This collection of short autobiographies, compiled and edited by Hamilton Holt, offers an eye-opening account of how ordinary Americans lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century. The contributors to this collection were anonymous, drawn from various vocations of American society. The occupations range from laborer to dressmaker to domestic servant to peddlar and bootblack. A minority of the accounts are dictated, but the bulk are written or edited from manuscripts solicited by the original publisher. We ...
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This collection of short autobiographies, compiled and edited by Hamilton Holt, offers an eye-opening account of how ordinary Americans lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century. The contributors to this collection were anonymous, drawn from various vocations of American society. The occupations range from laborer to dressmaker to domestic servant to peddlar and bootblack. A minority of the accounts are dictated, but the bulk are written or edited from manuscripts solicited by the original publisher. We witness a society which had, owing to decades of immigration from around the world, become industrious and diverse. Several contributors to this collection are first generation immigrants; for many the conditions of the United States at the time were jarringly different. Some yearn for their homelands, and for the comforts and customs which they left behind, while others openly admire the attitude and values of the country they have come to call home. Not only do we gain a historic perspective of the USA, we also learn how life was for certain contributors in their homelands. The contrast between the bustling, industrialized cities of America and the generally quieter homelands is marked. The most obvious trend across all of the tales however is the immense detail of everyday living, of the hard work, of the budgeting and money sent to relatives at home. Despite being ordinary, everyday people, each has a tale or a perspective that sheds insight upon life. Emotions and human qualities leap from the pages: the dignity and naive intellectualism of the Japanese servant; the ambition and genial pride of the French dressmaker; the determination and faith of the visually impaired preacher; the traditionalism and community of a Chinese laundryman. The Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans is a valuable and vivid collection of anecdotes worthy of attention and possessed of additional, historic value in the modern day.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
