The Birth (and Death) of the Cool

The Birth (and Death) of the Cool
The Birth (and Death) of the Cool

The Birth (and Death) of the Cool

By Ted Gioia

SOCIAL SCIENCE

256 Pages, 5.5 x 8.5

Formats: Trade Paper

Trade Paper, $19.95 (CA $21.95) (US $19.95)

ISBN 9781682750155

Rights: WOR

Chicago Review Press (May 2019)
Chicago Review Press - Fulcrum

Price: $19.95
 
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Overview

An intriguing cultural history exploring why the concept of cool has begun to lose meaning
It’s hard to imagine that “the cool” could ever go out of style. After all, cool is style. Isn’t it? And it may be harder to imagine a world where people no longer aspire to coolness. In this intriguing cultural history, nationally acclaimed author Ted Gioia shows why cool is not a timeless concept and how it has begun to lose meaning and fade into history. Gioia deftly argues that what began in the Jazz Age and became iconic in the 1950s with Miles Davis, James Dean, and others has been manipulated, stretched, and pushed to a breaking point—not just in our media, entertainment, and fashion industries, but also by corporations, political leaders, and social institutions. Tolling the death knell for the cool, this thought-provoking book reveals how and why a new cultural tone is emerging, one marked by sincerity, earnestness, and a quest for authenticity.

Author Biography

Ted Gioia is a musician, author, jazz critic, and a leading expert on American music. His previous books The History of Jazz and Delta Blues were both selected as notable books of the year in the New York Times.