Product Description
THE AMERICAN CENTURY is a succinct, well-written history of the United States in the modern (post-1890's) era.It is valuable for either the second half of U.S. survey courses or for 20th Century U.S. courses for upperclass students.The text places special emphasis on economic and urban growth, social and political change, civil rights and liberties, and the growth of the U.S. into a global superpower.The specialization of each author contributes to an unusually strong balance of coverage. The authors handle both domestic and foreign policy issues and demonstrate the ways in which domestic and foreign policies are linked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

PLEASANT SURPRISE
This book was better than the textbook assigned to the class. I ended up using it more and more as the class progressed and eventually made it my permanent source. Surprisingly, I even enjoyed msyelf at times and found it very informative. ... Read more

Product Description
A Companion to 20th-Century America is an authoritative survey of the most important topics and themes of twentieth-century American history and historiography.

• Contains 29 original essays by leading scholars, each assessing the past and current state of American scholarship
  
• Includes thematic essays covering topics such as religion, ethnicity, conservatism, foreign policy, and the media, as well as essays covering major time periods
  
• Identifies and discusses the most influential literature in the field, and suggests new avenues of research, as the century has drawn to a close

Product Description
When William Chafe's The American Woman was published in 1972, it was hailed as a breakthrough in the study of women in this century. Bella Abzug praised it as "a remarkable job of historical research," and Alice Kessler-Harris called it "an extraordinarily useful synthesis of material about 20th-century women."But much has happened in the last two decades--both in terms of scholarship, and in the lives of American women.With The Paradox of Change, Chafe builds on his classic work, taking full account of the events and scholarship of the last fifteen years, as he extends his analysis into the 1990s with the rise of feminism and the New Right.

Chafe conveys all the subtleties of women's paradoxical position in the United States today, showing how women have gradually entered more fully into economic and political life, but without attaining complete social equality or economic justice.Despite the gains achieved by feminist activists during the 1970s and 1980s, the tensions continued to abound between public and private roles, and the gap separating ideals of equal opportunity from the reality of economic discrimination widened.Women may have gained some new rights in the last two decades, but the feminization of poverty has also soared, with women constituting 70% of the adult poor.Moreover, a resurgence of conservatism, symbolized by the triumph of Phyllis Schlafly's anti-ERA coalition, has cast in doubt even some of the new rights of women, such as reproductive freedom. Chafe captures these complexities and contradictions with a lively combination of representative anecdotes and archival research, all backed up by statistical studies.As in The American Woman, Chafe once again examines "woman's place" throughout the 20th century, but now with a more nuanced and inclusive approach.There are insightful portraits of the continuities of women's political activism from the Progressive era through the New Deal; of the contradictory gains and losses of the World War II years; and of the various kinds of feminism that emerged out of the tumult of the 1960s. Not least, there are narratives of all the significant struggles in which women have engaged during these last ninety years--for child care, for abortion rights, and for a chance to have both a family and a career.

The Paradox of Change is a wide-ranging history of 20th-century women, thoroughly researched and incisively argued. Anyone who wants to learn more about how women have shaped, and been shaped by, modern America will have to read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
An eclectic chronology is packed with photographs and more than seven hundred short entries on memorable moments in twentieth-century history, covering everying from wars and assassinations to practical jokes and movie oddities. Amazon.com Review
If you're a fan of The Book of Lists or The People's Almanac,you'll love this book. (The very accurate subtitle is "History withthe Boring Parts Left Out.") Like those earlier tomes, this oneattains the very weird status of being a reference work you could readfrom cover to cover--and will want to. The section on "War" includesthe category of "Aerial Bombings of the Mainland United States," andthe "Quotebook" includes this apercu (from writer GershonLegman): "Murder is a crime. Describing murder is not. Sex is not acrime. Describing sex is." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

My husband is really enjoying this book, reading the info over and over.
I bought this book for my husband at Christmas, because he had read another edition of it so much and enjoyed it.I wanted to get him some new material of this sort, and he is enjoying it just as much.The price was good for a used copy and was received in good shape.Another thank you to the seller for having it for sale is due.

No boring parts, HONEST!
20 bucks for a book?!Well, this one's worth it and much more!Thehundreds of articles and illustrations will satisfy every interest underthe sun.I swear, once you start reading this book you won't be able toput it down!I've learned so much about 20th century history from this onebook than in my five months of Modern History at college.Entertaining ANDinformative!

Great bathroom reading!
At last a history book that you can browse through.

As expected, you can learn about wars, presidents, and genocide. But you can also find the unexpected, with fascinating tidbits everywhere. For example: read about great practical jokers (page781),great thefts (page 190),entertainment scandals (page 434), the invention of silly putty (p 581), hoaxes (769). Well written, fun, and interesting -- what more could you want ... Read more

Product Description
A History of 20th Century Fashion charts the early dominance of couture to the influences of street culture. The narrative is based on a firm understanding of social, economic and technical developments all over the world, and emphasizes the commercial organization of the industry, from designer and textile manufacturer right through to the consumer. Over 100 b/w and 50 colour illustrations bring the history of fashion to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A good basic review of 20th century fashion, but make sure to check which edition you have
_A History of 20th Century Fashion_ is best appreciated as what it is; a basic, introductory text to the subject of fashion history in the past century.Author Elizabeth Ewing doesn't aim at extremely detailed, in-depth examination of every subheading of the subject of fashion, preferring instead to show the major trends, ideas and designs of the century.The book is very well-illustrated, _always_ a plus in a book on such an inherently visual topic (in fact, I consider good illustration so important in a book on fashion that I'll deduct a full star from my review of any book on the topic that doesn't have a decent selection of pictures).Be sure to check which edition you're buying if you want the latest one; the book has been updated several times since its original publication (the edition listed here is the 4th revised edition, dated 2001).Best appreciated in conjunction with other good texts on the subject (such as Caroline Millbank's _Couture_ and Ruth Lynam's _Couture_, or James Laver's _Fashion and Costume_), but nonetheless definitely recommended for a costume student's library.

