125 Years of Saying It with Buttons

By Christian Carter, Busy Beaver Button Company founder, and Ted Hake

From the campaign trail to the rock tour, Button Power collects a people's history of American culture told through the pin-back button.

Lively commentary from two of America's foremost button experts shows how the small but powerful button reveals the events and movements that outraged, amused, and inspired us over time, from the solo flight of Charles Lindbergh to the Black Power movement.

Artists, athletes, actors, politicians, punk and pop musicians, and mascots of the past 125 years make cameos, including Rube Goldberg, Muhammad Ali, the Ramones, Shirley Chisholm, Maratona the Snake Handler, and Ray Stevens, singer of "The Streak."

The first book of its kind, Button Power is a rich visual feast. Each colorful spread chronicles defining moments in history through colorful photographs and artifacts.

This collection will be an essential pick for fans of pop culture, visual culture, and design, and is a useful resource for those interested in vernacular design.

Designed by Benjamin English

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, 2020

Hardcover, 192 pages, 1000+ color images, 8 × 9 inches

ISBN: 978-1-61-689870-0