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Ray Oldenburg

Great Good Place Paperback – August 18, 1999

by Ray Oldenburg (Author)

4.5 138 ratings

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The landmark survey that celebrates all the places where people hang out--and is helping to spawn their revival

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

"Third places," or "great good places," are the many public places where people can gather, put aside the concerns of home and work (their first and second places), and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively conversation. They are the heart of a community's social vitality and the grassroots of a democracy. Author Ray Oldenburg portrays, probes, and promotes th4ese great good places--coffee houses, cafes, bookstores, hair salons, bars, bistros, and many others both past and present--and offers a vision for their revitalization.

Eloquent and visionary, this is a compelling argument for these settings of informal public life as essential for the health both of our communities and ourselves. And its message is being heard: Today, entrepreneurs from Seattle to Florida are heeding the call of The Great Good Place--opening coffee houses, bookstores, community centers, bars, and other establishments and proudly acknowledging their indebtedness to this book.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publication date

August 18, 1999
Dimensions

6 x 0.96 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1569246815
ISBN-13

978-1569246818
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Great Good Place has put into words and focus what I've been doing all my life, from the barbershop I remember as a child to the bookstore I now own. My goal at Horizon Books is to provide that third place in which people can "hang out." Ray Oldenburg has defined those good places while still recognizing the magical chemistry they require. The Great Good Place is a book to read, to recommend, and to quote. -- Victor W. Herman, owner of Horizon Books, with locations in Traverse City, Petoskey, and Cadillac, Michigan

A book that should be read by everyone in North America over the age of 16 -- The World of Beer

A day doesn't go by that I don't refer to Ray Oldenburg's The Great Good Place. At a time when all great, good independent bookstores everywhere are under siege, we're fortunate that Mr. Oldenburg has articulated our message so clearly. -- Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, Miami, Florida

Examines gathering places and reminds us how important they are. People need the 'third place' to nourish sociability. -- Parade

Oldenburg believes that the powerful need in humans to associate with one another will inevitably lead to the revival of places where, as the theme song to the TV show Cheers so aptly put it, 'everyone knows your name.' We'll drink to that. -- Booklist

Ray Oldenburg is inspirational. He is the first to recognize and articulate the importance of the greeting place (third place) for the well-being of the individual and society at large. -- Ron Sher, President, Terranomics Development and founder of Third Place Books, Seattle, Wash.

The great value of this book is that Mr. Oldenburg has given us an insightful and extremely useful new lens through which to look at a familiar problem. -- New York Times Book Review

This wonderful and utterly important book verifies our need for fun through conversation in "great good places." Oldenburg writes passionately of our country's current and urgent problems resulting from our ever-increasing social isolation and provides us with a very simple solution. America must read and react to this rational common-sense solution to salving our stressed lives. And our government needs to promote, permit, and zone responsible neighborhood hospitality, recognizing the value of "a vital informal life." -- Lynne Breaux, owner, Tunnicliff's Tavern, Washington, D.C.

Well-written, informative, and often entertaining. -- Newark Star-Ledger

About the Author

Ray Oldenburg, PhD, is a professor of sociology at the University of West Florida. He is frequently sought after as a media commentator and consultant to entrepreneurs, community and urban planners, churches, and others seeking to establish great good places. He lives in Pensacola, Florida.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Marlowe & Company; 3rd edition (August 18, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1569246815
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1569246818
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.96 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #312,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #207 in Customs & Traditions Social Sciences
- #251 in Sociology of Urban Areas
- #841 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer Reviews:
4.5 138 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

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fabricio mora

Excelente libro

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2022

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Gran libro lo que he leido hasta el momento es muy bueno, da varios tipos, reseñas y experiencias del tercer lugar,

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Alicia Crumpton

Human Interaction: The Importance of Third Spaces for Sense of Community

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2013

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Jane Jacobs (1992) in The Death and Life of Great American Cities described the challenges to peoples' sense of community derived from urban planning and design when little attention is paid to creating spaces for routine, informal human interaction. Why is it that Starbucks and the coffee shop in general has become a meeting and gathering place? Why is the local pub such a fun place to be, a place where I look forward to seeing my 'friends' loosely defined as those who hang out there most Friday nights?

