Thomas J. Schlereth

This book is an overview of pretty much everything, or so it seems, in the United States between 1876 and 1915. Subjects such as the newspapers we read, the shoes we wore, the parlor rooms in which we sat, all this and much, much more. So much is covered that nothing seems to be covered in enough detail to be enjoyed. This is exacerbated by the intent of the author to not just to provide a snapshot of Victorian America, but to show how things changed from the beginning of the period to the show more end. So we learn how clothes went from looking like this to looking like that and then we are rushed off to another subject. It is not a bad book, but after reading it I felt that I couldn't really recall much in the way of details. I would recommend this book only to those who are interested in gaining an overview of the period. It also might server as a good reference or refresher for someone who has an interest in the period and wishes to brush up on certain subjects. show less

I found this to be a fascinating book. It provides an overview of everyday life (housing, transportation, working, playing, etc) across America over 40 years. With that broad a picture, the focus on any one time or subject can not be tight. For me, who has spent the past year reading a local weekly newspaper from 1860 to 1890, it provided the perfect overview in which to place the particulars of my findings.

This book was perfect for a writer or casual researcher interested in the everyday details of late Victorian America. There was great information about material culture.

While it's a bit older, it appeared to be well-researched.

To someone wanting a general overview of American life in the Victorian era this book would fair quite boring. However, someone wanting an extensive overview, this book would fair quite informative. It's filled will fact after fact.

The book is well separated with such chapters as: Moving, Working, Housing, Consuming, Communicating, Playing, Striving and Living and Dying. Each covering from 1876-1915.

With many books covering this time period in European countries, it's nice to find a well show more informed book about this time in America, which are basically the years that helped form the way the country is today. show less