{"product_id":"designed-for-success-isbn-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.Introduction: Achieving the Good Life with Midcentury Records 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart I: At Work 31\u003cbr\u003e1 Becoming a Better Worker: Efficiency, Productivity, and Career Training 35\u003cbr\u003e2 Paths to Persuasion: Selling and Salesmanship 59\u003cbr\u003e3 Making Money, Management, and Motivation 69\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart II: At Home 83\u003cbr\u003e4 Fitness and Beauty 89\u003cbr\u003e5 Sustenance: Eating and Drinking 111\u003cbr\u003e6 Family Fidelity: The Harmonious Marriage and Well-Adjusted Children 125\u003cbr\u003e7 Mind Altering: Expanding Your Mind for Greater Success 151\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart III: At Leisure 169\u003cbr\u003e8 Leisure and Sport 173\u003cbr\u003e9 Joining In: Play an Instrument! Learn to Dance! 199\u003cbr\u003e10 Let's Learn a Language 221\u003cbr\u003e11 Learning to Listen: Music Appreciation 233\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart IV: On Vinyl and Cultural History\u003cbr\u003e12 A History of Instructional Recordings 251\u003cbr\u003e13 Conclusion: Midcentury Records and the Creation of Modern America 261\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 267\u003cbr\u003eNotes 269\u003cbr\u003eBibliography 289\u003cbr\u003eIllustration Credits 303\u003cbr\u003eIndex of Records 305\u003cbr\u003eIndex 309“Borgerson and Schroeder’s vinyl collection and book transports us to another era, offering a critical eye on one side and a playful wink on the other for how ideas were fostered in midcentury American culture.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Gary Baseman, artist of works including \u003ci\u003eCranium\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTeacher’s Pet\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Door Is Always Open\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“With this delectable book, a fascinating genre of underappreciated vinyl finally gets the deluxe treatment. A great sociological lens on midcentury American hopes and fears—plus those weird and cool album covers!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Steve Young, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eEverything’s Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals\u003c\/i\u003e; main subject of the documentary \u003ci\u003eBathtubs over Broadway\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A brilliant and delightfully rendered analysis of how midcentury vinyl records and their covers shaped Americans’ aspirations, domestic spaces, social relationships, career training, and education.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Penny Marie von Eschen, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American Studies, University of Virginia; author of \u003ci\u003eParadoxes of Nostalgia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eJanet Borgerson is Senior Wicklander Fellow at DePaul University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJonathan Schroeder is William A. Kern Professor in the School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorgerson and Schroeder are coauthors of \u003ci\u003eDesigned for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDesigned for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance\u003c\/i\u003e (both MIT Press).","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303935430885,"sku":"NP9780262048835","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262048835.jpg?v=1767725019","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/designed-for-success-isbn-9780262048835","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}