Book Review - Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising by Tim Hollis
Category Book Review Tim Hollis Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising
After my review of Dixie Before Disney, I got an email from Tim Hollis letting me know he had additional titles (IN COLOR!) that covered the subject of Southern tourism from different angles. So, back off to Interlibrary Loan I went, and I soon received a copy of Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising. This was probably what I was most looking for when I first read the Dixie title, but that's not to say Dixie Before Disney wasn't good. Selling the Sunshine State focuses entirely on Florida tourism, and is in full color. Brochures, maps, advertising, you name it... Places that exist now, no longer exist, or probably should have *never* existed. This book took me on a nostalgic trip of what Florida *used* to be before the heavy hitters (like Disney) redefined tourism.
Hollis divides the book up into the following chapters: When You Need It Bad We've Got It Good (overall state), The Miracle Strip, The Big Bend, Florida's Crown, The Grove Coast, The Sun Coast, The Tropicoast, and The Paradise Islands. After a page or two of intro into the material, you then get the goods... full-color reproductions of all the material that the state and various attractions used to catch your attention and get you to spend your dollars. Hollis also has great captions and insets describing each item, which add even more meaning and color (no pun intended) to the overall effect. It's amazing to think that these placemats, maps, postcards, and brochures were probably gathered up by travelers, poured over by kids, and then relegated to the trash. It's great that Hollis has saved and preserved so many of them so we don't lose sight of what used to be...
Felt pennants... hadn't thought about those in years...
I found it most interesting to see how so many of the attractions tended to follow each other in various forms and images. For instance, *all* of the various "Springs" attractions (Silver Springs, Rainbow Springs, etc) had to have pictures of attractive women in bathing suits. If you had a marine-themed attraction, you *had* to have dolphins and porpoises adorning your material. And if you didn't have the required glass-bottom boat picture somewhere, you could just forget about it. :) I also now understand the impact that Silver Springs had on the entire tourism industry in Florida. They were the Disneyworld of their era, and the attraction by which all others were measured. Yes, it would be considered quite tame today, but step back 40 years or so, and it was *the* place to be.
If this subject at all appeals to you, Selling the Sunshine State is a must-read. It won't take much time in terms of reading, but you will spend a considerable amount of time just lingering over the pictures and enjoying the images.
After my review of Dixie Before Disney, I got an email from Tim Hollis letting me know he had additional titles (IN COLOR!) that covered the subject of Southern tourism from different angles. So, back off to Interlibrary Loan I went, and I soon received a copy of Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising. This was probably what I was most looking for when I first read the Dixie title, but that's not to say Dixie Before Disney wasn't good. Selling the Sunshine State focuses entirely on Florida tourism, and is in full color. Brochures, maps, advertising, you name it... Places that exist now, no longer exist, or probably should have *never* existed. This book took me on a nostalgic trip of what Florida *used* to be before the heavy hitters (like Disney) redefined tourism.
Hollis divides the book up into the following chapters: When You Need It Bad We've Got It Good (overall state), The Miracle Strip, The Big Bend, Florida's Crown, The Grove Coast, The Sun Coast, The Tropicoast, and The Paradise Islands. After a page or two of intro into the material, you then get the goods... full-color reproductions of all the material that the state and various attractions used to catch your attention and get you to spend your dollars. Hollis also has great captions and insets describing each item, which add even more meaning and color (no pun intended) to the overall effect. It's amazing to think that these placemats, maps, postcards, and brochures were probably gathered up by travelers, poured over by kids, and then relegated to the trash. It's great that Hollis has saved and preserved so many of them so we don't lose sight of what used to be...
Felt pennants... hadn't thought about those in years...
I found it most interesting to see how so many of the attractions tended to follow each other in various forms and images. For instance, *all* of the various "Springs" attractions (Silver Springs, Rainbow Springs, etc) had to have pictures of attractive women in bathing suits. If you had a marine-themed attraction, you *had* to have dolphins and porpoises adorning your material. And if you didn't have the required glass-bottom boat picture somewhere, you could just forget about it. :) I also now understand the impact that Silver Springs had on the entire tourism industry in Florida. They were the Disneyworld of their era, and the attraction by which all others were measured. Yes, it would be considered quite tame today, but step back 40 years or so, and it was *the* place to be.
If this subject at all appeals to you, Selling the Sunshine State is a must-read. It won't take much time in terms of reading, but you will spend a considerable amount of time just lingering over the pictures and enjoying the images.
| Permalink |
Comments
Posted by Tim Hollis At 13:39:29 On 04/07/2009 | - Website - |