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Recommended Reading for the Coca-Cola Collector

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For God, Country & Coca-Cola 

 

Pendergast, 2000

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For God, Country and Coca-Cola is the unauthorized history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. From its origins as a patent medicine in Reconstruction Atlanta through its rise as the dominant consumer beverage of the American century, the story of Coke is as unique, tasty, and effervescent as the drink itself. 

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Secret Formula

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Allen, 2015

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Secret Formula follows the colorful characters who turned a relic from the patent medicine era into a company worth $80 billion. Written with unprecedented access to Coca-Cola’s archives, as well as the inner circle and private papers of Woodruff, this biography stands as the definitive account of what it took to build America’s most iconic company and one of the world’s greatest business success stories.

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The Man Behind the Bottle

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Dean, 2010

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Of everything that has been written about The Coca-Cola Company, the one error of omission has been the complete and accurate story about the creation of its famous contour bottle and the impact it has made in the world. Knowing his entire life that it was his father, Earl R. Dean, who designed the bottle, it became the authors mission to get the story told before the truth was forever lost.

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The Big Drink

 

Kahn, 1960

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Mr. Kahn was a correspondent for the The New Yorker during World War II from the Pacific  in the U.S. Army from 1941-1945 and from Korea during the Korean Conflict. E.J. Kahn, Jr. authored 27 non-fiction books before his death in 1994. In the preface of The Big Drink, he wrote: "This book is neither a definitive nor an authorized history of the Coca-Cola Company and its monumental works. The book evolved from a series of articles written for The New Yorker, and the idea of doing them originated with that magazine's editor, William Shawn." 

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God's Capitalist 

 

Kemp

 

An overview of life and times of Asa Candler and his stewardship of Coca-Cola.

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Papa Coke

 

Rowland / Terrell, 1986

 

A 65 year story fo selling Coca-Cola in soda fountains and through bottling plants.​

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Coca-Cola, A Collector's Guide

 

Bateman / Schaefer, 1995

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Provides an overview of Coca-Cola memorabilia while explaining how each object is linked to the history and development of the company, and highlights more than two hundred items from rare clocks to conventional promotional objects.

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Coca-Cola: An Illustrated History

 

Watters,1978

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An account of the Coca-Cola Company's rise to power and popularity begins with the drink's early days in Atlanta and follows through to current international marketing strategies

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Classic Coca-Cola Serving Trays 
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Petretti / Beyer, 1998

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Dedicated to promotional serving trays produced for Coca-Cola, this comprehensive guide provides detailed descriptions and lush full-color photographs of serving tray artistry. The authors also include in-depth histories and descriptions of the trays.

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Classic Coca-Cola Calendars

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Petretti / Beyer, 2000

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The first book dedicated to promotional calendars produced for Coca-Cola, this comprehensive guide provides detailed descriptions and lush full-color photographs of calendar artistry. The authors also include in-depth histories and descriptions of the calendars.

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Formula For Fortune

 

Abrams, 2012

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In Formula for Fortune, author Ann Uhry Abrams narrates the life and times of Candler-from his ancestral background to the death of the last of his five children. Formula for Fortune not only shows how he turned his entrepreneurial genius into an empire, but also relates his status in Atlanta, Georgia, as a prominent banker, realtor, philanthropist, civil servant, and mayor. 

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The Coca-Cola Trail

 

Jorgenson, 2019

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The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world's most recognized product. The trail will take readers to the places in America that tell the story - places where you can see, touch, and remember. Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan - The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend.

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The Real Ones

 

Graham, 1992

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The great-great-granddaughter of the founder of the Coca-Cola Company provides an inside look into her family and one of the most successful, idiosyncratic companies in American business.

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Coca-Cola Girls

 

Beyer, 2000

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In Coca-Cola Girls,  the author traces significant Company mileposts while underscoring them with lavish illustrations. Coca-Cola Girls covers the way celebrities, such as Clark Gable and Jean Harlow, lent their faces and cachet to the product. Gil Elvgren painted luscious pin-up girls, and even Santa Claus got in the act. For decades, the Coca-Cola girl has lived gracefully in the overalls of a World War II factory worker and the sleek swimsuit of a sunbather. 

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The Martin Guide to Vintage                                    Memorabilia  1886-1969

EarlyCoke.com is a private collector's website that provides information useful to the Coca-Cola collecting community and contributes to an overall understanding of the history of the Coca-Cola Company and its advertising memorabilia. 

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