The Great American Cereal Book

Americans love their breakfast cereal, which is second only to milk and soda in supermarket spending. Cereals and their cartoon spokescharacters are some of the most enduring pop-culture icons of the 20th century. The Great American Cereal Book is the definitive compendium of breakfast cereal history and lore, celebrating the most recognizable brands and packaging, such as Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Grape-Nuts, and Trix. Award-winning writer Marty Gitlin and co-author Topher Ellis provide behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of these iconic kitchen-table companions, with 350 images of cereal boxes, vintage ads, and rare memorabilia.

Praise for The Great American Cereal Book:

“Instantly evokes feelings of childhood—watching Saturday-morning cartoons and being bombarded with commercials for sweet cereals with colorful mascots like Toucan Sam and Tony the Tiger.” —TMagazine.Blogs.NYTimes.com

"A fascinating find for those interested in the creation and marketing of this grocery-store staple." —The Oklahoman

“There’s a new book out about cereal, and it looks cereal-ously good. No, but in all cereal-ousness, it's about the history of cereal, and you’d have to be a [ce]real breakfast Grinch to not at least be stirred by the picture of E.T., the cereal.” —TheHairpin.com

"Fortified with full-page, full-color photos, it's an enjoyable, comprehensive read about one of the overlooked staples of the national diet." —Philadelphia City Paper

“A crisply colorful history of a favorite kids’ food that became a pop culture icon.” —Tampa Bay Times

“Whether you're a food history buff, package-design geek, or just an enthusiastic consumer of the country’s favorite morning bowl, these pages provide enough—ahem—snap, crackle, and pop to keep everyone happy.” —Real Eats magazine

Marty Gitlin is a freelance writer and the author of more than 40 books. He has won many awards for his writing, including first place for General Excellence in Journalism from the Associated Press. Gitlin lives with his wife and three children in Cleveland, Ohio. Topher Ellis is a cereal expert and editor of the cereal newsletter the Boxtop, the longest continuously running publication dedicated to breakfast cereal. He lives in Matthews, North Carolina.