100 Years of Harley-Davidson Advertising
 Edited by John Meils
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 2002 Bulfinch Press
  ISBN: 0821228293


A century of the premier motorcycle company's witty & eye-catching ads. Colorful & sometimes provocative images reflecting the creative spirit & the unique culture of Harley-Davidson & America.

As Jack Supple writes in his Introduction: “...A Harley-Davidson motorcycle is the perfect advertisement. It grabs the eyeballs and pounds the eardrums and pushed a wake of attitude in front of it. A Harley has presence. It is impossible to ignore...The machine seems to know it has a soul, and when it intertwines with yours, you are hopeless to resist it.”

Clearly a grand promotional & a fine way to take a peek at the transformation of The Hog. Along the way you'll catch glimpses of ten decades of advertising styles & dressage. From the first modest rectangle in the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal through the side-car craze to war service “Over There.” Into the 1920s of peace & adventure & onto the 1930s when the Black & Mandarin Red model was first introduced. Then, once again in the 1940s, the Harley-Davidson became a war hero. The 1950s were the happy days & in the 1960s youngsters got the hang of them. By the 1970s The Hog was Hip & the ads become wilder as the 1980s take off & the ad slogans defined an era. & in the 199s there are the t-shirts.

If you're expecting to see the development of the mystique we've come to associate with The Hog, you will be disappointed for those who make The Hog are not necessarily those with whom it is associated. I don't think I've ever seen so many squeaky-clean, carefree people up close, sans helmets yet!

It is also entertaining to see the advertising campaigns from each decade, the slogans so well remembered as well as the art styles.

Actually, an interesting, stylish book & certainly one any lover of bikes & the open road will cherish.
(04/27/03)

Rebecca