From the Publisher
Kitch's book examines a wide variety of stereotypical images of womanhood. Her copious knowledge of the publishing industry and her thought-provoking argument make this book a must-read for anyone interested in media or gender studies. This unusually well-crafted book will hold the attention of a wide audience, and belongs in all academic and public libraries.—Choice
Through her insightful readings of cover art from magazines . . . Kitch illuminates a fascinating and important moment in American cultural history, when national advertising combined with national magazines to articulate and commercialize a new and uniquely American sense of identity. . . . Kitch has seamlessly integrated her historical analysis of visual stereotypes with a wide range of relevant theoretical perspectives, including feminist theory, gender studies, art history, and the cultural history of advertising. . . . Kitch's analysis offers a fresh perspective on the well-worn terrain of women's service magazines.—Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
[A] thoughtful and eminently readable account of how women fared in this once popular form of American culture.—American Historical Review
Carolyn Kitch's book represents a valuable new way of looking at and understanding the significance of images of women in mass circulation magazines. Written in a lucid, entertaining style, this work will capture the interest of general readers as well as students in women's studies and history of mass communication classes. Eye-catching illustrations add to the book's appeal and should spark provocative discussion.—Maurine Beasley, University of Maryland at College Park
[An] engaging, insightful study.—Library Journal
Through Kitch's shrewd and subtle analyses of the developing 'story' told on the covers of leading American magazines, the influential and transformative image patterns by which women were 'seen' in a variety of social roles between 1895 and 1930 are revealed in ways that are provocative, never predictable. For the study of popular culture and its symbiotic relation to feminist history, this book is a major asset.—Martha Banta, University of California, Los Angeles
