{"product_id":"strange-red-cow-and-other-curious-classified-ads-from-the-past-9781400051205","title":"Strange Red Cow: and Other Curious Classified Ads from the Past","description":"\u003cp\u003eCame to my plantation  in Springfield township  Philadelphia county  near Flour-town  the 26th of March 1776  A STRANGE RED COW. The owner may have her again  on proving his property  and paying charges. PHILIP MILLER. May 1  1776  The Pennsylvania Gazette  To sift through classifieds from any era is to uncover the practical needs or urgent desires of a community during a particular period of time. By definition  the classified advertisement is released for public consumption  yet often it tells a very private story: a precious keepsake misplaced  an intimate relationship sought  even a young child kidnapped. At times shocking  often amusing  and always enlightening  these brief notices offer rare glimpses into who we are  what we value  and where were going. And yet they have always been the most ephemeral of artifacts  tossed and forgotten without a second thought. Until now.  While researching a historical documentary  Sara Bader stumbled upon something that transported her back in time: an eighteenth-century classified ad about a lost red cow. Authentic and evocative  this discovery inspired a search for more of these vivid scenes from everyday life  past and present. In Strange Red Cow  Bader presents a sampling of ads from as far back as 1704 up through contemporary Internet postings  sorted and assembled thematically. She places these micro messages in a broader context  revealing intimate stories of American history and popular culture.  By turns humorous  heartbreaking  and insightful  Strange Red Cow offers a new lens through which to observe our evolution as a nation and a people.  From Americas first newspaper classified in 1704 to todays online postings  Strange Red Cow captures  in colorful detail  scenes of everyday life in the first-ever overview of the nations unofficial history text: the classified ads.  If we strain to identify with those who commuted in horse-drawn carriages and depended on candles to light their corridors  these ads can personally introduce us. They had good days and bad days; they got distracted  disorganized  and like us  left important things be-hind. That our collective ancestors forgot their books in carriages  left their capes on battlefields  and dropped their keys and their cash is oddly reassuring. We are still losing our stuff today  though what we own and wear and carry with usand what we decide to return and retrieveinevitably changes over time. From Strange Red Cow\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647624339509,"sku":"ByrdShop_1400051207","price":48.63,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781400051205.jpg?v=1781696445","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/strange-red-cow-and-other-curious-classified-ads-from-the-past-9781400051205","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}