Word: wishbook
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1952-1952
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Wishbook. Last week Wood and Sears passed another notable milestone. Sears sent out the biggest spring and summer catalogue (1,298 pages) in its history to the biggest mailing list in ten years (7,200,000). Each catalogue was crammed with 100,000 items, at prices down an average of 3½% from last fall...
Sears' catalogue has been known on farms for half a century as the Wishbook, or the farmer's best friend. A scrapbook of America, it has mirrored the country's changing manners and habits. In the early days, Sears' ultimate in sophistication was a solid gold toothpick with earspoon combined, its recommendation for an evening's entertainment a stereoscope with "twelve splendid views portraying in the most vivid manner the story of our Savior's life before & after Crucifixion." Sickly Sears customers were urged to wear a "Heidelberg Electric Belt" for nervous diseases, headaches...
| 1 |