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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture Paperback - 1994

by William R. Leach

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.


First line

"They have emerged," wrote economist Edward Mead, husband of Emily Fogg Mead, of the new business corporations, in 1910, "like the trees in the primeval forest, wide and deep in the desires and necessities of mankind."

Details

  • Title Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
  • Author William R. Leach
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 1st Vintage Book
  • Pages 560
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Vintage, New York
  • Date September 6, 1994
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index
  • ISBN 9780679754114 / 0679754113
  • Weight 1.15 lbs (0.52 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.02 x 5.26 x 1.18 in (20.37 x 13.36 x 3.00 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
  • Library of Congress subjects Department stores - United States - History, United States - Commercial policy - History
  • Dewey Decimal Code 381.141

Media reviews

"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

Citations

  • Publishers Weekly, 08/15/1994, Page 0

About the author

William R. Leach is a professor of history at Columbia University. His books include Butterfly People, Country of Exiles: The Destruction of Place in American Life, and Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture, which was a National Book Award finalist.
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by Leach, William R.

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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by William Leach; William R. Leach

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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by William R. Leach; William Leach

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1994. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by William R. Leach; William Leach

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by William R. Leach; William Leach

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by Leach, William R.

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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by Leach, William R.

  • Used
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780679754114 / 0679754113
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by Leach, William R

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780679754114 / 0679754113
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire : Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by Leach, William R

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture
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Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

by William R. Leach

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
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Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780679754114 / 0679754113
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