About the Author

John F. Kasson, who teaches history and American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the author of Houdini, Tarzan and the Perfect Man; Amusing the Million; Rudeness and Civility; and Civilizing the Machine.

Reviews

"Kasson adds an important and delightful dimension to our previously narrow understanding of the history of everyday life in the United States. His book offers a wonderful way to trace the relationship between socioeconomic change and cultural norms." --Michael Kammen, Cornell University

Kasson contends that the 19th century was an important era in the development of standards of public decorum as we know them in 20th-century America. In areas as diverse as artistic performances, gender relationships, and dining, he examines how earlier models for personal behavior became increasingly unworkable. Economic change in the 19th century led to a growing middle class capable of participating in social activities previously reserved for a small upper class, and to the growth of cities where many people were brought into close contact. Social commentators believed it essential to improve the manners of the 19th-century middle class. Kasson's book is heavy going initially, and one wishes his earlier chapters had the focus and wit of the later ones on emotional control, table manners, and public spectatorship. But for persevering readers this can be a rewarding book. For academic and larger public libraries.-- Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.

"Kasson adds an important and delightful dimension to our previously narrow understanding of the history of everyday life in the United States. His book offers a wonderful way to trace the relationship between socioeconomic change and cultural norms." --Michael Kammen, Cornell University