Joel Dinerstein

writer & professor
race, music & cool

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American Cool Catalog Update

December 07, 2014

Sorry to say the American Cool catalogue has sold out. It's a beautiful book with all 100 iconic photos – "a gathering of heavy spirits," in the words of my hip New Orleans compadre, T.R. Johnson. I will pester the press (Prestel) to publish a second printing but I'm not optimistic. It’s a shame: it would have been a slick Christmas gift for all the cool folks on your list and, even more, for the poseurs.

Joel Dinerstein is the author of three books on cool, including the first history of the concept (The Origins of Cool in Postwar America), the first major exhibit of cool icons (American Cool), and a corporate history, Coach: A Story of NY Cool. My TED Talk, entitled "Why Cool Matters," can be found on YouTube. I am also the author of the award-winning Swinging the Machine, a theory of swing-era jazz and technology, and Jazz: A Quick Immersion, a short history and listening guide.

I am a cultural historian and Professor of English at Tulane University, and hold a Ph.D in American Studies from the University of Texas @ Austin.

In 2014, I curated the exhibit American Cool at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. American Cool featured 100 cool icons and 100 photographs, and it was based on my historical research.