed for Success","description":"\u003cb\u003eA charmingly illustrated history of midcentury instructional records and their untold contribution to the American narrative of self-improvement, aspiration, and success.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the midcentury Americans who wished to better their golf game through hypnosis, teach their parakeet to talk, or achieve sexual harmony in their marriage, the answers lay no further than the record player. In \u003ci\u003eDesigned for Success\u003c\/i\u003e, Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder shed light on these endearingly earnest albums that contributed to a powerful American vision of personal success. Rescued from charity shops, record store cast-off bins, or forgotten boxes in attics and basements, these educational records reveal the American consumers’ rich but sometimes surprising relationship to advertising, self-help, identity construction, and even aspects of transcendentalist thought.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRelegated to obscurity and novelty, instructional records such as \u003ci\u003eSecrets of Successful Varmint Calling, You Be a Disc Jockey\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHow to Ski (A Living-Room Guide for Beginners)\u003c\/i\u003e offer distinct insights into midcentury media production and consumption. Tracing the history of instructional records from the inception of the recording industry to the height of their popularity, Borgerson and Schroeder offer close readings of the abundant topics covered by “designed for success” records. Complemented by over a hundred full-color illustrations, \u003ci\u003eDesigned for Success\u003c\/i\u003e is a wonderfully nostalgic tour that showcases the essential role these vinyl records played as an unappreciated precursor to contemporary do-it-yourself culture and modern conceptions of self-improvement.","brand":"Janet Borgerson, Jonathan Schroeder","offers":[{"title":"MIT Press |  Hardback  |  2024-05-14","offer_id":44663262511359,"sku":"9780262048835","price":53.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_e88278dd-c67d-49c6-83f9-2f695205c2f5.jpg?v=1704535262","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780262048835","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}