History of 20th Century Fashion

History of 20th Century Fashion contains information on the styling and designers that made them. It starts in the 1900's and goes to 1980's. It tells about the trends and fashions of that era and the designers who made them. The book goes into detail about some of the designer's life and his or her achievements. The book also makes the connection to the Paris inspirations. Not only does this book discuss the clothing but it also discusses the shoes and the hairstyles. History of 20th Century Fashions covers everything that happened from 1900 to 1980. if you need a book for fashion history this is it this is extremly detaled and self explanatory.
... Read more

Product Description
"Richly illustrated...brings to life the work of many lesser-known artists throughout the continent." —Choice

This comprehensive survey introduces an exceptionally rich, fascinating, and complex art that has gained great popularity in recent years. Edward Lucie-Smith discusses all the major subjects and issues: magic realism, expressionism, and other concepts shared with Latin American literature; the great muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco; the interaction of politics, society, and art; the continuing interest in folk art; and the dialogue between avant-garde European and North American movements and "indigenist" thinking in the work of artists such as Wifredo Lam, Matta, Rufino Tamayo, and Frida Kahlo. Many other artists from the 1900s to the present day are included in this compelling look at a great body of brilliantly original and imaginative art.

For the second edition, the text has been updated and a new final section introduces some of Latin America's leading contemporary artists: José Bedia (Cuba/USA), Doris Salcedo (Colombia), Rubén Ortiz Torres (Mexico), Miguel Calderón (Mexico), Ernesto Neto (Brazil), Diana Domingues (Brazil), and Beatriz Milhazes (Brazil). Several of these artists make use of the latest in modern technology, including interactive installations, photographs, and video art. 178 illustrations, 45 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A brief review of a brief book
A nice attempt to cover a lot of material, unfortunately, the book is of a small size and scale for the illustrations to have much of an impact. There are a large number of artists and countries covered so a lot of the material is very brief. About a third of the book covers more recent artists who are not very well known and who may have very little "staying power". A nice intro but the researcher will be dissapointed. ... Read more

Product Description
A title from the USBORNE HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD, with colour photographs and artwork illustrating events from the Boxer Rebellion to the Beat Generation, examining the social, political and artistic aspects of the period, including ventures into space. Also available in papaerback priced at 6.99, ISBN 0 7460 0701 9. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I was very impressed with this book
I'm not too familar with Usborne books because I only have three usborne books. I purchased this book at a homeschool convention.It was marked down in price.I was and am still very impressed at the amount of information it contains.Admittedly it is for older kids probably more for Jr high and high school.I might try a study of it when my son is in 6th but I'll have to see.I have read quite a bit of it myself and it seems very thorough.

Poor book
(...)In a nutshell...This book compares very poorly to the Usborne
history books covering earlier periods (my daughter and I love
those books).This book is only suitable for older children, since
they squeeze in a lot of text.What I really don't like is the
artibrary, idiosyncratic and often idiotic selection of what
events of the 20th century are "notable". ... Read more

Product Description
A Companion to 19th-Century America is an authoritative overview of current historiographical developments and major themes in the history of nineteenth-century America. Twenty-seven scholars, all specialists in their own thematic areas, examine the key debates and historiography. A thematic and chronological organization brings together the major time periods, politics, the Civil War, economy, and social and cultural history of the nineteenth century. Written with the general reader in mind, each essay surveys the historical research, the emerging concerns, and assesses the future direction of scholarship.

• Complete coverage of all the major themes and current debates in nineteenth-century US history assessing the state of the scholarship and future concerns.
  
• 24 original essays by leading experts in nineteenth-century American history complete with up-to-date bibliographies.
  
• Chronological and thematic organization covers both traditional and contemporary fields of research - politics, periods, economy, class formation, ethnicity, gender roles, regions, culture and ideas.

Customer Reviews (1)

explores main themes of 19th century
The book is best enjoyed and appreciated by a reader already conversant with the main themes of 19th centuryUnited States. It provides essays that explore numerous aspects. Notably and unsurprisingly, the Civil War. But also the breakneck growth of the US in its theme of Manifest Destiny.

The span from 1800 to 1900 covers profound changes. One chapter discusses how the early 1800s saw the unsteady emergence of a market economy, in a still majority rural population. While other chapters dwell on the late 1800s and the massive industrialisation that came after the Civil War. Impressive, that all these changes happened in the span of a long human lifetime.

