"A compelling and well organized contribution for those interested in social history and the complexities of working Americans."
-Library Journal

Working Americans 1880-1999
Volume I: The Working Class

Table of Contents

Sample Pages

Full Text Reviews

Pub. Date: March 2000
Hardcover: 558 pages
ISBN: 1-891482-81-5/978-1-891482-81-6
Price: $145.00

This important reference work focuses on the lifestyles and economic life of working class families and looks, decade by decade, into the kind of work they did, the homes they lived in, the food and clothes they bought, the entertainment they sought as well as the society and history that shaped the world Americans worked in from 1880 to 1999. From the wealth of government surveys, social worker histories, economic data, family diaries and letters, newspaper and magazine features, this unique reference assembles a remarkably personal and realistic look at the lives of ordinary working Americans.

Each chapter of Working Americans, 1880-1999 Volume 1: The Working Class covers one decade, except the first chapter (1888-1899), and opens with an overview of important events to anchor the decade in its time frame. The working class is then explored by examining the lives of three to five working class families.

These Family Profiles include important, real data on:

• Income & Job Descriptions
• Selected Prices of the times
• Annual Income
• Annual Budget of Individuals
• Family Finances
• Family Budget
• Life at Work
• Life at Home
• Life in the Community
• Working Conditions
• Cost of Living
• Amusements
• National Current events
• Local News
• and much more

Each chapter also includes an Economic Profile. This series of statistical comparisons is designed to put the family's individual lifestyles and decisions in perspective. These charts include the average wages of other professions during the year being profiled, a selection of typical pricing and key events and inventions of the time. Enhancing some of the chapters are examinations of important issues faced by the family, such as how Americans coped with war.

In addition to the detailed economic and social data for each family, each chapter is further enriched with historical snapshots, news profiles, articles from local media and illustrations derived from popular printed materials of the day, such as clippings from cereal boxes, campaign buttons, political cartoons, postcards, and posters.

Working Americans, 1880-1999 Volume 1: The Working Class offers 72 Family Profiles that cover 34 occupations and more than 25 ethnic groups. Geographically, the text travels the entire country, from the East Coast to Hawaii, from urban factories to homesteaders to provide comprehensive coverage of the lifestyles of working class families that is available nowhere else.

This rich economical and social compilation of facts, figures, and graphs will enhance a wide range of curriculums and meet multiple research needs. Working Americans, 1880-1999 Volume 1: The Working Class is an interesting and useful compilation of portraits of the working class across the last 120 years that will be an important addition to any high school, public or academic library reference collection.

Additional Volumes:
Working Americans 1880-1999 Volume I: The Working Class
Working Americans 1880-1999 Volume II: The Middle Class
Working Americans 1880-1999 Volume III: The Upper Class
Working Americans 1880-1999 Volume IV: Their Children
Working Americans 1880-2003 Volume V: Americans At War
Working Americans 1880-2005 Volume VI: Women at Work
Working Americans 1880-2006 Volume VII: Social Movements
Working Americans 1880-2007 Volume VIII: Immigrants

Pub. Date: March 2000
Hardcover: 558 pages
ISBN: 1-891482-81-5/978-1-891482-81-6
Price: $145.00

Note: If you find this work does not fit your budget, please print out this page and bring it to your local library. There is a reasonable chance they either have a copy, can direct you to a library that does, or will be willing to purchase it for their reference collection.