Jackson Lears Knihy

"A master historian's retrieval of the spiritual visions and vitalisms that animate American life and the possibilities they offer today"-- Provided by publisher

Exploring the often-overlooked influence of luck on American identity, the author challenges the traditional belief that the Protestant ethic is the cornerstone of the nation's greatness. By examining historical perspectives from colonial times to the present, the narrative reveals how chance, luck, and gambling have played crucial roles in shaping the American character, presenting a fresh interpretation of the forces that have driven the nation’s development.

The period between the Civil War and World War I is marked by aspirations for spiritual, moral, and physical renewal that shaped modern America. Influential figures like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Andrew Carnegie drove the nation forward with imperial ambitions. However, the outcomes of their endeavors often fell short of their lofty ideals, highlighting a complex interplay between ambition and reality in the nation's development.

Fables of Abundance ranges from the traveling peddlers of early modern Europe to the twentieth-century American corporation, exploring the ways that advertising collaborated with other cultural institutions to produce the dominant aspirations and anxieties in the modern United States.

A new edition of a classic work of American history that eloquently examines the rise of antimodernism at the turn of the twentieth century.

The best essays from America’s premier cultural historian