Image from http://www.raywelch.com/

Copywriter: A Life of Making Ads and Other Mistakes by Ray Welch was given to me by a college professor who found this book to not only be an amusing account of his godfather’s life, but also a take on the most exciting times of the advertising industry.

I carried it around for a month before reading it on a flight home from Detroit, which turned out to be a life saver for someone who was stuck on a red eye flight with no one to talk to (plus my motion sickness didn’t make me any friends). I’m so glad I did. Welch’s account of his career was absolutely hysterical, and informative. From cover to cover, Copywriter is that breath of fresh air you need amongst trade publications and “how to be successful” books.

One of the coolest parts about this book is its structure. While Welch was writing Copywriter, he asked many of his art director friends to come on board for the project. The end result – each of the chapters has a different feel, different artwork, and a different interpretation of the golden days of advertising. Besides being a great biography of a rough and tumble copywriter, the book is also a journey through the creative process and what it takes to make it (or break it) in the business.

Not to mention, Copywriter outlines the antics of the some of the industry’s biggest players as they booze, schmooze, and toss their cookies on helicopter rides. Finally, another advertiser with air sickness