All-Out for Victory!: Magazine Advertising and the World War II Home Front

by John Bush Jones

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, many commercial advertisers and their Madison Avenue ad agencies instantly switched from selling products and services to selling the home front on ways to support the war. Ads by major manufacturers showcased how their factories had turned to war production, demonstrating their participation in the war and helping people understand, for instance, that they couldn’t buy a new washing machine because the company was making munitions. Other ads helped civilians cope with wartime rationing and shortages by offering advice on how to make leftovers tasty, make shoes last, and keep a car in good working order. Ads also encouraged Victory Gardens, scrap collecting, giving blood, and (most important) buying War Bonds. In this book, Jones examines hundreds of ads from ten large-circulation news and general-interest magazines of the period. He discusses motivational war ads, ads about industrial and agricultural support of the war, ads directed at uplifting the morale of civilians and GIs, and ads promoting home front efficiency, conservation, and volunteerism. Jones also includes ads praising women in war work and the armed forces and ads aimed at recruiting more women. Taken together, war ads in national magazines did their part to create the most efficient home front possible in order to support the war effort.

Genres: History

340 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2009

Reviews

[Angie Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was something odd about the writing style that I can't quite put my finger on. The subject was interesting but I found sections to be rather dull. I'd have loved more examples to be included rather than just described.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent explanation of WWII adverts

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am genuinely surprised that this book wasn't published by a vanity press.

While well researched, many of the books conclusions are based on conjecture and modern thought rather than an understanding of the period, and a rose-colored view of the American population's outlook on national identity is inserted throughout without any basis for making that claim.

It appears the author previously wrote a book about music, of which he is something of an expert despite his background in English rather than history, and that book's success prompted him to keep writing about the period, though this time on advertising, which he apparently knows very little about.

With a better handle on secondary sources and works on American society in general rather than just advertising specifically would have worked wonders for this work. As it stands though, this book offers the scholar of 20th century cultural America no more than an assessment of war advertising in leading magazines with no really valuable analysis to speak of.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent and a fascinating glimpse into a little known facet of the American Homefront during WW2.