A Secret History of Brands, Matt MacNabb
A Secret History of Brands, Matt MacNabb
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
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A Secret History of Brands
The Dark and Twisted Beginnings of the Brand Names We Know and Love

Author: Matt MacNabb

Narrator: Matt Godfrey

Unabridged: 6 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/28/2021

Synopsis

We live our lives immersed in name brand products. It's hard to drive down the street without seeing a plethora of chain restaurants, car dealerships, branded clothing they're all around us. What most of us don't know is that the origins of many of the most well-known and beloved brands in the world are shrouded in controversy, drug use and sometimes even addled with blatant racism.

A Secret History of Brands cuts through the rumors and urban legends and paints a picture of the true dark history of famous brands, like Coca-Cola, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Ford, Bayer, Chanel and BMW among others. Explore the mystery of the cocaine content of Coca-Cola, the Hitler-Henry Ford connection and why Bayer is famous for asprin, but began their journey with Heroin, and how Kellogg's Corn Flakes were crafted to deter sexual arousal. Thoroughly researched, MacNabb details firsthand conducted interviews alongside fairly weighed research to present the decisive view of brands histories that you haven't heard of yet.

About Matt MacNabb

Matt MacNabb is a pop culture historian, author, and freelance writer that has spent the better part of the past twenty years studying movies, tv, comics, toys, and their effects on our culture. A regarded authority on Batman and comic book history, Matt and his work has been featured in publications like Total Film, SFX Magazine, Variety, Brick Journal, on CNN Coast to Coast AM and BBC Radio, among other various books, magazines, radio shows, and newspapers. He has contributed freelance writing to several websites, including Snopes, Comic Book Resources, and Screen Rant. He has also contributed content and editorial services to books like Holy Franchise, Batman and The Dc Comics Action Figure Archive.

Matt is the author of five books. His first was Batman's Arsenal: An Encyclopedic Chronicle. He has authored three toy collecting genre titles: Ghostbusters Collectables, TMNT Collectables, and Toy Story Collectibles. The current focus of his writing centers around the darker aspects of history with A Secret History of Brands.

Matt resides in Omaha, NE with his wife and four children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cole

It reads like a lengthy middle school report with a high word count requirement. Loads of filler, and poor organization. Also... too much Nazi. Most of the brands in the book had a Nazi connection. Mildly entertaining, but too hard to read overall.......more

Goodreads review by Nick

Honestly, I want to give this book 4-stars, but the other half of me says 2 is appropriate. The book is almost there, and plenty of fun, but doesn’t quite deliver what the title promises. What works is that most of the stories are fun, ranging from quirky anecdotes to downright crimes against humani......more

Goodreads review by Nicole

While interesting subject matter, this book was written rather poorly. It felt like reading a freshman research paper in dire need of an editor. The majority of the book discusses companies with Nazi ties, so it could have been titled differently.......more

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