Mad Men, Mad World

"I read this collection with enormous pleasure. The essays are smart, creative, and original. Writing on matters from TV technology to the history of advertising, and from the early civil rights movement to analogies between Jews and nineteenth-century dandies, the contributors illuminate what turns out to be a very rich and charismatic cultural object. I think that Mad Men, Mad World will make a real splash." - Bruce Robbins, author of Perpetual War: Cosmopolitanism from the Viewpoint of Violence

"The essays assembled in this collection pay careful, astute analytical attention to one of American television's most significant contemporary series. Deepening its approach far beyond that of standard appreciations of 'quality TV,' this book illuminates Mad Men’s complex, powerful engagement with capitalism, national identity, race, and gender at a time when these categories are so evidently in flux." - Diane Negra, coeditor of Interrogating Postfeminism: Gender and the Politics of Popular Culture

"What a treat for me to delve into this work with so much academic and intellectual rigor—I love it!" - Phil Abraham, director, , Mad Men

“Just as Mad Men charms its viewers by using sex, drugs, snappy banter, and pretty people to make heavy topics (sexism, racism, dreams diffused) palatable, the editors of Mad Men, Mad World trust that some TV glamour will get readers interested in digesting academic theories. It's not wrong. Full of dense, fascinating writing, Mad Men, Mad World, from Duke University Press, takes stock of ‘sex, politics, style & the 1960s’ in a series of essays by academics, theorizing about Mad Men.” - Diana Clarke, Village Voice

“Throughout the book are intelligent discussions dissecting the central themes addressed in the show, such as masculinity and feminism, identity, and race relations and representations. . . . [It] accomplishes the admirable feat of offering considerable critique and examination from a standpoint of admiration and fandom.” - Publishers Weekly

“Mad Men, Mad World's brilliance is that it analyzes storylines and characters from completely unexpected angles. . . . These are deeply considered pieces that truly spark intellectual discussion. It's a mad world, indeed, but this book helps to bring some order to the chaos.” - Natalie Papailiou, Shelf Awareness for Readers

“There is much else in the book that I found interesting and useful in thinking about Mad Men, and I think it will be stimulating to readers outside the ranks of aca fandom.” - Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed

“An interesting conversation.” - Candace Opper, Bitch

“The varying perspectives presented make this work useful supplemental reading for television critics, scholars, and researchers interested in deeper analysis of the show’s portrayal of 1960s culture.” - Kimberley Bugg, Library Journal

“A lot is packed into this volume, and nobody is likely to reach the end feeling shortchanged. . . . This is no giddy fanzine, to be sure, but for folks who take their Mad Men seriously it opens worthwhile paths of inquiry.” - James M. Keller, Santa Fe New Mexican

“Every essay contained in the book provides an analysis of salient diegetic features as it establishes a direct dialogue with other opinions consigned to the Anglo-American press and Web.” - Enrica Picarelli, International Journal of Communication

“These authors go deeper to find the origins of postmodernism or neoliberalism within the show’s text and much more. These essays show students how a drama can subtly reflect a historical period and engage public memory . . . . It will delight more advanced academic fans of the show.” - R. W. Morrow, Choice

“Mad Men, Mad World is a rich, stimulating book, which is alert to its own identity as a piece of ‘fan ritual’ (p.23). It is much more than this, of course, because it is scholarly and theoretical, ?uent in a critical language that is coloured by an eclectic host of thinkers, from Jacques Lacan to Vance Packard.” - Edward Allen, Critical Quarterly

“[A] provocative intellectual challenge. . . . It takes an insightful look at the ability of television to translate the past in terms of the present and transform history into a contemporary commentary.” - Maurine H. Beasley, Journalism History

“This collection of essays provides illuminating insight into these intersections between media and history, while maintaining – as does the show – contemporary relevance…. Mad Men, Mad World makes a worthy contribution to the ever-growing field on Mad Men, and has broad appeal – especially for those academics who also identify as fans of the show.” - Chelsea Barnett, Media International Australia

“Mad Men, Mad World would work for courses introducing more general topics: television criticism, cultural studies, and historical fiction.” - Rebecca Hill, American Studies

“... with its 16 chapters covering a broad range of angles by scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, this anthology undoubtedly offers the most critical and comprehensive coverage of the wider cultural implications of this popular series.” - Annebella Pollen, Visual Studies