Also, some essays include a second order analysis. Where the views of historians of previous decades is summarised, along with what the current authors have to offer that is different. ... Read more

Product Description
Defining Visions is a powerful narrative social history that examines television’s rise as the great “certifying agent” in American life. This newly updated and fully revised edition extends its coverage to the end of the 20th century. It defines the “Television Age” as a discrete period in American history bracketed by monumental events—the triumph of the Allied victory of WWII and the devastation of 9/11.

• A powerful narrative social history that examines television’s rise as the great 'certifying agent' in American life
• Extends its coverage to the end of the twentieth century, and defines the 'Television Age' as a discrete period in American history that is bracketed by the end of WWII and 9/11
• Includes discussions of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton impeachment; the massacre at Columbine High School; the 2000 presidential election; and the tragic events of September 11, 2001
• Considers the cultural impact of recent prime-time programs such as Seinfeld, CSI and Will & Grace
• Presents a sweeping account of the connections between TV and American culture

Customer Reviews (1)

Useless and boring relic from the Professional Scold school of academic criticism
Television has gone through a renaissance lately. There are more quality shows with interesting plots and fascinating characters than ever before. From HBO shows to comedies to historical shows on AMC there are dozens of amazing shows that prove television's potential as a medium capable of greatness. Of course, like the Globe Theater in the time of Shakespeare, the taint of past transgressions hangs heavy. Few of Shakespeare's contemporaries could see him as a genius because his plays were considered common fare for the commoners. For hundreds of years, his plays were condemned as being too violent, too silly, too chaotic to be quality. It took the Romantics to revive Shakespeare.

Mary Ann Watson is the same kind of professional scold that would have condemned theater 500 years ago for much of the same reasons. She would have ignored everything about Hamlet except for the bloody ending. Christopher Marlowe would have had some praise for his sympathetic portrayal of Edward II but the violent ending would have been a reinforcement of homophobia.

Throughout this dull little trifle, Watson can't stop herself from adding her personal bias into the mix. Frequently she talks about television reaching a "new low" and "leaving its morality at the door" and the like. She condemns 80s and 90s comedies for depicting sex without consequences especially in the era of AIDS (ignoring the fact that AIDS never really affected the kind of heterosexual characters in these shows), traditional families and violence. Seinfeld gets a couple of pages in contrast to "positive" religious and spiritual shows like the saccharine Highway to Heaven and the so-bland-it's-excrutiating Touched by an Angel. The Simpsons is condemned as a show where a traditional family is depicted without comment (forget about the popular culture jokes throughout) and Friends is simply a lot of oversexed too young people who drink a lot. And Twin Peaks is the aforementioned "new moral low" because forget about the non-traditional story telling or the purposeful attack on conventions or the dancing midget dream sequences; the only thing Watson cares about is the violence.

And to make matters worse, she can't stop repeating the same lie about those "numerous studies" concerning the "casual relationship between television violence and real life violence" and as usual, she uses the same tired anecdotes about the murderers who really liked Kojack. If this was an anti-porn book, she'd bring up Ted Bundy's final speech blaming pornography for his serial killer career.

In other words, this is a terrible little book that academics love because it seems profound when it's just another condemnation of popular culture. The reason why critics like Chuck Klosterman and Nathan Rabin (and the AV Club) are so popular is because they approach television not as a mindless entertainment or a condemnation worthy straw man to beat on, but as an artistic medium that should be approached with the academic rigor as books or plays. ... Read more

Product Description
Explore fascinating, often chilling "what if" accounts of the world that could have existed–and still might yet . . .

Science fiction’s most illustrious and visionary authors hold forth the ultimate alternate history collection. Here you’ll experience mind-bending tales that challenge your views of the past, present, and future, including:

• "The Lucky Strike": When The Lucky Strike is chosen over The Enola Gay to drop the first atomic bomb, fate takes an unexpected turn in Kim Stanley Robinson’s gripping tale.
• "Bring the Jubilee": Ward Moore’s novella masterpiece offers a rebel victory at Gettysburg which changes the course of the Civil War . . . and all of American history.
• "Through Road No Wither": After Hitler’s victory in World War II, two Nazi officers confront their destiny in Greg Bear’s apocalyptic vision of the future.
• "All the Myriad Ways": Murder or suicide, Ambrose Harmon’s death leads the police down an infinite number of pathways in Larry Niven’s brilliant and defining tale of alternatives and consequences.
• "Mozart in Mirrorshades": Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner explore a terrifying era as the future crashes into the past–with disastrous results.
. . . as well as works by Poul Anderson • Gregory Benford • Jack L. Chalker • Nicholas A. DiChario • Brad Linaweaver • William Sanders • Susan Shwartz • Allen Steele • and Harry Turtledove himself!

The definitive collection: fourteen seminal alternate history tales drawing readers into a universe of dramatic possibility and endless wonder.Amazon.com Review
What if? Harry Turtledove, renowned alt-historian and the editor of this anthology, calls that question "those two mournful little words." But little though they might be, they inspired some of the previous century's most brilliant speculative fiction, including the 14 short stories collected here.

