In the middle of the twentieth century, a new class of marketing expert emerged beyond the familiar ad men of Madison Avenue. Working as commercial designers, consumer psychologists, sales managers, and market researchers, these professionals were self-defined “consumer engineers,” and their rise heralded a new era of marketing. To what extent did these efforts to engineer consumers shape consumption practices? And to what extent was the phenomenon itself a product of broader social and cultural forces? This collection considers consumer engineering in the context of the longer history of transatlantic marketing. Contributors offer case studies on the roles of individual consumer engineers on both sides of the Atlantic, the impact of such marketing practices on European economies during World War II and after, and the conflicted relationship between consumer activists and the ideas of consumer engineering. By connecting consumer engineering to a web of social processes in the twentieth century, this volume contributes to a reassessment of consumer history more broadly.

With a view toward the heritage of North American Industry, A Bibliographic Guide to North American Industry: History, Health, and Hazardous Waste provides recommended readings in historical and contemporary literature related to the origins of specific industries, the health and safety issues they face, and how they manage waste and prevent pollution. It encompasses three areas of industry that are critical to understanding the whole of industry: historical development, protection of worker health, and management of associated hazardous substances and materials. This publication serves the reference needs of researchers examining issues of historical development of industry, worker exposure to hazardous substances and materials, and historic and contemporary management of hazardous wastes. The book is unique in using the North American Industrial Classification System as a framework for organizing bibliographic entries. Attorneys, historians, economists, and all others interested in historical and contemporary issues facing North American industry find here a useful and important resource.