Gerald Carson (writer)

Gerald Hewes Carson (July 6, 1899 - December 4, 1989) was an American advertising executive, social historian and writer.

For the ice hockey player, see Gerald Carson.
Gerald Carson
BornJuly 6, 1899
Carrollton, Illinois
DiedDecember 4, 1989
Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Social historian, writer

Biography

Carson was born in Carrollton, Illinois.[1] He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois.[1] He started advertising in 1923. He was vice president at William Esty & Company, at Benton & Bowles and at Kenyon & Eckhardt.[1] He became a full time writer in 1951 and was on the advisory board of the American Heritage magazine during 1964-1976 and in 1989.[1][2]

Many of Carson's books were positively reviewed for their detailed research.[3][4][5][6] Historian Milton W. Hamilton wrote that Carson's The Old Country Store "is highly entertaining and belongs in the library of all who enjoy Americana and folklore. It is well written and is based on much devoted research."[4]

Carson died in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.[1]

Animal welfare

Carson authored a historical volume on animal welfare, Men, Beasts, and Gods: A History of Cruelty and Kindness to Animals in 1972. Unlike Carson's other works it was negatively reviewed in academic journals. For example, historian Miriam Z. Langsam commented that it is "frequently difficult to distinguish this book from a polemic put out by the ASPCA".[7]

Selected publications
  • The Old Country Store (1954)
  • Cornflake Crusade (1957)
  • The Roguish World of Doctor Brinkley (1960)
  • One for a Man, Two for a Horse: A Pictorial History, Grave and Comic, of Patent Medicines (1961)
  • The Social History of Bourbon (1963)
  • Rum and Reform in Old New England (1966)
  • The Polite Americans (1966)[8]
  • Men, Beasts, and Gods: A History of Cruelty and Kindness to Animals (1972)
  • The Golden Egg (1977)
  • Dentist and the Empress: Adventures of Dr. Tom Evans in Gas-lit Paris (1984)

References
  1. Flint, Peter B. (1989). "Gerald Carson, 90, A Social Historian Of Accessible Style". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. "Gerald Carson: In Memoriam". American Heritage. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  3. Butterfield, Roy L. (1954). The Old Country Store By Gerald Carson. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 78 (4): 515–517.
  4. Hamilton, Milton W. (1954). Reviewed Work: The Old Country Store by Gerald Carson. New York History 35 (3): 322–324.
  5. Bald, F. Clever. (1958). Cornflake Crusade. Quarterly Review of the Michigan Alumnus 64: 269–270.
  6. Williamson, Samuel T. (1961). "One for a Man, Two for a Horse: A Pictorial History, Grave and Comic, of Patent Medicines". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  7. Langsam, Miriam Z. (1973). "Men, Beasts, and Gods: A History of Cruelty and Kindness to Animals. By Gerald Carson". The Journal of American History. 60 (3): 770–771. doi:10.2307/1917698. JSTOR 1917698.
  8. Baker, Paul R. (1966). The Polite Americans: A Wide-Angle View of Our More or Less Good Manners Over 300 Years By Gerald Carson. The American Historical Review 72 (1): 278–279.
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