And with contributors like Poul Anderson, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, and Turtledove himself, there's truly not a clunker in the bunch. All of these stories revolve around Turtledove's central beard-tugging question, but they vary wildly in style, mood, and approach. Many toy with how the future might be altered had some particular event turned out differently (what if the Confederates had won at Gettysburg, or the Enola Gay had crashed before making its fateful flight?), while others follow dimension-hoppers traveling through tangled branches of our timeline (as in Sterling's "Mozart in Mirrorshades," Anderson's "Eutopia," and Jack L. Chalker's surreal ferry ride through "Dance Band on the Titanic").

All but four of these stories were written in the last two decades of the century--before then, Turtledove suggests in part, we weren't scientifically certain about whether Martians and "oceans on Venus full of reptilian monsters" might exist, so we were satisfied by more conventional, planet-faring SF. But the ideas that the contributors wrestle with here, and that irresistible human urge to speculate about the implications of our actions (and whether our decisions matter at all), prove timeless. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Dreadfully boring - one of the worst Alternative Histories ever published
A very cliche'd collection of AH stories that revealed nothing of substance. I like to read AH in order to gain a better understanding of what really did happen in history. One of the ways to understand what did happen and why it happened is to examine what might have happened but didn't. Unfortunately this collection of stories offers no insights into historical events and besides that the stories are dreadfully boring. I have never heard of any of the authors before, other than Larry Niven and Turtledove himself. Their stories are not good either.

Here are the first five stories:

The lead-off is THE LUCKY STRIKE, a ludicrous tale of a conscious-tortured American bombardier on the Hiroshima A-bomb run who intenionally misses the aiming point and incenerates an empty forest instead of the city. The idea is ridiculous because:

A) Nobody on the plane knew enough about the atomic bomb to know what its effects on Hiroshima would be, yet the bombardier is tortured by the "atoms and x-rays" obliterating the city. The bombardier wouldn't have known what an x-ray was.

B) The idea that any American serviceman would be bothered by A-bombing a Japanese city is dubious. All knew that the Japanese tortured and murdered captured Americans by the thousands and butchered civilians in occupied countries by the millions. To Americans soldiers and airmen, killing Japanese was the moral equivalent of killing snakes. They would have a-bombed a hundred Japanese cities in a heartbeat if that was what it took to end the war.

THE WINTERBERRY is a story I read three times without comprehending what it was about.

ISLANDS IN THE SEA is a Turtledove extravaganza that opens with a boring monologue about something that happened with Islam during the middle ages. I've read over a dozen Harry Turtledove books and liked everything else he's written, but this one is a snore job.

SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A PEACE is a long-winded diatribe having to do with somebody's recollections of the Vietnam War. I read it a couple of times without comprehending what it was about. I lived through that time and should have got the point, if there had been one.

ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS is a cliche'd hack story by Larry Niven about billions of timelines resulting from time travel.

The rest of the stories are even less memorable.

Trying to read this garbage will either give you a headache or make you want to throw up.

terribly terribly weak
"Best alternate history stories"?? Barely readable as regular fiction, I suppose. But as alternate history fiction, completely worthless.

The authors seemed to come up with their plots first, then fit their "alternate histories" to those plots by using clearly far-fetched events and assumptions and twisting logic wherever they need.

If you're looking for depth of thought, exciting insights, or original ideas, look elsewhere.

Worse, some stories, like the opening one ('The Lucky Strike'), are overflowing with political agenda, presented in a very one-sided fashion.

This is a complete embarassment, especially for a book with such an ambitious name.

glaring lack of synopses
I've read a few of the stories. It's a decent collection. However, my reading time is limited. I don't have time to read the first few pages of each story to figure out what the subject is (to decide if I'm interested enough to read the entire story). You can guess a bit from some of the titles. But this book, like any good anthology, should have a brief synopsis, or at least a one-line description of the subject or theme of each story. Thank goodness some of the other reviewers here provided that.

Good but Uneven
There are some very good alternate history tales, some that are not so good and a few that seem to be less alternative history as merely action stories in another time.Three long stories stand out:THE LUCKY STRIKE - how the US dropped the bomb, won the war, and spared Japanese civilians.BRING THE JUBILEE manages to include the Civil War while still maintaining a small shred of credibility by starting in the 20th century.MOON OF ICE is one of the best Hitler Wins stories ever written.Unlike other tales in which the world is a giant slave camp, civilization evolves and Germany evolves along with it. ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS has my vote for the best short story.

A few are downright silly - SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A PEACE about the election of George McGovern. MOZART IN MIRRORSHADES is likewise unworthy of conclusion.One is struck that perhaps the most important event of the last century - the Russian Revolution & the advent of Marxist dictatorships - is strangely absent. In sheer numbers of people affected and human beings killed for ideology, nothing else comes close.All in all, a good, unevencollection.

Not living up to its title
They are not the best stories; in fact, some of them are quite boring. And not all of them are alternate history stories. What's alternate-historic or uchronic about "The death of Captain Future"?. Besides, at least four of them have been published in other anthologies: Victorious Hitler, Dangerous Visions and Mirroshades; "Bring the jubilee", was published all by itself.
All in all, a jumble of good, not so good, original and already-published, alternate or not, stories. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide to the 20th century uses newspaper-style presentations to reveal the stories behind the heroes and villains of recent times, the major events that have shaped our lives, and the people or things that have entertained us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Colorful and much fun
Small, perfectly designed, delectable little book, with an amazing 5 or 6 news stories WITH unusual striking photos on each page. About 2 to 4 pages for EACH day of the year, for the whole century! Wow. My copy has shiny silver covers. What a great birthday present, historical reference, or book to have on a deserted island. Highly recommended, hard to find.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A highwayscribery "Book Report"
Caution to flirts, cads, and ladies' men: "Dishing It Out," will change the way you look at waitresses for forever.

