Original Nader Report on FTC
Written by Edward F. Cox, Robert C. Fellmeth and John E. Schulz and with a preface by Ralph Nader, THE NADER REPORT ON THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION is the report behind the Bar Association investigation ordered by President Nixon. It was published in this 1969 apparent First Edition by Richard W. Baron, New York.

Why did the Federal Trade Commission, the leading consumer-protection agency in the nation, become a joke to Washington insiders?

That was the question Ralph Nader put to a task force of seven young law students in the summer of 1968, prototype for the army of student investigators who set Washington on its ear in the summer of 1969. Nader sent his team of revolutionaries in button-down collars into the triangular granite and limestone pile that houses the Commission. Their job was to find out why deceptive business practices and advertising could continue almost unchallenged to take millions annually out of the pockets of American consumers, especially the ghetto poor.

They were impeded and harassed at every step. Staff members were afraid to talk to them, records would not be opened without the threat of a court order, and Chairman Paul Rand Dixon issued secret directives to hamper them. Nonetheless, they succeeded -- so well, in fact, that when they testified before a Congressional panel the next March, Senator Abraham A. Ribicoff remarked in admiration: ‘Bureaucracy being what it is, I am fascinated by your ability to get in so deep, and get so much information.’

By January, 1969, when the seven released their blistering report, the capital press corps had dubbed them Nader's Raiders.

That report uncovered a bureaucratic quagmire that would have awed Boss Tweed. The Raiders found an upside-down pyramid, with many chiefs -- all in top salary brackets -- among the more than 500 FTC lawyers, but very few Indians. The Raiders schematized the Commission's failures -- its reluctance to look for sharp operators, particularly big ones, and, when it couldn't help finding them, its reluctance to use what powers it had; its adoption of delay as a life style; and its inability to sort the essential from the trivial (characteristic was a four-year investigation of metals in a watchband chain while uninvestigated aluminum-siding swindles were driving ghetto victims to suicide).

That report is all here, dedicated to the American taxpayer, who must read it to believe what the FTC was doing -- or, more accurately, not doing -- with his money. And once the scandal became public knowledge, the Commission began pouring good money after bad as it began a hard-nose program to improve -- not its performance, but its image.

You'll be lucky if the NADER REPORT makes you lose only your temper; some employees who worked for the FTC and were caught with a copy also lost their jobs!

The 241-page hardbound book is in Very Good condition, although it is ex lib with the usual library markings. The dust jacket is present and protected with a mylar cover, with some minor edge wear. There is very minor edge/corner wear to the covers. Inside pages have no apparent defects. (5882)


Publisher: Richard W. Baron
ISBN: none  

Hidden Assassins, Food Hazards

Booth Mooney's THE HIDDEN ASSASSINS is a shocking account of the hazards in the food we eat and the need for safeguards to protect our nation's health. Published in this FIRST PRINTING in 1966 by Follett Publishing, Chicago, the 230-page hardbound book discusses numerous potential dangers.

Included are food-processing chemicals, food additives, pesticides, illegal industry practices, adulterants, contaminants, filth and more. Mooney cites case histories and provides careful documentation to show that these are not simple problems. Neither the government nor the food industry, he says, gives the consumer adequate protection.

The book is in Very Good condition, although it is ex lib with the usual library markings. The cover are protected by a Mylar-covered dust jacket and there are no apparent defects inside or out.

The true stories here are chilling … and one must wonder how much the food industry has changed in the past 30 years. It's a frightening view - and worth reading for your own protection! (3129)
Publisher: Follett Publishing
ISBN: None  

Consumer's Catalog of Economy and Ecology
Spending your hard-earned money is easy. Getting your money's worth is harder.

So, Jeanne & Robert Bendick, authors of The Consumer's Catalog of Economy and Ecology, compiled this book to give you facts and ways of thinking about buying that will fit your lifestyle, helping you to get the best bargains and make the best choices as a consumer.

Published in 1974 by McGraw-Hill Book Co. and featuring some great illustrations by Karen Watson, the 160-page hardbound book is a terrific resource!

Contents include Consumer Skills, Food, Cooking and Eating, Around the House, Outdoors, Clothes, Keep It Up, Fix It Up, and Help. In addition, there are charts ('for instant expertise') of unit prices, calendar of sale times, fabric fact sheet, wattage chart for appliances and stain removal.

Information here is far-reaching: What's in a price? How to pay for what you buy. How to bargain for the right price. Why stores have sales. Co-ops and buying clubs.

Labels and what they tell you. Warranties/Guarantees. Mail order buying. What fabric labels mean.

Buying non-food items in supermarkets. Health foods, organically-raised foods, natural foods, diet foods. Kitchen tools and appliances.

Furniture, bedding, floor coverings, house plants, safety stuff.

Buying tents, outdoor clothing, sleeping bags, cooking stuff, fishing gear, skis, surfboards, snorkels, tennis racquets, bicycles, cameras, clothing.

The book is filled with interesting and extremely helpful information. It is in Very Good condition, although it is ex lib and has the usual library markings. Covers show some light scuffing, but the inside pages are clean, readable and ready to help you be a better consumer! (1337/r16)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Book Co
ISBN: 0070045100