Wendy A. Woloson's Books

In Hock

Pawning in America from Independence through the Great Depression

By: Wendy A. Woloson

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In Hock

Pawning in America from Independence through the Great Depression

By: Wendy A. Woloson

The definitive history of pawnbroking in the United States from the nation’s founding through the Great Depression, In Hock demonstrates that the pawnshop was essential to the rise of capitalism. The class of working poor created by this economic tide could make ends meet only, Wendy Woloson argues, by regularly pawning household objects to supplement inadequate wages. Nonetheless, businessmen, reformers, and cultural critics claimed that pawnshops promoted vice, and employed anti-Semitic stereotypes to cast their proprietors as greedy and cold-hearted. Using personal correspondence, business records, and other rich archival sources to uncover the truth behind the rhetoric, Woloson brings to life a diverse cast of characters and shows that pawnbrokers were in fact shrewd businessmen, often from humble origins, who possessed sophisticated knowledge of a wide range of goods in various resale markets. A much-needed new look at a misunderstood institution, In Hock is both a first-rate academic study of a largely ignored facet of the capitalist economy and a resonant portrait of the economic struggles of generations of Americans.

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Page Count

249

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226905691

ISBN 13

9780226905693

Refined Tastes

Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

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Refined Tastes

Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

A look at sugar in 19th-century American culture and how it rose in popularity to gain its place in the nation’s diet today. American consumers today regard sugar as a mundane and sometimes even troublesome substance linked to hyperactivity in children and other health concerns. Yet two hundred years ago American consumers treasured sugar as a rare commodity and consumed it only in small amounts. In Refined Tastes: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America, Wendy A. Woloson demonstrates how the cultural role of sugar changed from being a precious luxury good to a ubiquitous necessity. Sugar became a social marker that established and reinforced class and gender differences. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Woloson explains, the social elite saw expensive sugar and sweet confections as symbols of their wealth. As refined sugar became more affordable and accessible, new confections—children’s candy, ice cream, and wedding cakes—made their way into American culture, acquiring a broad array of social meanings. Originally signifying male economic prowess, sugar eventually became associated with femininity and women’s consumerism. Woloson’s work offers a vivid account of this social transformation—along with the emergence of consumer culture in America. “Elegantly structured and beautifully written . . . As simply an explanation of how Americans became such avid consumers of sugar, this book is superb and can be recommended highly.” —Ken Albala, Winterthur Portfolio “An enlightening tale about the social identity of sweets, how they contain not just chewy centers but rich meanings about gender, about the natural world, and about consumerism.” —Cindy Ott, Enterprise and Society

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Page Count

418

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801877180

ISBN 13

9780801877186

Crap

A History of Cheap Stuff in America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

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Crap

A History of Cheap Stuff in America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

Crap. We all have it. Filling drawers. Overflowing bins and baskets. Proudly displayed or stuffed in boxes in basements and garages. Big and small. Metal, fabric, and a whole lot of plastic. So much crap. Abundant cheap stuff is about as American as it gets. And it turns out these seemingly unimportant consumer goods offer unique insights into ourselves—our values and our desires. In Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, Wendy A. Woloson takes seriously the history of objects that are often cynically-made and easy to dismiss: things not made to last; things we don't really need; things we often don't even really want. Woloson does not mock these ordinary, everyday possessions but seeks to understand them as a way to understand aspects of ourselves, socially, culturally, and economically: Why do we—as individuals and as a culture—possess these things? Where do they come from? Why do we want them? And what is the true cost of owning them? Woloson tells the history of crap from the late eighteenth century up through today, exploring its many categories: gadgets, knickknacks, novelty goods, mass-produced collectibles, giftware, variety store merchandise. As Woloson shows, not all crap is crappy in the same way—bric-a-brac is crappy in a different way from, say, advertising giveaways, which are differently crappy from commemorative plates. Taking on the full brilliant and depressing array of crappy material goods, the book explores the overlooked corners of the American market and mindset, revealing the complexity of our relationship with commodity culture over time. By studying crap rather than finely made material objects, Woloson shows us a new way to truly understand ourselves, our national character, and our collective psyche. For all its problems, and despite its disposability, our crap is us.

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Page Count

405

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022666449X

ISBN 13

9780226664491

Crap

A History of Cheap Stuff in America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Crap

A History of Cheap Stuff in America

By: Wendy A. Woloson

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

405

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022666449X

ISBN 13

9780226664491

Book's by Wendy A. Woloson

In Hock

In Hock

Refined Tastes

Refined Tastes

Crap

Crap

Crap

Crap

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