And if you think a book about waitressing falls into the hum-drum category, "Dishing It Out" demonstrates how a well-researched idea, presented with passion, can bring seemingly less-enticing topics to colorful life.

Sometimes, subjects can appear devoid of interest because of their very neglect and let us note how Microsoft Works Word Processor spell-check doesn't recognize the expression "waitressing."

But Dorothy Sue Cobble's book suggests that, to a certain degree, the rise and fall of waitress unionism traces our evolution (devolution?) as a country.

highwayscribery first came across Cobble through "Lost Ways of Unionism: Historical Perspective on Reinventing the Labor Movement," one in a larger collection of essays entitled "Rekindling the Movement: Labor's Quest for Relevance in the Twenty-First Century,", wherein she challenged the widely held view that skilled craft unions of the American Federation of Labor were lessprogressive than the Congress of Industrial Organizations' mass unions.

In her, "The Other Women's Movement: Workplace Justice and Social Rights in Modern America," Cobble posits that dominant feminist analysis passes over a generation of mid-century "labor women."

Picking up on a theme developed in that book, Cobble writes that, in contrast to the later wave of feminists, waitresses did not want to be treated the same as the boys, rather, "They wanted equality and special treatment and did not see the two as incompatible."

"Dishing it Out," kicks the can a little further down the path, by focusing on the specific craft.

"The craft of waitressing has always been, she writes, "one of the principal jobs for women, it was distinguished by certain characteristics that enabled female servers to formulate and sustain a culture of solidarity at the workplace. Most female food servers shared share a similar racial and ethnic background. The relative ethnic and racial homogeneity of waitresses fostered group cohesion as it has for other groups of workers, men and women. In addition, more than women in other occupations, waitresses lived outside a traditional family setting and hence turned quite readily to their workplace community for friendship and support. If young and single, they often chose to live apart from their families, frequently residing with other waitresses in small apartments or rented rooms. The high proportion who were divorced, separated, or widowed lived alone, with friends, or with dependent relatives or children. Unable to rely financially on their family of origin or on a husband, waitresses were often primarily self-supporting and attached to the work force in a permanent fashion."

Cobble fleshes out how these attributes lent themselves to a sorority-like adhesion that fostered unionization. The heyday of waitresses syndicates took root around the same time the larger movement took wings, back in the 1930s and '40s and the better part of this story takes place then.

She notes that, "The separation of workers by trade provided women with a space apart from male hostility and allowed the development of female perspectives and leadership."

The self-conducting nature of craft union locals allowed for "female autonomy" and were, generally speaking, "superior in sustaining female participation and leadership."

Rather than focus primarily on moving individual women into higher-paying jobs held by men, this generation of lady unionists opted for improvements in the jobs they traditionally called their own.

"Dishing It Out," details the restaurant industry's growth and is worthy of one's precious attention.

It comes as something of a revelation that the nation was not always strewn with "public" eateries and that a long march toward the "feminization of food service" brought us the hospitality model we're familiar with today.

Less surprisingly, early 20th century mores held waitressing to be an "improper trade," running counter to the reigning Victorian sensibilities as it did. The ladies, after all, interacted with males customers and labored where alcohol was served.

(!)

Discussion of the job's sexual component and its double-edged nature make for great reading and should deepen a reader's understanding of the person catering to their needs at "Hooters."

Not coincidentally, the craft was widely held to be rife with loose women and attitudes intimated a kinship with prostitution.

The ladies, with few options, rolled with it: "[Waitresses] acceptance of the sexual character of their work was rooted in their distinctive mores, but it also derived from their situation as service workers in an occupation in which their livelihood depended upon attractiveness and allure."

There was a kind of self-generating, autonomous effort to fight such perceptions by raisingprofessional standards and forming unions were a way of gaining legitimacy.

"They spoke of their work as a skilled craft," says Cobble, "and they engaged in practices that have long been associated with craft unionism: organization along craft lines, emphasis on craft identity and specialization, restrictive membership rules, and union monitoring of performance standards."

As combative unionists, "waitresses could hurt business by suggesting the least expensive menu item, ignore the poor tippers, offer food and drink on the house, or simply provide lackluster, un-inspired service, even though it jeopardized their own tip income. Waitresses could also go out of their way to add that special attentive, anticipatory touch that would cement the customers patronage."

Which makes perfect (economic) sense.

The book dissects the unique and bygone arrangement whereby unions increased their members' value by cornering the labor market and parceling the work via hiring halls.

It turns out to not have been all bad for restaurateurs, "because culinary employers relied on the hiring hall for 'good and reliable' full-time workers as well as for the extras needed in emergencies"

The gals liked the hiring hall because "it gave them, rather than the employer, control over when and how much they worked. As long as they maintained their union standing, waitresses could quit a job and 'lay off' for however long they chose."

Lamentably, Cobble is obligated to tell her tale in the past-tense, waitressing unionism being more a study of history than a dissection of current events. The unions examined here were done-in by the same forces that have reduced organized labor's power globally.

