Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America [Paperback]

Carl N. Degler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 1983

The original edition of this now classic work was hailed by Jacob Cohen in The Nation as "the finest one-volume interpretation of American history extant."

For this Third Edition of Out of Our Past, Carl Degler has added a comprehensive new chapter on the historical development of American families, brought up to date the discussion of U.S. foreign policy, greatly expanded sections dealing with the place and history of women in our past, and made numerous changes throughout the text in light of scholarship published since the appearance of the 1970 Revised Edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Carl Degler presents a skillful, discriminating distillation of the work of many experts in various fields . . . He possesses a gift, too rare among historical scholars, of lucid exposition and an excellent readable style." -- William Henry Chamberlin"The best single-volume interpretation of American history now extant. It is not a comprehensive ré sumé of our long history, but rather an account of the development of the issues, the conditions, and the values which concern us today."-- D. M. Potter, "Saturday Review""The author must be credited with a lively style, keen analytic powers, and a truly remarkable ability to synthesize current scholarship on a myriad of subjects."-- "Pennsylvania History"

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 3 Sub edition (December 20, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061319856
• ISBN-13: 978-0061319853
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful History Book, May 13, 2001

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America (Paperback)

One of the main textbooks for my honors history class. Really took a different perspective than the other students got slogging through their "history lite" books. Degler made me stop and think, not just try to memorize facts. Not an easy read, but well worth the effort. I found myself discovering that my country didn't have the easily explained history I had been brought up with.

Don't just read this book, though, also get a copy of Howar Zinn's "A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present." Between these two books, you'll begin to form a deeper appreciation of American history--and perhaps find our present much more disturbing. I know I sure did!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only for the serious student, January 30, 2001

By 

Nathan Baker (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America (Paperback)

One must remember that this book was written in the late 1950s, when the writing style was geared to a much higher level of education. It wasn't until the late seventies and early eighties that most literature began scaling back to enhance comprehension in a world where the average reader didn't understand classical references and long, complex sentences. So, while Mr. Degler has written a very detailed and fact-oriented book, its readability suffers because most students reading this book are unused to this style of writing. I think it's a tribute to the excellence of the book's information that it is often used as a history text even though it is so outdated and difficult to read. Guaranteed to cure even the most acute insomnia :) Greetz to the CAK AP History class of 2000-2001!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stimulating history of United States, July 17, 2006

By 

Koreen (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Our Past: The Forces That Shaped Modern America (Paperback)

This was one of the historical works that most impressed me when I was in college many years ago. "Out of Our Past" is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the United States. However, Carl N. Degler provides very stimulating interpretations of some of the key developments in the history of the United States. The book is balanced with well reasoned insights and analysis, supported by historical facts.

"Out of Our Past" is not easy reading, but I highly recommend this book, especially the chapters covering the 19th and 20th centuries. I especially recommend this book for persons who have a strong interest in history and history majors in college.