Nowadays, you aren’t likely to find a famous novelist shilling for their favorite brand — for one thing, most writers just aren’t as recognizable as your average actor, and for another, well, they’re artists. But it wasn’t always that way: quite a few writers have appeared in advertisements over the years, even lending their own words to support a product. Yep, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck: both sellouts. We kid, we kid. After the jump, check out a few famous writers selling everything from alcohol to… well, it’s mostly alcohol. Have a favorite vintage literary ad we’ve missed? Link to it in the comments!
Ernest Hemingway for Ballantine Ale. [Image via]
Mark Twain for Paul E. Wirt fountain pens. [Image via]
Mickey Spillane for Miller Lite.
Anita Loos for Ballantine Ale. [Image via]
Frederick Forsyth for Rolex. [Image via]
Robert Ludlum for Guinness. [Image via]
John Steinbeck for Ballantine Ale. [Image via]
Erle Stanley Gardner for Bromo-Seltzer. [Image via]
Temple Fielding for Ethiopian Airlines. [Image via]
C S Forester for Ballantine Ale. [Image via]
Erskine Caldwell for Lord Calvert Whiskey. [Image via]
Mark Twain (again, for fun) for Campbell’s Soup. [Image via]