But as either history or prescription for sound industrial relations, "Dishing It Out," sets the table beautifully.

excellent! well researched and written.
Cobble has written an invaluable history book about a large segment of the twentieth century workforce that would have otherwise been overlooked and forgotten. Waitresses have been ubiquitious and invisible at the same time.This book speaks to gender, class, ethnic, and work issues.It is writtenin a style that is informative AND interesting throughout. The historicalresearch and organization of the book is superb. If you didn't know youwere interested in this topic, the minute you start reading Cobble's bookyou will find out otherwise. ... Read more

Product Description
Interest in the mother-daughter relationship has never been greater, yet there are few books specifically devoted to the relationships between daughters and mothers of color. To fill that gap, this collection of original essays explores the mother-daughter relationship as it appears in the works of African, African American, Asian American, Mexican American, Native American, Indian, and Australian Aboriginal women writers. Prominent among the writers considered here are Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Maxine Hong Kingston, Cherríe Moraga, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Amy Tan. Elizabeth Brown-Guillory and the other essayists examine the myths and reality surrounding the mother-daughter relationship in these writers' works. They show how women writers of color often portray the mother-daughter dyad as a love/hate relationship, in which the mother painstakingly tries to convey knowledge of how to survive in a racist, sexist, and classist world while the daughter rejects her mother's experiences as invalid in changing social times. This book represents a further opening of the literary canon to twentieth-century women of color. Like the writings it surveys, it celebrates the joys of breaking silence and moving toward reconciliation and growth. ... Read more

Product Description
Today the work of so-called "outsider" artists is receiving unprecedented attention. This major critical appraisal of America's 20th-century self-taught artists coincides with a major 1998 traveling exhibition organized by the Museum of American Folk Art in New York. While some of these artists have received critical recognition, others remain virtually unknown, following their muse regardless. 150 color images. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

unique creativity
This is a huge catalog for an exhibition that documented the work of 32 artists spanning the 20th century, and which was presented in 6 museums in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Forth Worth, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; and New York City.
Self-taught artists gained tremendous interest in the 1990's, with many curators starting to include pieces into their collections and exhibit schedules.
"Outsider art", as this is also known as, also contributes to the multiculturism of America, as so many of its creators are from diverse backgrounds.

The earliest artist profiled, who lived from 1836 to 1908, is Henry Church, Jr., whose "Self-Portrait with Five Muses" is so wonderful. Among the others are Scottish-born John Kane (1860-1934) with his solemn figuratives, Edgar Alexander McKillop (1879-1950) with his whimsical sculptures in black walnut wood, the great Russian-born Morris Hirshfield (1872-1946) with his unusual female figures and lionine cats, the immensely popular Grandma Moses (1860-1961), the incredible wood carvings of Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), intricate mixed media on paper from Mexican-born Martin Ramirez (1895-1963), whose "Untitled" frontispiece for this book is terrific, the mystical mixed media work of Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), and the youngest artist included is Ken Grimes (b. 1947) who works with white lettering/designs on a black background.

Perhaps my favorites are Horace Pippin (1888-1946), who is surely one of the greatest of African-American artists, and Joseph Yoakum (1890-1972) with his graceful, delicate drawings.
Each artist represented has an extensive biography, with examples of their work. This is a weighty volume with glossy pages and 140 full-color plates. As the inside cover states: "This is a significant appraisal of the contribution self-taught artists have made to American culture and life". ... Read more

Product Description

No other century promoted such rapid change in American families than the twentieth century did. Through most of the first half of the century families were two-parent plus children units, but by the 1980s and 1990s divorce was common in half of the homes and many families were single-parent or included step-parents, step-siblings and half-siblings. The major changes in opinions and even some laws on race, gender and sexuality during the 1960s and 1970s brought change to families as well. Some families were headed by gay parents, lived in communes or other non-traditional homes, were of mixed race, or had adopted children. Family life had changed dramatically in less than 50 years.The change in the core make-up of what was considered a family ushered in new celebrations and holidays, ways of cooking, eating, and entertainment, and even daily activities. In this detailed look at family life in America, Coleman, Ganong and Warzinick discuss home and work, family ceremonies and celebrations, parenting and children, divorce and single-parent homes, gay and lesbian families, as well as cooking and meals, urban vs. suburban homes, and ethnic and minority families. Reference resources include a timeline, sources for further reading, photographs and an index.

Volumes in the Family Life in America series focus on the day-to-day lives and roles of families throughout history. The roles of all family members are defined and information on daily family life, the role of the family in society, and the ever-changing definition of the term family' are discussed. Discussion of the nuclear family, single parent homes, foster and adoptive families, stepfamilies, and gay and lesbian families are included where appropriate. Topics such as meal planning, homes, entertainment and celebrations, are discussed along with larger social issues that originate in the home like domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and divorce. Ideal for students and general readers alike, books in this series bring the history of everyday people to life.

Product Description
Based on the revised 1995 edition of Howard Zinn's landmark alternative history of America, A People's History of the United States, this revised and updated edition of The Twentieth Century (more than 40,000 copies sold) includes a new chapter on Clinton's first term and a new preface.

