
The Daily Mirror HQ is not equipped to receive “Mad Men,” so the TV sensation is lost on us. However, several “Mad Men” reading lists are floating around the Web for possible inclusion on your Zombie Reading List:
The New York Public Library’s “Mad Men” Reading List
The Los Angeles Public Library’s “Mad Men” Reading List
Here are some titles that I recall from my mother’s pile of books in the “Mad Men” era. My mother was a fast and insatiable reader – and I was too young then to remember everything, especially all the books she got from the library – but these are ones we had around the house.
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” (1952) by Shepherd Mead.
“Catcher in the Rye,” (1951) by J.D. Salinger.
“Hawaii,” (1959) by James Michener. Everybody was reading this book when it came out.
“Inside U.S.A.,” (1947) by John Gunther. This is from the 1940s, but everybody seemed to have one, usually next to a beat-up copy of “The Bluejackets’ Manual.”
“The Second Sex,” (1953) by Simone De Beauvoir.
“From Here to Eternity,” (1951) by James Jones.
“The Caine Mutiny,” (1951) by Herman Wouk.
Also from my mom’s bookshelves: “Kon-Tiki,” (1951) by Thor Heyerdahl; “The Sea Around Us,” (1952) by Rachel Carson; “The Magic Lantern,” (1953) by Robert Carson; “Not as a Stranger,” (1954) by Morton Thompson; “Why Johnny Can’t Read,” (1955) Rudolf Flesch (my mother’s possession of this book always baffled me because I read avidly from an early age); “Profiles in Courage,” (1956) by John F. Kennedy; “The Hidden Persuaders,” (1957) by Vance Packard; “The Winthrop Woman,” 1958, by Anya Seton — a book I never examined.