Working at Play. A History of Vacations in the United States - Couverture rigide

Aron, Cindy S.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0195055845 ISBN 13 : 9780195055849

Editeur : Oxford University Press, 1999

Synopsis

This text chronicles the history of vacationing in America since the early part of the 19th century. It is concerned with how, when, and why vacationing came to be part of American life, charting this social and cultural institution as it grew from the custom of a small elite in the early 19th century to a mass phenomenon on the eve of World War II. It looks at American cultural anxieties about vacations and the constant struggle Americans have engaged in with the notion of taking time off from work. Utilizing diaries and photographs, Aron looks at many popular American vacation spots and types of vacations, including self-improvement vacations, resort vacations, touring vacations and camping vacations, including vacations for working class people and for Depression-era Americans. Among the vacation spots she discusses are Saratoga Springs, Niagara Falls, the Jersey Shore, Long Island, Chautauqua, Martha's Vineyard, Southern springs, world's fairs, and Yosemite, Yellowstone and other national parks.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

The book is an original and ambitious undertaking, grounded in enterprising archival research in business records and private papers. It will be required reading in its field... (John K. Walton, Cultural and Social History)

... accessible survey of the history of holidaymaking in the United States before the Second World War. (Cultural and Social History)

... interesting and well-written ... It opens out a neglected subject, and one whose economic and cultural importance is only now becoming apparent to conventionally-minded historians. It should attract the critical attention of social and cultural historians on both sides of the Atlantic, and beyond. (Cultural and Social History)

Présentation de l'éditeur

In Working at Play, Aron offers the first full-length history of how Americans have vacationed. In the early 19th century, Aron shows, vacations were taken for health more than for fun, as the wealthy travelled to watering places, seeking cures for everything from consumption to rheumatism. But starting in the 1850s the growth of a white-collar middle class and the expansion of railroads made vacationing a mainstream activity. Aron charts this growth with grace and insight, tracing the rise of new vacation spots as the nation and the middle class blossomed.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press
• Date d'édition: 1999
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0195055845
• ISBN 13: 9780195055849
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 336
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Ufficio Anagrafiche Messaggerie; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8; Assago Milano; 20090; Italie