Containing justthe Twentieth-century chapters from Howard Zinn's bestselling A People's History of the United States,this reissue is brought up-to-date with coverage of events and developments since the mid-1980s, analyzing such incidents inmodern political history as the Gulf War, the post-Cold War "peace divided," and the continuing debate over welfare. Highlighting not just the usual terms of presidential administrations and congressional activities, this book provides readers with a "bottom-to-top" perspective, giving voice to our nation's minorities and letting the stories of such groups as African American, women, Native Americans, and the laborers of all nationalities be told in their own words.

Challenging traditional interpretations of U.S. history, The Twentieth Century is the book for readers interested in gaining a more realistic and complete picture of our world.Amazon.com Review
Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, A People's History of theUnited States turns traditional textbook history on its head,as Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women,American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers of allnationalities into the narrative. The Twentieth Century usesthe relevant chapters of that book as a starting point, expanding uponthe story to provide a rich portrait of the United States from thejingoistic rise of Theodore Roosevelt to the Clinton presidency. Ifyour last experience of American history was brought to you byjunior-high-school textbooks--or even if you're a specialist--getready for the other side of stories you may not even have heard. Withits vivid descriptions of rarely noted events, The TwentiethCentury is required reading for anyone who wants to take a freshlook at America's legacy as a world power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Tedious and biased
I started this book with an open mind. I soon realized it was the most biased history book I had ever read on any topic. Even those readers in ideological sync with the author will rapidly become aware that the book's common thread is the universal interpretation of facts and events in the light of Zinn's socialist agenda, no matter how credible the result. The author's admission of his own biases does not make for its lack of deep and insightful analysis of the major events of American history in the 20th century. Furthermore, its style, with serial quoting of individual opinions, of course always on the same side of the story, makes it a shallow, dull, tedious and repetitive read. Is this terrible book the best intelectual product that the radical left has to offer?

A Must Read for All
It's a shame that the younger generation today knows so little of the history of the 20th century in the United States. Indeed, even some older Americans do not know of the social conditions that defined our nation then, or choose to ignore it.

Zinn's "The Twentieth Century" should be a required read for everyone, both in and out of school or college. Our past determines who we will be in the future, compassionate or complacent...willing to address society's many problems, or ignoring same. We all need to be involved, and a knowledge of our history can provide us with a path forward. Zinn can help us as our guide pointing out the historical signposts.
Highly recommended.
With bibliography and index.

The Twentieth Century: A People's History
Based on true accounts, highly recommended, this book is the real deal. Great book to read and good insights as to what happen during our time. Love it, long paragraphs though.

Can't Believe In Him Anymore
After reading that Howard Zinn does not think it is important to investigate 9/11, I will have nothing more to do with him. I don't care how renowned he is. If he doesn't think it's important to stop the false flag operations that have gone on for many, many decades that have thrust us into wars that were instigated by interested 3rd party investors to cash in on the vast fortunes made when they finance both sides of a war, then he will get no support from me. Wake up people! Aren't you tired of being played like a puppet on a string. Watch "JFKII: The Bush Connection" and "Empire of the City: Ring of Power" on YouTube.

[...]

The truth can hurt and free you..
It feels good to have a light shining into dark recesses when in this culture obusification is all that is generally offered.The light is so bright it sometimes hurts but one's footing is much safer when all is allowed to be seen. ... Read more

Product Description
Perfect for students, researchers, history buffs, and anyone curious about the people, places, and events of the last 100 years, 20th Century Day by Day is both the ultimate guide to humankind's most tragic and triumphant century and a perfect millennium gift and keepsake. Featuring thousands of great color and black-and-white illustrations and text written in a lively, journalistic "you are there" style, this special millennium edition of a classic reference work features coverage updated through 1999 and a dazzling new jacket.Amazon.com Review
"European arms race and war talk grow" (March 1914). "22,000Nazis hold rally in New York" (February 1939). "Vietnam Reds launchTet offensive" (January 1968). "First NATO air attack over Bosnia"(February 1994). The 20th Century Day by Day tells the historyof that belligerent period in the form of modern newspaperarticles. Though at times it seems that the 20th century wasconstantly racked by war, the entries in this weighty tome covereverything from military history, political changes, and scientificdiscoveries to cultural milestones and obituary notices. For example,headlines from May 1954 include "Dien Bien Phu falls to Communists,""High court orders school integration," "Bannister is first to break4-minute mile," and "Giant brain foreshadows electronic office":

Development of an "electronic brain" designed specificallyfor business use was announced today by the International BusinessMachines Corp. Capable of performing more than ten million operationsan hour, the new device brings the all-electronic office closer toreality, the company said.

This lavishly illustrated book is difficult to put down--notsurprising, when each turn of the page reveals gems such as "Model Tready to roll" (August 1908), "Empire State Building is world'stallest" (May 1931), "Ingrid Bergman says she's no saint" (August1949), "Sinatra and Mia are wed; go to London" (July 1966), and"Pompidou Center: factory or museum?"(February 1977). Some of thestories rely heavily on foreshadowing or are reported in a rather coytone: "Nelson Rockefeller meets unusual end" ("...there were reportshe died in the arms of a young, female friend while supposedly workingon a book on art, one of his favorite subjects"). That said, The20th Century Day by Day is a beautiful book, perfect for browsing,that will thrill any history buff. This updated edition now containsimages from late 1999, including the worldwide celebrations onDecember 31. --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Vivid history of the past century
The last century is a rapidly and dramatically changing time the world had never seen before. This book brings the history to the readers in probably the vividest fashion. You can call it a picture book -- it contains thousands of valuable historic pictures. However, this doesn't mean it is not serious. In this book, all the major events in the past century are presented in a news report style. Just like you read news to understand what is happening in today's world, you get a colorful and detailed picture of the history through reading the old "news". I fully recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of the 20th century.

