Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture

By William R. Leach

This monumental work of cultural history was nominated for a National Book Award. It chronicles America's transformation, beginning in 1880, into a nation of consumers, devoted to a cult of comfort, bodily well-being, and endless acquisition. 24 pages of photos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307761149

Reviews for Land of Desire

[mjgrogan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For someone who gets Mall Fatigue by the time I park and traverse Macys, I felt the task of completing this to be somewhat arduous. However, for those interested in the rise of US commercialism on the basis not only of the dramatic evolutions within retailing but also in consideration of certain intellectual outpourings and institutional correlations within the decades in question, then you should find this to be a great book. Leach covers the transformation of a Mother-stitching-one’s-britches nation into one where department stores sought to coerce consumers into purchasing completely new wardrobes every year. It’s certainly an important history that sheds much light on of the origin of the “shop ‘til you drop” paradigm that defined Generation Me, Generation X, Generation Y, the Millennials, or whatever other dubiously designated groups that have been attacked for lacking the frugality of the previously accused generations.

[lateinnings · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really good history of the rise of commercial culture and of advertising.

[cynara_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this a few years back, but I recall it being fascinating, and it made a deep impression on me. Leach's book is a scholarly and very readable account of a particular period in American history. It traces the early years of modern consumer culture. I guarantee it will change your perception of going to the mall; to this day, whenever I walk into a grand department store, my mind whisper's Leach's words: "colour, glass, and light...."