Synopses & Reviews
No one works harder at playing than Americans. Indeed, as Cindy Aron reveals in this intriguing account, the American vacation has seen a constant tension between labor and leisure, especially in the 19th and early 20th century, when we often struggled to protect ourselves from the sin of idleness.
In Working at Play, Aron offers the first full length history of how Americans have vacationed--from eighteenth-century planters who summered in Newport to twentieth-century urban workers who headed for camps in the hills. In the early nineteenth century, Aron shows, vacations were taken for health more than for fun, as the wealthy traveled to watering places, seeking cures for everything from consumption to rheumatism. But starting in the 1850s, the growth of a white collar middle class and the expansion of railroads made vacationing a mainstream activity. Aron charts this growth with grace and insight, tracing the rise of new vacation spots as the nation and the middle class blossomed. She shows how late nineteenth-century resorts became centers of competitive sports. Bowling, tennis, golf, hiking, swimming, and boating absorbed the hours. But as vacationing grew, she writes, fears of the dangers of idleness bloomed with it. Self improvement vacations flourished; religious camp grounds became established resorts, where gambling, drinking, and bathing on Sunday were banned. Asbury Park, named after Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist bishop, quickly became one of the most popular getaways for the devout.
With vivid detail and much insight, Working at Play offers a lively history of the vacation, throwing new light on the place of work and rest in American culture.
Review
"A fascinating slice of social history, Aron's book sheds light on a subject few have thought warranted serious study." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Offers fascinating insights into American attitudes toward leisure." Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Review
"In this fascinating study Aron shows that the idea of taking time away from work for leisure is a relatively recent development." Booklist
Review
"An engaging and highly readable study of Americans and their vacations. Aron skillfully illuminates the complex connections between work and structured leisure from Methodist camp meetings through Chautauquan self-improvement to today's laptop computer at the beach." Karen Halttunen, Professor of History, U.C. Davis
Review
"We may have trouble taking pleasure in our vacations, but we can surely take pleasure in reading Aron's book." Roy Rosenzweig, George Mason University
Synopsis
In Working at Play, Cindy S. Aron offers the first full length history of how Americans have vacationed from eighteenth-century planters who summered in Newport to twentieth-century urban workers who headed for camps in the hills. In the early nineteenth century, Aron shows, vacations were taken for health more than for fun, as the wealthy traveled to watering places, seeking cures for everything from consumption to rheumatism. But starting in the 1850s, the growth of a white collar middle class and the expansion of railroads made vacationing a mainstream activity. Aron charts this growth with grace and insight, tracing the rise of new vacation spots as the nation and the middle class blossomed. She shows how late nineteenth-century resorts became centers of competitive sports. But as vacationing grew, she writes, fears of the dangers of idleness bloomed with it. Self-improvement vacations flourished; religious camp grounds became established resorts, where gambling, drinking, and bathing on Sunday were banned. Asbury Park, named after Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist bishop, quickly became one of the most popular getaways for the devout.
Synopsis
In Working at Play, Cindy Aron offers the first full length history of how Americans have vacationed--from eighteenth-century planters who summered in Newport to twentieth-century urban workers who headed for camps in the hills. In the early nineteenth century, vacations were taken for health more than for fun, as the wealthy traveled to watering places, seeking cures for everything from consumption to rheumatism. But starting in the 1850s, the growth of a white- collar middle class and the expansion of railroads made vacationing a mainstream activity. Aron charts this growth with grace and insight, tracing the rise of new vacation spots as the nation and the middle class blossomed. She shows how late nineteenth-century resorts became centers of competitive sports--bowling, tennis, golf, hiking, swimming, and boating absorbed the hours. But as vacationing grew, she writes, fears of the dangers of idleness grew with it. Religious camp grounds, where gambling, drinking, and bathing on Sundays were prohibited, became established resorts. At the same time 'self improvement' vacations began to flourish, allowing a middle class still uncomfortable with the notion of leisure to feel productive while at play. With vivid detail and much insight, Working at Play offers a lively history of the vacation, throwing new light on the place of work and rest in American culture.
About the Author
Cindy S. Aron is the author of
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Civil Service: Middle Class Workers in Victorian America, and is Professor of History at the University of Virginia. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Inventing Vacations
1. Recuperation and Recreation: The Pursuit of Health and Genteel Pleasures
2. "Summer hotels are everywhere": A Flood of
4. "No late hours, no headache in the morning": Self-Improvement Vacations
5. "a jaunt... agreeable and instructive": The Vacationer as Tourist
6. "Unfashionable, but for once happy!": Camping Vacations
Part Two: Into the Twentieth Century
7. "Vacations do not appeal to them": Extending Vacations to the Working Class
8. Crossing Class and Racial Boundaries: Vacationing in the Early Twentieth Century
9. "It's worthwhile to get something from your holiday": Vacationing During the Depression
Epilogue
Notes
Index