Product Description

This invaluable reference reveals surprising trends that define twentieth-century America.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1868936 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.32 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

From Amazon.com
More than 100 years ago, U.S. President James Garfield predicted that the compilation of detailed statistics would ultimately provide us with a new way to view history. In the 1900s, America did indeed live up Garfield's prophesy by studiously measuring everything from population growth and occupational inclination to crime trends and food fads. The First Measured Century, produced in conjunction with a PBS special of the same name, expertly catalogs and analyzes the "numerical thinking" that has subsequently taken place.

Authors Theodore Caplow, Louis Hicks, and TV host Ben Wattenberg are all accomplished social scientists who have collectively produced dozens of books, articles, and television shows on the trends these statistics amplify. Here, they compile statistics derived from government sources and independent polling data into sections on work, education, family, religion, money, politics, business, and more. Each is further divided into single-page essays that begin with one overarching theme ("The concentration of working women in a few occupations diminished as they found employment throughout the economy") and conclude with charts and graphs that underscore the point (in this case, precisely how women left farming, domestic, and factory work from 1900 through 1998 for clerical and sales jobs, teaching, nursing, and other professional occupations). All in all, a highly informative--and entertaining--read. --Howard Rothman

From Publishers Weekly
In The First Measured Century: An Illustrated Guide to Trends in America, 1900-2000, sociologists Theodore Caplow and Louis Hicks and journalist Ben J. Wattenberg present cogent information on measurable aspects of modern life (population, health, work, religion, money, etc.) in an easy-to-read and engaging format featuring text accompanied by graphic illustrations. Readers will not be surprised to find out that Americans are healthier today than they were at the beginning of the century, but they may be surprisedAand reassuredAto learn that parents spend more time with their children now than they did 100 years ago. A three-hour PBS documentary program to air on December 20 will be sure to boost interest in and sales of this fun, fact-filled book.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
With this tie-in to a PBS documentary that aired in December, Caplow (Recent Social Trends in the United States), Louis Hicks (Systems of War and Peace), and Ben J. Wattenberg (Values Matter Most) have created a handbook of historical statistics covering such categories as "population," "work," and "health." They also include statistical information from Robert and Helen M. Lynd's famous sociological study, Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture (1927), which addresses attitudes and trends. The text, which generally covers the 20th century, presents a narrative introduction on one page and the statistics in chart form on the opposing page. A Statistical Portrait of the United States: Social Conditions and Trends (Bernan, 1998) and the Datapedia of the United States: America Year by Year 1790-2005 (Bernan, 2000) cover the same areas in much greater detail. They are much higher priced, however, making the title under review an inexpensive and helpful historical reference for libraries needing only one such title. Substantial collections with other historical statistical titles will find it an optional complement only.ACharlie Cowling, SUNY at Brockport Lib.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.