On the Origin of Spin: Or how Hollywood, the Ad Men and the Internet created our images of power.

What exactly is political image making? Who are the spin doctors and what do they do? In his analysis of the image making process, Brendan Bruce (one of Margaret Thatcher's former image advisers) unravels the mystery that has surrounded this subject for decades. Tracing image making back to its historical roots, Bruce shows that it is by no means a modern phenomenon: the powerful have been employing image makers since Tudor England. The last hundred years have witnessed the development of sophisticated techniques for shaping the public images of the famous (and would-be famous) in politics and business. Bruce explains the debt the contemporary image experts owe to the Hollywood studios who raised "hype" to an art form, perfected "scandal management" and used the "makeover" system to turn truck drivers and waitresses into legends. Bruce examines in detail how the "body language" gurus, "grooming" experts and voice coaches prepare the world's leaders for their public appearances. He also explains how "attack" advertising is ruthlessly exploited to destroy opposition and how sophisticated technology is used to manipulate mass audiences. Churchill, Kennedy, Thatcher, Reagan, Clinton and Obama are only a few of the famous personalities that are analyzed in this study.