Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture [Paperback]

Robert S. Lynd (Author), Helen Merrell Lynd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1959

The first of two classic studies that examined the daily life of a typical small american city-in actuality, Muncie, Indiana-in the mid-1920s, using the approach of social anthropology. Of enduring interest to students of SOCIOLOGY (740), these works inspired an acclaimed six-part television series. Foreword by Clark Wissler; Index.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sociologist and educator Helen Merrell Lynd (1896-1982) was a coauthor of the classic sociological study "Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture". With her husband, Robert S. Lynd, she studied the beliefs and practices of the residents of a small industrial town to provide a unique portrait of American life in the 1920s. They returned to the town during the Great Depression of the 1930s to observe changes in the community, a study which was published as "Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts".

Helen Merrell Lynd, with her husband, Robert S. Lynd, coauthored the classic sociological work Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture. A study of the lives of the citizens of an average American town in the 1920s, the book became a best-seller and a standard text for sociology students. The Lynds followed up on Middletown residents in the 1930s, producing the volume Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts. In addition to these collaborative works with her husband, Lynd also had a successful independent career in academia. A longtime member of the staff of Sarah Lawrence College, she wrote a number of books on education, history, philosophy, and sociology.

Lynd was born Helen Merrell on March 17, 1896, in La Grange, Illinois.

Sociologist and educator Helen Merrell Lynd (1896-1982) was a coauthor of the classic sociological study "Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture". With her husband, Robert S. Lynd, she studied the beliefs and practices of the residents of a small industrial town to provide a unique portrait of American life in the 1920s. They returned to the town during the Great Depression of the 1930s to observe changes in the community, a study which was published as "Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts".

Helen Merrell Lynd, with her husband, Robert S. Lynd, coauthored the classic sociological work Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture. A study of the lives of the citizens of an average American town in the 1920s, the book became a best-seller and a standard text for sociology students. The Lynds followed up on Middletown residents in the 1930s, producing the volume Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts. In addition to these collaborative works with her husband, Lynd also had a successful independent career in academia. A longtime member of the staff of Sarah Lawrence College, she wrote a number of books on education, history, philosophy, and sociology.

Lynd was born Helen Merrell on March 17, 1896, in La Grange, Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 550 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Javanovich (April 15, 1959)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156595508
• ISBN-13: 978-0156595506
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Type of History, December 23, 2001

By 

Megan "Megan" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture (Paperback)

When this book was written, it was absolutely revolutionary: it was the first time someone had used anthropological tecniques on a modern American town! The authors studied newspapers, visible trends, and interviews with many of the inhabitants of Muncie, Indiana (which they picked and renamed "Middletown" because it was supposed to be an average American town). What they created was a vibrant picture of modern America.

Now, seventy years later, the book is an incredibly important historical work about the 1920's. Yet it's also a great read: my favorite part was the chapter where all the teenagers complain about how their parents never let them do anything, and the parents complain about how their teenagers have too much freedom and are probably getting into bad things.

I definately reccomend this book to anyone who is interested about the 1920's. Even if you don't like the book, you'll understand why Muncie, Indiana is used in so many pop culture references to average mid-western towns!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and important book, January 26, 2003

By 

Christopher J. Martin (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture (Paperback)

Middletown is a very interesting and important work of anthropology, sociology and history. Not just because it's the first time anthropological techniques were applied to a study of a single American city, but also Lynd's findings provide an interesting look at how by the time of his writings in the 1920s, things between then and now haven't changed in certain respects. Lynd reports disputes between parents and children over the use of the family autombile, the children out too late at parties and those parties not breaking up until the wee hours of the morning. All of this is certainly still prevalent today in many American families. Lynd also discusses how many people in "Middletown" did not vote in the 1922 elections and were cynical about politicians in general. This feeling again, is quite prevalent in American politics today.
Lynd's book serves to support the cliche, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
For anybody who thinks that the problems of American society are new and caused by a decline in morality due to technology and other recent influences, get this book. Lynd will show you that this "decline" is not new nor caused by recent outside influences such as TV, the Internet. movies or music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, October 18, 2009

By 

RM Book Lover "Book Lover" (wilmette, il USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture (Paperback)

Middletown is a fascinating look at life in middle America in the 1920s. So much has changed, so much is the same.