Rating: 
Summary: just bought some
Review: Saw this book in L.A. and had to buy it. Then went away for a vacation and was motivated to buy the "boring" postcards at a thrift store. Thank you boring postcards! My friends will now be like "What the hell?"
Rating:
Summary: Oops, made a mistake.
Review: Sorry, my earlier review for "Boring Postcards" referred to the British version. I didn't realise there was a collection of US boring postcards, though I'm very glad there is and will purchase the volume as soon as humanly possible. Please delete my review or switch it to the correct book. Thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Neat kitsch.
Review: The pictures are cool and retro and kitschy, but you're probably not going to look at it more than a few times. A good resource for designers.
Rating: 
Summary: An inspired collection of postcards from the edges
Review: The title is something of a misnomer - there's nothing boring about the cards collected in this edition. Banal, perhaps, but not boring. The irony encapsulated in a desloate stretch of highway titled "Picturesque Indiana" cannot be underestimated in its appeal or entertainment value.The pride displayed in entrance ways to multimillion dollar turnpikes or the cafes of motels on well-traveled tourist highways speak to a time when the connectivity of automobile travel was still miraculous. Similarly for the cards documenting the rise of shopping centers (malls were still to come), factories, trailer courts, and all manner of 50s and 60s innovation. It all feels quite quaint now, magnified by the editor's terrific selection of poorly composed and wackily titled cards. The editor has a terrific eye for oddball cards, and the inclusion of cards that show edge wear or postmarks helps bring them to life as mail-art. Perhaps the only negative is that the card backs were not included; a shame, given that the descriptions given there are often as good as the picture image. I also note the peculiar insertion of blank pages here and there. A must-have volume for postcard collectors, collectors of kitschy 50s/60s art, or just about anyone with an interest in the intersection of industrial and consumer arts.
Rating:
Summary: An inspired collection of postcards from the edges
Review: The title is something of a misnomer - there's nothing boring about the cards collected in this edition. Banal, perhaps, but not boring. The irony encapsulated in a desloate stretch of highway titled "Picturesque Indiana" cannot be underestimated in its appeal or entertainment value. The pride displayed in entrance ways to multimillion dollar turnpikes or the cafes of motels on well-traveled tourist highways speak to a time when the connectivity of automobile travel was still miraculous. Similarly for the cards documenting the rise of shopping centers (malls were still to come), factories, trailer courts, and all manner of 50s and 60s innovation. It all feels quite quaint now, magnified by the editor's terrific selection of poorly composed and wackily titled cards. The editor has a terrific eye for oddball cards, and the inclusion of cards that show edge wear or postmarks helps bring them to life as mail-art. Perhaps the only negative is that the card backs were not included; a shame, given that the descriptions given there are often as good as the picture image. I also note the peculiar insertion of blank pages here and there. A must-have volume for postcard collectors, collectors of kitschy 50s/60s art, or just about anyone with an interest in the intersection of industrial and consumer arts.
Rating:
Summary: Anything but boring...
Review: This book breaks the maxim, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." With a honest title and a no frills cover, you open the book and you find postcards that live up to everything you didn't expect: No humor. No fancy photography. No witty postcard statements. No nothing. These are simple photographs of the most boring subjects a person can chance upon: Interstate highways, hotel rooms and Cafetteria Food. But then you stop for a moment and wonder why something so boring could possibly hold your attention for so long. I think the mesmerizing element of these boring postcards is that they are actually doing what they were intendid to do during their creation: They are bookmarks of a persons travel. They show you where a person was as they crossed the state line into Ohio. Sure the toll booth in the photograph is not much to look at...but you almost feel as if you are in the car with the traveller. Also, because these photos are from the 50's and 60's...you feel as if this is not only a travel across the country. But a travel back into time. A young fella like myself can actually appreciate the look of days that are before my time. The best part is that they aren't tampered with. No photography tricks or advertising acrobats. These were point and click photos that aren't trying to be sexy. So yes, these postcards are definitly boring. But that's what is so exciting about them.
Rating:
Summary: Anything but boring...
Review: This book breaks the maxim, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." With a honest title and a no frills cover, you open the book and you find postcards that live up to everything you didn't expect: No humor. No fancy photography. No witty postcard statements. No nothing. These are simple photographs of the most boring subjects a person can chance upon: Interstate highways, hotel rooms and Cafetteria Food. But then you stop for a moment and wonder why something so boring could possibly hold your attention for so long. I think the mesmerizing element of these boring postcards is that they are actually doing what they were intendid to do during their creation: They are bookmarks of a persons travel. They show you where a person was as they crossed the state line into Ohio. Sure the toll booth in the photograph is not much to look at...but you almost feel as if you are in the car with the traveller. Also, because these photos are from the 50's and 60's...you feel as if this is not only a travel across the country. But a travel back into time. A young fella like myself can actually appreciate the look of days that are before my time. The best part is that they aren't tampered with. No photography tricks or advertising acrobats. These were point and click photos that aren't trying to be sexy. So yes, these postcards are definitly boring. But that's what is so exciting about them.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, Ugly and Charmless Postcards
Review: This book is very funny. Whoever came up with the concept has a delightfully twisted sense of humor. And, I like the fact that the editor lets the cards speak for themselves (rather than indulging in an ultrahip forward). Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Wish you were here - greetings from the car park
Review: What qualifies a postcard as boring? A quick flick through this book, and its predecessor, "Boring Postcards," suggests that a boring postcard exhibits a lack of visual appeal - drab colors, tedious subjects, uninspired composition, a cliche taken to extremes. But if this is all such postcards offer, why publish a collection of them? Because these misfits of good design have a much more interesting story to tell. Each example prompts one to ask why such a card was produced, who hired such bad photographers, who ok'd the final product, and most importantly, who in their right mind would actually send one? The reward for readers of this book is both serious - in the accidental cultural history one finds in the decrepid architecture of public buildings, say - and humorous - the postcard's subject entirely eclipsed by a parking lot, for example. Although this is a must for any serious postcard collector, it also makes a great book to share with friends for a laugh. My only reservation is that this American version reveals a more limited array of boring postcards than the British edition, including instead a number of product display cards of gears, etc., produced primarily for salespeople to show potential customers and as such, are not as funny or interesting as postcards produced for tourists. Still, this book is a classic - it will keep you smiling long after the plain brown cover fades.
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