[.ca] Great American Billboards (ISBN 1580086586)

Highway shouts:
The first thing that came mind when I looked through this book was why there were so many black and white photos. The first color billboard photo is from 1954 for Budweiser on page 136. Most of the contents seem to be mono photos which can hardly do justice to this obviously colorful medium. The book evolved from the archives of Foster and Kleiser (now owned by Clear Channel Outdoor) and maybe the company didn't need to take color shots for their files. As the contents relate only to F and K sites the word Great in the tile is rather misleading, this is not a collection of well designed posters by any means. I thought the most interesting part of the book were the chapters covering the Second World War. Companies and the Government went all out to use billboards as morale boosters. There several examples of recruiting, buy War Bonds, give blood, share you car with a serviceman or Smash the Axis -- Pay your taxes. Missing from the pages is any in explanation of how these large posters and paintings are produced. On page 154 there is a fascinating photo of a painter working, in 1962, on a huge female face, I assume in the F and K studio and the author mentions contemporary posters using digital imaging printed on weather-resistant vinyl. Production techniques would have made an interesting two or three pages. Basten's book invites comparison with one by James Fraser: The American Billboard 100 Years (ISBN 0810931168) which came out in 1991 but I see it is still available quite cheaply from several internet sellers. This has 166 illustrations (with 150 in color) and nicely the editorial tends to feature more award winning and distinctive posters than Great American Billboards, also the text relates to the poster industry, ad agencies and designers. Of the two books I much prefer Fraser's, it's larger and overall a much more lavish production.