Written by the nephew of Sigmund Freud and named by PBS as one of its 'Books That Shook the World', Crystallizing Public Opinion was the first book ever written about the public relations industry. It gives a fascinating and frightening glimpse into the world of propoganda and advertising, and shows how ideas as different as eating bacon for breakfast and preferring women to be thin were put into our heads.
Edward Bernays was named as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th Century by Life magazine. With his view that the public are irrational and behave like herds of animals, he outlines here techinques to control the masses in whatever way the influencer chooses. He counted among his clients the American Tobacco Company, several U.S. presidents, and the opponents of the Guatemalan revolution.