 The Theory of the Leisure Class (Penguin Classics) Books In Print, Audio Books. |
| Home » All Books |
|
|
The Theory of the Leisure Class (Penguin Classics)
buy bestselling books in print, audio books
|
 |
List Price: $15.00
Our Price:
$11.25
You Save: $3.75
|
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] |
Book : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
The Theory of the Leisure Class (Penguin Classics) Customer Reviews
|
|
|
|
♥♥♥♥♥ |
America's first great economic treatise
|
| Boring sciences often require insightful, imaginative writers to make mainstream. So it was with Einstien and theoretical physics, and so it is with economics and Thorstein Veblen as described in this book. Mr. Veblen descended from Norwegian immigrants to the US, and lived in the Midwest from the late 1800s to early 1900s. With a keen eye and insightful mind, he took in the huge economic growth of the US and the beginnings of mass consumerism and corporate advertising in the American population. What he saw was the formation of a middle and upper class that had both idle time and money to spare. Together, this created a leisure class that defined respect, social standing, and self-worth in terms of "pecuniary emulation", i.e. spending money on stuff and entertainment just because one could. Like a zoologist examining wild animals, Veblen picks apart the rituals, clothing, speech, and consumption habits of this newly rich. All of this is recorded and explained in extraordinary and sometimes comical detail in this book. Upon publication, this book became the first great work of economics by an American author, and made Veblen famous. Along with the Great Gatsby, this book provides one of the best description of the American upper class at the beginning of the 20th century. |
|