Sears Wish Books 1937-1975

"The 1933 Christmas Book catalog started a tradition that made the Sears Wish Book an American icon. The Sears catalog and the name Wish Book were closely linked over the years. Prior to 1933, Sears customers often affectionately referred to the large, semi-annual, general catalogs Sears issued as the “Wish Book” or “Book of Wishes.” After 1933, the Wish Book name became synonymous with the annual Christmas Book catalog. In 1968, Sears made it official by renaming the Christmas Book catalog The Wish Book." -from the SearsArchives website

We'll concentrate and the guitars and amps that were offered in the yearly holiday catalog, but if you'd like to check out complete catalogs (and I KNOW you do), head over to WishBookWeb for full Christmas catalogs from Sears, JC Penneys, Montgomery Ward, FAO Schwarz and more!



1971. The stylized Sears/Roebuck logo, the 'Space Dot,' has taken a firm hold at Sears, as the Silvertone name was soon to lapse into unregistered trademark limbo. One of the first LP clones makes its appearance this Wish Book, and a 'Fuzz-tone' joins the 'Wah Wah' in the stomp box offerings.

More 1971. The Made In Japan acoustics begin to muscle in on the domestic flattops this year.

1972. Evenly matched; two Harmony-built and two Made in Japan acoustics. That 1217 is a real looker; it's the first all-black acoustic since the 658, and unlike the Kay-made f-hole pin-striper, it's a flattop. I often wonder if the popularity of the Johnny Cash Show on TV around this time is what brought this one to market.

More 1972. Rockin' the clones! No less that THREE Tele-type guitars, and one funky SG wannabe for this year. Links for the 1413 and 1407.
Also, check out the stomp boxes, in the Wish Book for the first time.



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I'm still looking for Wish Book pages to fill the gaps. If you've got scans of  Christmas/Wish Books from Sears for the years 1933, 1934,1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1948, and 1949, I'd sure appreciate you sending them to me. I'll even give you a free pair of Silvertone guitar picks for your trouble!



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