Texas Political Memorabilia: Buttons, Bumper Stickers, and Broadsides

Political archivist Bailey began his collection of Texas political ephemera in 1960, when his father gave him a sack of Kennedy-Johnson buttons (one of which can be found on page four). Since then, Bailey has collected all the Texas political ephemera he can get his hands on, from senate and presidential races to county elections; that collection is lovingly displayed in this well-organized, obsessively detailed book. In addition to buttons and pamphlets, Bailey has accumulated everything from 19th century William McKinley stereo cards (the first photographic technique for creating 3-D images) to Alvis Owsley thimbles to Jake Pickle's ""squeaky plastic pickles."" Covering everything from the late 1800s to the present day (Kinky Friendman ""made a bid for governor in 2006 on the platform, 'How hard could it be?' ""), Bailey provides succinct captions and explanations for each object, along with brief background information on the candidates they promoted. Each of the 100-plus full-color plates is crisp and clear, giving an appropriately archival look to Bailey's museum-worthy collection. Those interested in Texas' rich political history and collectors of political memorabilia will find this work dazzling.