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In the early days, most Nabisco products were displayed in bulk packaging. Store clerks would have to retrieve the desired baked goods from the container and individually wrap them for the customer. Nabisco was a pioneer in merchandising and marketing baked goods and in introducing individual packaging. Individual packaging extended shelf life, was more sanitary, reduced store labor costs, greatly increased sales and generated brand loyalty.

I have collected advertising signs and related items for more than 40 years. It was only recently that I became attracted to cardboard streetcar advertising signs. Initially, it was the superb graphics that caught my attention but as I did more Internet research, I became fascinated with the history associated with the creation and use of these cards as well as with the company's, products, and services offered. After retiring, I decided to write a book to help preserve some of these amazing streetcar card images before they succumb to the ages. This entire industry was founded on creating advertising cards that were simply used for a brief period of time and then simply scrapped or discarded after use. A lucky few cards ended up...