The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character (Veritas Paperbacks)

The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character (Veritas Paperbacks)

David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, Reuel Denney, Richard Sennett (Introduction by)
$20.00
Publication Date: March 17th, 2020
Publisher:
Yale University Press
ISBN:
9780300246735
Pages:
376
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Description

“The Lonely Crowd . . . remains not only the best-selling book by a professional sociologist in American history, but arguably one that has had the widest influence on the nation at large.”—Orlando Patterson, New York Times
 
“As accessible as it is acute, The Lonely Crowd is indispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand American society. After half a century, this book has lost none of its capacity to make sense of how we live.”—Todd Gitlin
 
Considered by many to be one of the most influential books of the twentieth century, The Lonely Crowd opened exciting new dimensions in our understanding of the problems confronting the individual in twentieth-century America. Richard Sennett’s new introduction illuminates the ways in which Riesman’s analysis of a middle class obsessed with how others lived still resonates in the age of social media.

About the Author

David Riesman (1909–2002) was Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences at Harvard University. Nathan Glazer (1923–2019) was professor of education and sociology at Harvard University. Reuel Denney (1913–1995) was professor of English and American studies at the University of Hawaii. Richard Sennett is a professor of sociology at both New York University and the London School of Economics.

Praise for The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character (Veritas Paperbacks)

“The Lonely Crowd . . . was published more than half a century ago. It remains not only the best-selling book by a professional sociologist in American history, but arguably one that has had the widest influence on the nation at large. The work . . . inevitably raises questions about the claims and limitations of academic sociology today.”—Orlando Patterson, New York Times

“One of the most important books of the twentieth century.”—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker

Praise for Previous Editions of The Lonely Crowd:
 
“Brilliant and original.”—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
 
“A stimulating and provocative book. . . . It is impossible to do justice in a review to the breadth and richness of the material.”—Margaret Mead
 
“Riesman has a spaciousness of outlook which brings great promise to American social theory. . . . His work is strewn with insights which make every page crackle as you read it.”—Max Lerner
 
“The Lonely Crowd remains at least as instructive now as it was in 1950, all the more so as the reality it perceived closes in on us. Reich’s disciples would find, if they could conceive of trusting a book that is all of 22 years old, that it speaks to them with at least as much ‘relevance’ as do their current gurus.”—Jonathan Yardley, New Republic
 
“A book for anyone who believes that the economic, political, and psychological problems of our time demand social discovery and invention and who is interested in joining with a vigorous and provocative mind in the discovery.”—Helen Lynd, New York Post
 
“One of the most penetrating and comprehensive views of the twentieth-century urban American you’re likely to find.”—Commonweal
 
“The intellectual freshness The Lonely Crowd provides will give the fortunate reader an impressive emotional experience. This is a book to haunt your senses.”—Joseph M. Goldsen, Public Opinion Quarterly
 
“David Reisman’s is the rare book which will be read with pleasure and profit even by those who reject its central conclusions. . . . A challenging explanation of the American character.”—Oscar Handlin, Saturday Review of Literature

“As accessible as it is acute, The Lonely Crowd is indispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand American society. After half a century, this book has lost none of its capacity to make sense of how we live.”—Todd Gitlin

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