Thursday, August 30, 2012

Our Future World in 1999 According to 1966 Reader's Digest Book


Here's the Reader's Digest NEW Reading Skills Reader from 1966 with a spectacular future world painting by Fred Freeman (1906-1988). Looky them jet packs! Way cool!



 Mr. Freeman was a veteran illustrator for many magazines and books. He may be best known for the 120 illustrations he drew for the book First Men to the Moon (1960), with text by Werner von Braun.
Below is a key to Fred Freeman's cover painting:

It's apparent that the oil companies did not have any input into this! And the lawyers would have a field day with moving sidewalks, rocket belts, etc. Man oh man, I am too cynical now. I remember thinking, when I was a kid in Iowa City, that this was going to be the way it would be! Heck, it's in a BOOK. It's gotta be true if it's in BOOK.

OK, you saw that there are references to some page numbers. Below is referenced When You Grow Up story, which is fun to read

And, if you don't look out, you may build some skills, mate!



I like the idea that people get to work later in the day so they can sleep in like great sloths and they don't have to work long hours. Ha ha ha!



Food is like candy! More jet packs! Clothes made of glass!



In the future, we will all wear what looks like velour jumpsuits with piping ala Lost in Space. And where's my personal robot? Can I have Andrea, from What Are Little Girls Made Of? Can I? Huh?


A labor-saving android from a 1966 episode of Star Trek. She's Shatnerlicious!

-- from my blog entry of July 12. 2006.
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3 comments:

  1. Dan Reynolds1:36 PM

    This reminds me of a library book I checked out in the 60's while in grade school. It was all about what our cars would look like around this era that we live in today. They got it ALL wrong, and it clear to see now that the authors were heavily influenced by the Jetsons cartoon.

    This is just another example of how much influence cartooning has on us.

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  2. Miz Kizzle8:52 PM

    "When you grow up, you will drive an amazing vehicle called an SUV. You will like your SUV because it will be large enough to accommodate the gigantic ass that you will develop from gorging yourself with the endless variety of "fun" foods that you will see advertised on your "hi-definition" TV between episodes of an exciting new form of entertainment called "reality shows" that depict human beings at their absolute worst."
    "Fear the future, children. Fear the future."

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  3. Unknown5:32 PM

    I remember a life magazine pictorial of what fashion would be like in 1999. It was all illustrations and it scared the shit out of me. The men were all bald and every one was topless. Does anyone remember this? I am guessing it was published in 1966 or 1968. I was 6 or 7 and it gave me nightmares.

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