Tipping: An American Social History of Gratuities [Library Binding]

Kerry Segrave (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998 | ISBN-10: 0786403470 | ISBN-13: 978-0786403479 | Edition: 1St Edition

Though the history of tipping can be traced to the Middle Ages, the practice did not become widespread until the late 19th century. Initially, Americans reviled the custom, branding it un-American and undemocratic. The opposition gradually faded away and tipping became an American institution. The government was fairly quick to recognize tips as taxable income, but were far slower to use them in the calculation of unemployment insurance payments and social security benefits. Individuals came to grudgingly accept the practice, but many remain uncomfortable in tipping situations. From its beginnings in Europe to its development as a quintessentially American trait, tipping is given a complete history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"an enormous amount of detail...a very fine study" -- Library Journal

About the Author

Prolific writer Kerry Segrave also wrote Baldness: A Social History (1996). He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 198 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company; 1St Edition edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786403470
• ISBN-13: 978-0786403479
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,891,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good source of historical facts; no theory or analysis, February 15, 2005

By 

"Bob" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tipping: An American Social History of Gratuities (Library Binding)

What Segrave does, he does well, and this is to conduct thorough archival research. The book is a straightforward re-presentation of this material, without much embellisment by Segrave. His chapters are paired examinations of somewhat arbitrarily defined eras - "practices" over several decades is met in the next chapter with "responses" to these practices over the same decades. This provides what little structure the book has, and doesn't contribute much analytically.

This book is a solid introduction to media-recorded historical events and attitudes concerning tipping in the U.S., and a good general factual background on that. A must for any serious research on tipping. However, anyone looking for any sort of theory or analysis must look elsewhere, as Segrave is very deliberately focused on one thing - "just the facts, please".