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Stephen J. Stein

The Shaker Experience in America: A History of the United Society of Believers Paperback – Illustrated, February 23, 1994

by Stephen J. Stein (Author)

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The Shakers, once a radical religious sect whose members were despised and harassed by their fellow Americans, have in recent years become celebrated―and sentimentalized―for their communal way of life, the simplicity of their worship, their belief in celibacy, pacifism, and equality of the sexes, and not least, their superb furniture and handicrafts. This monumental book is the first general history of the Shakers from their origins in eighteenth-century England to the present day.

Drawing on written and oral testimony by Shakers over the past two centuries, Stephen J. Stein offers a full and often revisionist account of the movement: their charismatic leaders, the early years in revolutionary New York and New England, the expansion into the West, the maturation and growth of the sect before the Civil War, the decline in their fortunes after the war, the painful adjustments to society Shakers had to make during the first half of the twentieth century, the renaissance of interest after 1950, and the “forbidden topic” within contemporary Shakerism―the conflict between the two remaining villages at Canterbury, New Hampshire, and Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Stein provides many new interpretations of the Shaker experience. He reassesses the role of founder Ann Lee, emphasizes the impact of the western Shaker settlements on the course of the society’s history, and describes the variety of cultural enterprises that have obscured the religious and historical dimensions of the Shakers. Throughout Stein places the Shaker experience within the wider context of American life and shows how the movement has evolved to deal with changing times. Shattering the romantic myth that has been perpetuated about the quaint and peaceful Shakers, Stein portrays a group that is factious, practical, and fully human.

Print length

574 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

February 23, 1994
Dimensions

9.21 x 6.15 x 1.13 inches
ISBN-10

0300059337
ISBN-13

978-0300059335
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen J. Stein is professor of religious studies, adjunct professor of history, and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Reprint edition (February 23, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 574 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300059337
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300059335
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.84 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.21 x 6.15 x 1.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,241,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #55 in Shake Christianity
- #2,941 in General History of Religion
- #3,797 in History of Religions

Customer Reviews:
20 ratings

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coolwasabi

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great..

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Elaine M.

Shakers...more than furniture

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book describes the Shaker life, but it did so in a way that seemed dry to me. I tried to read it for a college level course, but honestly did not make it all the way through. That is saying something, coming from a person who reads every book she starts from cover to cover, especially if it is an assignment!

4 people found this helpful

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Carole A. Johnson

Fascinating.

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

Rich experience of the many Shaker communities . A valuable history of a misunderstood religious sect.

One person found this helpful

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M. Lucey Bowen

Definitive

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2010

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As someone who drank the Edward Deming Andrews cool-aid practically from birth, I was delighted to find a detailed, well-sourced account of what we can know about the Shakers from Ann Lee to Frances Carr. So much warmer and human than a chair or box!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Micajah Burnett

The Definitive Source

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2013

Verified Purchase

I am an employee at a Shaker Village and this is THE source if you want an accurate, concise history of the Shakers.

5 people found this helpful

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JeanL

Shakers

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

I had purchased the book as was taking part in a Road Scholar trip to Pleasant HIll in Kentucky, a restored Shaker Village. The book is extremely well documented but found I sometimes did read through great amounts of detail. But it is well worth reading to discover the more complicated history of the group which goes beyond furniture and songs.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

frumiousb

Necessary History

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2001

Ann Lee said "Do all your work as though you had a thousand years to live, and as you would if you knew you must die tommorrow." That sentiment carries much of the flavor of the American Shaker sect and acts as a guiding principle for understanding their history.
And that history is important, particularly if you want to understand the US during the nineteenth century. These highly successful communities managed to contribute to the fabric of a nation while living out their ideals of celibacy, simplicity of life, separation from the world, and community of goods. Industrialization and the US Civil War caused the circumstances that led to their inevitable decline, as the new country became more interested in class struggle than utopian visions.
Extremely interesting reading.

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Robert R

All the truth, some of which you wish you didn't know

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2014

Hang onto your bonnets...this book purports to be the true, un-romanticized history of the Shakers, which it is. It includes all the struggles, the in-fighting amongst the Shakers and between the various communities, the split between religious ideals and worldly dealing, their long and painful downfall in the hands of trust funds and lawyers, and includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. You won't find lyrical descriptions of their peaceful daily lives, beautiful craftsmanship or joyful personal worship. If you want that, go watch Ken Burns' documentary. I must say that this nitty-gritty, warts-and-all story is just as one-sided as a glamorous photo book of oval boxes, architecture and rhapsodic poetry about Shaker purity. We need to experience both sides, not one or the other.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

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