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William R. Leach

Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture Paperback – Illustrated, September 6, 1994

by William R. Leach (Author)

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This monumental work of cultural history was nominated for a National Book Award. It chronicles America's transformation, beginning in 1880, into a nation of consumers, devoted to a cult of comfort, bodily well-being, and endless acquisition. 24 pages of photos.

Print length

560 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

September 6, 1994
Dimensions

5.19 x 1.4 x 7.96 inches
ISBN-10

0679754113
ISBN-13

978-0679754114
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This NBA nominee is an outstanding cultural history of America's turn-of-the-century transformation into a nation of consumers.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"An extraordinary work of history, imaginatively conceived, thoroughly researched and absorbingly written. William Leach allows us to see the production of mass consumer culture and to see it whole, in its richness and its poverty. It is a fascinating and troubling tale, and Leach tells it with exceptional skill and sensitivity." --Jean-Christophe Agnew, Yale University

"A major reinterpretation of our cultural experience, Land of Desire is a brilliant, evocative, and highly readable study by an original, honest and courageous historian who has seen to the heart of American commercial culture. In a society in debt to the licentious 1980s and unfortunately still attempting to achieve social justice though endless growth, this is required reading."--Mary O. Furner, University of California, Santa Barbara

Product information

Technical Details

Publisher

‎Vintage; Illustrated edition (September 6, 1994)

Language

‎English

Paperback

‎560 pages

ISBN-10

‎0679754113

ISBN-13

‎978-0679754114

Item Weight

‎1.19 pounds

Dimensions

‎5.19 x 1.4 x 7.96 inches

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Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		9%
3 star		12%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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ABCrane

Excellent genealogy of "consumptionism"

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2022

Verified Purchase

(A response) My gut feeling based on my own experience and readings is that industrialization opened the space for a mass healing (albeit often a counterproductive attempt via consumerism!) of what I playfully call “post feudalism traumatic stress disorder “ One big example is a call for the end of child labor —prevalent in feudalism and early industrialism . So on the one hand , we have a good intention and on the other a mismanagement of that good intention. All true healers understand this: when healing , the toxins temporarily worsen the condition of the patient as they expel. Today, the toxins are still spewing. Dr. Leach contributes a wealth of evidence to this thesis with precision, grace, wisdom, and compassion.

Helpful

Sicily Girl

Excellent history and fascinating analysis

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Fabulous sociology and history of department stores and the birth of American consumer culture

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Louise Milone

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

For anyone who wants to know where and how consumer America got its start, this is the book.

One person found this helpful

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Camille Allensworth

Probably one of the most thorough and comprehensive books ever ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

Probably one of the most thorough and comprehensive books ever written on the roots of American commercial manipulation during these formative years.

4 people found this helpful

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Mary & Ron

Well researched but got boring after a while

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I got bored. It's a detailed account of the rise of consumerism in the context of early department stores. Very well researched and detailed. I read about 20% of the book and now I'm giving it to the thrift store.

One person found this helpful

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Anonymous

Engaging and relevant

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2012

Verified Purchase

Very well done. Informative, engaging, a pleasure to read; and all too relevant to our own times. This is a very satisfying, as well as thought-provoking read.

3 people found this helpful

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Bruce W. Kletz

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

On time, as described.

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

Bore.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Sarah Beth Hunt

Gives an insight into how our consumer culture got to be this way

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Thought-proving read that gives us all insight into 'how things got to be this way' in terms of our vast consumer culture. This is a cultural history that helps us question some of our base assumptions about shopping, buying, credit cards, debt, working wages, chain stores, investment banking, advertising...and so many other things we take for granted as 'just the way things are'.

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