Rebel Reads

Originally published in 1962, Our Synthetic Environment explores the negative effects that chemicals and other toxins in the environment have on human health. From the degradation of our food and soil due to industrial agricultural methods, to how pollution and radiation are the causes of illnesses like cancer, this book was visionary in its anticipation of many of the ecological problems our planet currently faces. Written by one of the leading eco-thinkers of the twentieth century, Our Synthetic Environment is as vital a read today as it was when it was first published. This new edition of Our Synthetic Environment features an introduction by Bill McKibben.

"As Mr. Udall's vivid narrative makes clear, the race between education and erosion, between wisdom and waste, has not run its course. . . . The nation's battle to preserve the common estate is far from won."-President John F. Kennedy, from the introduction. In his best-selling 1963 book, The Quiet Crisis, Stewart Udall warned of the dangers of pollution and threats to America's natural resources, calling for a nationwide "land conscience" to conserve the nation's wild places. Along with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, The Quiet Crisis is credited with triggering the modern environmental movement in America.

Doublespeak is the language of non-responsibility, carefully constructed to appear to communicate when it fact it doesn't. In this lively and eye-opening expose, originally published in 1989, linguist William Lutz identifies the four most common types of doublespeak-euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook or "bureaucratese," and inflated language-showing how each is used in business, advertising, medicine, government, and the military. In this seminal book, Lutz articulates that the goal of doublespeak is "to distort reality and corrupt thought."

There are several competing brands on the store shelf. What will cause the shopper to purchase one product over another? Is it the brand name, the brand-identifying image, the design of the package, the color, or ads about the product that the consumer might have seen? In this 1959 classic, Cheskin answers these and many other questions by presenting his insights into human motivation as expressed in purchasing decisions. Bringing psychological insights to bear on market research, Cheskin shows how motivations that can indicate acceptance and value of brands, along with packaging, are the bearers of meaning for products. By investigating these deep connections, Cheskin demonstrates how marketers can effectively position products for sale in the marketplace. Louis Cheskin (1907–1981) was a marketing innovator who observed that people's perceptions of products were directly related to aesthetic design. Cheskin discovered that most people make unconscious assessments of a product based on secondary sensory input associated with the product, such as its color or shape, which contribute to a general impression which he called "sensation transference." This concept revolutionized advertising and marketing.

Published in 1951, Louis Cheskin's groundbreaking Color For Profit initiated a scientific approach to color and design. Cheskin's philosophy rotated around three core concepts: good taste has little to do with how well a design sells; asking customers what they think of a package design is not a useful way to measure effectiveness; and colors have symbolic meanings. Among some of Cheskin's noteworthy accomplishments were: The creation of the Gerber Baby Changing the color of margarine from white to yellow The development of the Marlboro Man and Marlboro packaging from what was previously considered a "women's" cigarette Uncovering the preference of American consumers for circles over triangles on packaging Predicting the flop of the Edsel automobile The market research underlying the introduction of the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln Continental