Oldenburg's The Great Good Place describes sociologically the role and importance of Third places - (places other than home or work) (p. xvii). Important qualities of third places:
1) They are inclusive and local
2) They create an environment in which everybody knows just about everybody
3) They serve as ports of entry for visitors
4) They offer a 'neutral ground' space for conversation, idea sharing, and the transmittal of social norms
5) Create places for fun and enjoyment
6) Create a sense of belonging and connectedness

This is a must read for anyone interested in belonging, community, and placemaking. I would also recommend this book for those interested in starting a restaurant or coffee shop, a gathering place, a community center, or church. Additional reading that might be helpful:

Block, P. (2008). Community: The structure of belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

McKnight, J., & Block, P. The abundant community: Awakening the power of families and neighborhoods (1st ed.). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

15 people found this helpful

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Grant Coultrup

Fascinating book

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2021

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Incredible read, excellent for anyone trying to reimagine spaces. Very relevant in the post-pandemic America

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Christopher William Stebbins

A vital and important book for lovers and designers of cities

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2019

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This book serves as a historical lens to explain the psychological and sociological isolation all American suburbanites have experienced, and all the negative impacts over decades.

Our cities are products of Modernism and post-WWII urban design, where cities are spread out and the suburbs are far-away from the city center and public community spaces are absent.

This book is a vitally-important read for people who never knew anything different that the classic American suburb, and are interested in helping bring people together and build communities.

One person found this helpful

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LAWRENCE BLOOMBERG

What I Liked the most about the book was the detail in ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2018

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What I Liked the most about the book was the detail in the writing about cafe's as social meeting places. I like cafe's and coffee shops because they have a casual laid back kind of atmosphere. this book goes into this phenomenon fairly well. the book could have had some color photos of coffee shops inside the book and not just on the cover. This book makes for some interesting reading.

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Steve McConihay

Highlights the importance of community where there is no class distinction....a common place

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019

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I used this book to reference back to Ray Oldenburg's book "The Great Good Place"

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Harmon

along with Jane Jacobs' Death & Life of Great Cities, could be the basis of a college ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

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This book, along with Jane Jacobs' Death & Life of Great Cities, could be the basis of a college course on the sociology of urban neighborhoods. It's a pleasant read, and even if it doesn't change the way you think about "third places," it will bring your thoughts into better focus.

4 people found this helpful

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susanjlife

Needs an edit.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022

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Interesting premise but all over the place . Too many topics and thoughts . More like a text book .

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Noel Roy

Very well presented

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2023

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A lot of happy memories

Vincent Callebore

To read, to get back to the true definition of modest and popular third places

Reviewed in France on January 19, 2020

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Much cited at a time when third places are becoming fashion, this book is paradoxically little read by those who only quote summaries or isolated sentences. However, reading it allows us to put into perspective and even criticize the current excesses of the concept of third places, which has been recuperated and even instrumentalized. No, third places are not only open-spaces for co-working and other fablab for gentrifiers. Popular public benches, modest neighbourhood libraries, old rural bars are just as much and even more so...

2 people found this helpful

ade palomares

Livre

Reviewed in France on February 16, 2021

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Bon contenus

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AVW

Invaluable insights into communities

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2010

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The importance of this book is such that anyone with the remotest interest in community or social life, whether their own or others', should read it at least once. Oldenburg's premise is deceptively simple: that a community needs a third place, a place that is neither one's home nor work, in order to mingle and strengthen social and personal ties. But he goes a lot further than that, showing how even individual health and security are reliant on such establishments; and that democracy itself is dependent as evidenced by attempts in the 17th century in Sweden and England to close down coffee houses as they were considered hotbeds of dissent i.e. people thinking for themselves. The lack of third places in modern western culture therefore takes on quite a serious, if not sinister, tone.

Having read Putnam's 'Bowling Alone', where he references Oldenburg quite considerably, I was unsure about buying this book as the premise seemed simple and quite obvious. But that doesn't do justice to the wealth of material here, and surprising revelations. For instance, what I considered fully functioning third places where I meet friends in London, turn out to be BYOFs - Bring Your Own Friends - where the social interaction is severely limited to small independent groups, therefore having limited benefit for the larger community.

I have one criticism and one only, which is similar to that I have of Putnam where he appears so convinced of the positive effects of social capital that he isn't aware of its potential for destructive influence, such as social bullying and subtle conditioning at the expense of the individual. With 'The Great Good Place', Oldenburg is likewise so convinced of his own argument - and it IS convincing - that he takes it too far, possibly, in one later chapter where he calls for the segregation of the sexes. He may be right, but he doesn't put his case convincingly to others; and one can't escape the feeling that he's basically a good old boy coming from another era, that he doesn't know a society where men and women can relax in one another's company and be straightforward and honest with each other. But then he picks up speed again after this chapter, and is right back on form.

Overall this is an extraordinarily fascinating and informative book, full of modern and historical anecdotes, and provides much-needed insight into the ailments of modern society, as well as cures that actually succeed as I have discovered in my own community work.

14 people found this helpful

MadGieGie

Good!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2019

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Bought this book for my thesis. It’s to help me to define what the third space is and the comparisons between public space and the third space.

One person found this helpful

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Great Good Place Paperback – August 18, 1999

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