This slim volume was a fun, funny, and interesting read. Author Bob Eckstein is quite entertaining. This is a mostly-true history of the snowman and Eckstein’s search for the oldest representation of same in art.

Snowmen have not always been represented as happy-go-lucky Frosty types. Sometimes they’re downright scary. Not all snowmen are made out of three large snowballs, either.

One of my favorite chapters was about snowmen used in advertisements; I never thought about how frequently. Snowmen have been used to sell everything from shaving soap to sardines. [The book includes a couple sections of color photos showing the variety]. There are also black & white photos scattered throughout.

One interesting thing I learned about was The Miracle of 1511. It was a protest in Brussels where residents made over 100 satirical snowman (some X-rated, no less!).

Recommended for light reading!

Traveling in Mary Zee's Biographies of Things Bookbox.

This book was in the book box when I opened it up tonight. Looks interesting. I am taking the contents of the box to meet-up tomorrow because some of the locals have expressed an interest. After that, we shall see what happens.

Rather than schlep the whole box to meet-up, I sent out a list of the contents. This book was dibsed, so I am taking it to its next reader.

Any future reader or recipient of this book is encouraged to leave a journal entry here on the BookCrossing site to let prior readers know the fate of the book. You can make an anonymous entry without joining the BookCrossing movement, but if you are interested in joining, it is a free and spam-free community where your contact information is not shared with others. Best of all, members receive private messages via e-mail from books like this one when those books are journaled, allowing for long-term relationships between books and readers.

I received this lovely book from 6of8 and began reading it in September while on work related travel. Finished it right before the holidays. Attending meetup tomorrow so returning back to the box of things.

The book is a piece of American nostalgia. While there are references to European art, music, and poems about snowmen, the modern snowman is very much an American concept, especially given the impact of Frosty and other related children's books. He's ubiquitous in advertising, songs, movies, and even some racey postcards. This book meanders backwards in time, which can be a bit confusing since it refers to things that are explained later but had already taken place in time. Minus that one setback, this book was a fun leaf-through.

Picked up at local Bookcrossing group meet up. Looks interesting.

Interesting book.
Enjoy!

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