Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America

Midcentury Americans, seeking modernity, found mood music, lifestyle advice, global sounds, and travel tips in record albums and their covers. The sleek hi-fi console in their living rooms likely held albums by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, or Patti Page, as well as genre-specific titles like Cocktail Time or Strings for a Space Age.

In this book, Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder examine these vinyl LPs, analyzing the cover art and liner notes. They reveal that these albums guided aspirational Americans in postwar consumer culture, offering a glimpse into the postwar imagination. The first part, “Home,” explores how the American home became an entertainment zone, while the second part, “Away,” considers albums that prepared Americans for the jet age and space race.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)