20th Century Day By Day: The Ultimate Record of Our Times
This book is a great source of info and is filled with tons of interesting facts.We had the previous book that went to 1995 so this just compliments it as it goes into 2000. Our son loves to look through the book reading the day-to-day facts and he and his dad challenge each other withwho knows what about what.A great buy and great book.

Biased towards American news - where is the World Cup?
I've been reading this book since it was called the Chronicles in the early 1990's. I purposely waited till the new millennium because I wanted it to cover every single day (or month, to be precise) of the 20th Century, before actually making that final purchase decision.

Well, I almost bought the book yesterday. After flipping through its colourful and information-packed pages as one last check, it seemed to me that the coverage of the book is biased towards news and events in USA. Something really obvious is the treatment on sports - for example, the authors made a big deal out of the Superbowl (the final of American football league), a sport only played and mostly watched by Americans. On every first page of each year (January), there's a photo and news article on the Superbowl. Seems very funny to me, this event is only played annually where as the FIFA World Cup ("soccer" to Americans & Australians) held every 4 years (involving all the nations worldwide, with 2 years of pre-qualifying) doesn't get similar coverage like the Summer Olympics where one whole centre-spread is dedicated to all the results.

Come on! Football (or soccer) is a world game, it's like a "religion" to some - I think it should deserve more than just a line or two on the side bar. Where do you think all those great legends like Pele, Charlton, Beckenbauer, Maradona, Zidane, etc made their names, if not at the FIFA World Cup? A photo showing the winning nation holding the trophy aloft in the Final won't be too much to ask, I presume. Don't tell me an event as significant and profound as the World Cup (only second to the Olympics), watched and played by billions of people around the globe, should just be "passed over" in world history!

Buy this book!!!
What can I say?The book is an incredible collection of every notable historical event in the last 100 years.

The BEST part, to me, is the "chain reference" feature.When you get to the bottom of an article (about, say, the completion of the Hindenburg), there is a small date in italics at the end which points you to the next article concerning the Hindenburg.This is OUTSTANDING for following a chain of events through history.

GREAT reading for knowledge or leisure!

Five-star History
I was looking for a book that summarized World history during the 20th century and this is the one I chose to buy. I was more than happy with my copy. It is easy to look up specific events, and great for general browsing. I only had two complaints - one, that there was MORE detail in it (although that would have been very hard for a single volume!), and two, it didn't come with the CD that was made to go with it. ... Read more

Product Description

Perhaps no topic today is politically more divisive than homosexuality, particularly when it is coupled with the deeply rooted concept of civil rights. This work focuses on 20th/21st- century U. S. history as it pertains to GLBT history. Major issues and events such as the Stonewall riot, Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military, same-sex marriage, gay rights, gay pride, organizations and alliances, AIDS, and legal battles and court cases are discussed. Also included are sidebars highlighting major debates, legal landmarks and key individuals. A timeline and further reading sections concluding each chapter as well as a full bibliography and black and white images enhance the text.

In these opening years of the 21st century in the United States, perhaps no topic is more divisive than homosexuality, particularly when it is coupled with the deeply rooted concept of civil rights. The same-sex marriage debate, for example, is but part of a larger discussion over issues crucial to American life, such as the role of law in the lives of individuals, relationships among law, economics, and morality, and the values thought to distinguish and define us. GLBT history is not just the struggle for rights, it is people simply living their lives the best they knew how regardless of the terms they or others use for them. This work focuses on U. S. history and, within that, the 20th century, particularly because the vast majority of work in GLBT history has been during this place and time. Major issues and events such as the Stonewall riot, Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military, same-sex marriage, gay rights, gay pride, organizations and alliances, AIDS, and legal battles and court cases are discussed.

Included in this reference work are sidebars highlighting major debates, legal landmarks and key individuals. A timeline and further reading sections concluding each chapter as well as a full bibliography and black and white images enhance the text.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great service
I needed this text promptly for a class and it came quickly and packaged well.Thanks for the good service. ... Read more

Product Description
This book deals with American history since 1880—a period when the United States was transformed from a relatively small, remote, and isolated outpost to the planet’s richest, most powerful, and most influential nation. It is also, not coincidentally, a period that produced some of the world’s most unforgettable characters—and some of its best stories.

History is not fixed, not two-dimensional, not black-and-white; it is always open to interpretation, always subject to speculation, always riddled with mystery. Only one thing is certain about history: All of it was essential to creating the world we live in today. In that regard, every story you will read in this book, and any other history book, is your story, too. What happens to you today has a great deal to do with what happened to other people a century ago; what you do tomorrow is influenced, whether you know it or not, by what other people did yesterday. In learning about history, we invariably learn a lot about ourselves, too. ... Read more