The Republic of Mass Culture: Journalism, Filmmaking, and Broadcasting in America Since 1941

For those interested in how television became the hegemonic force in mass culture since WWII, this is the book to read. Be prepared though; his style of writing seems to cater to an informed, educated audience, so to the casual reader Baughman's writing can be enervating and taxing. Yet do not be discouraged because as you get further along in the book, it becomes more of a rewarding read. I found the section on the decline of the print media, in particular the national general interest magazines such as Life and the Saturday Evening Post, most interesting and informative. Of secondary interest to me was the gradual development (or devolution) in American television taste from highbrow fare such as the Sid Caesar Show to lowbrow shows like Charlie's Angels. Guess which achetype was more successful... The topic is penetrating because it provides a revealing backdrop for how Americans developed their personal (middlebrow at best) tastes, recording a kind of 'living room' history of the past sixty years, rather than the typical top-down politico-socio-economic history prevalent in your history textbooks. This book has informed me to correlate certain pop-culture tastes with political and social preferences. For these reasons I suggest Baughman's work.

Baughman's book is a joy to read because of his skillful writing. This is an ideal eaxample of how to write a book of this sort. Every point he makes is worth making and is increadibly clear. He never repeats his points and covers a great deal of territory. I definitely recommend this book to any student of American history, media studies or consumer culture.