The books that the show’s characters read are more than just period props – they offer eagle-eyed fans an extra insight into their thinking. As we get ready to close the chapter on the final series, a librarian at the New York Public Library has published the definitive Mad Men reading list
- Guardian Members’ Mad Men screening and panel discussion Thursday 9 April
Who could forget the beginning of Mad Men’s sixth season, with Don and Megan Draper lying on a Hawaiian beach, far from the smokey, heavy atmosphere of their New York lives – and Don’s focused reading of Dante’s Inferno?
Literature has been an integral part of the AMC show since its inception. Its creator, Matthew Weiner, recently admitted that he based many characters’ last names on the authors of books he had in his office. But books are present in the show in many ways; very often as subtle winks and nudges that explain a lot about the characters.
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