Lincoln's Labels (Five Stars)

I was very pleased with this book. While it primarily focuses on Northern companies which are well known today it looks and the way the Civil War made their brands household names it also looks at the scientific and industrial might of the Union, taking individuals who were effected by the war and the way that Squibb's medicines or American Express became a part of their stories. Brooks Brothers, Du Pont, Tiffany, Borden Milk, Scientific American... none of these brands were made by the Civil War but they all certainly benefited and became greater for being forged in its fire. Well-written and well-illustrated, Lincoln's Labels is informative and thought-provoking while being thoroughly entertaining.