Vance Packard's "The Status Seekers" is a well known compendium and analysis of the nature and development of social classification during the 1950's-a period marked by explosive growth of the U.S. economy, especially among young white families. The thesis of the book, as explained by Packard, is that rather than the creation of a largely classless society in which "all" were gaining the benefits of democratic capitalism, the creation of an "affluent" society simply highlighted and created new stratifications, both horizontal, and vertical, of social class based on race, religion, behavioral and consumptive practices.

Packard sought to demonstrate his thesis by compiling and synthesizing then current sociological studies, as well as conducting informal interviews among members of various economic classes, policy experts, and professionals in different cities, towns, and states. There is little in the book that represents original thought, but the form, promotion and style of the book made it a best-selling nonfiction work among the general public.

It was precisely these qualities that drew so much ire from many critics, especially those drawn from the circles of New York intelligentsia-it was often attacked for its own pretense to provinciality and romanticism of an agrarian, frontier past. The Status Seekers nonetheless stands as a significant work in American Studies, precisely because of its ability to bring scholarly information, especially regarding the vertical stratifications of race and religion, to bear on the nature of class in America, and stands out as a dissenting voice in the consensus ideology and politics of containment that ruled public discourse at the time. Other criticisms of the book, such as the charge that it portrayed status seeking voyeuristically and hypocritically--- insofar as buyers used it to advance their own status---- are charges more appropriate to the willingness of the buying public to commodify and use as a tool any weapon in the fight to gain greater status. While books are meant to be read, conveying information about such timely topics is bound to get caught up in the politics of the very phenomenon studied. That is not Packard's fault.

There are other criticisms, more from a contemporary standpoint, that could be made of Packard's work. It is true that he took from conservative liberalism a predisposition to see affluence as the problem, rather than the lack of it for so many people within the society he studied. It is also true that he played more to the prejudices of the day, especially regarding race and gender, and failed to aggressively question some of the roots of the problems he sought in terms of these prejudices. But the point of his text was not to make a critique of American institutions as such, but rather the interpretations of those institutions as held and manipulated by consumers for their own benefit.

On the one hand, we should chalk this up to Packard's Cold War liberalism. Moreover, as pointed out in the excellent introductory essay by Daniel Horowitz, Packard was once a socialist radical, but experienced the realpolitik of Stalin's Soviet Union negotiations with Hitler, and correctly understood the USSR as a form of state capitalism (much like C. L. R. James). It would be worst sort of ex post facto presentism to hold these sorts of criticisms too hard against Packard.

Christopher W. Chase - PhD Fellow - Michigan State University

This book by Daniel Riffe et al. not only gives an excellent overview of the research field of quantitative content analysis, but also useful recommendations on solving that particular analysis or measurement problem that you are facing. Using this book, I found it much easier to quantitatively measure structured interview results. The examples given in the book are often from the media world, but are generally applicable. Recommended.

Although Luckenbill's work is dated, (it was published in 1926)it is the best primary source of Assyrian and Babylonian history. It is the direct translations from the great men of that era. The reader can view that world through the eyes of the Kings of that culture. A culture that was religious, moral, and yet, horrific. A fascinating compliment to biblical history.

This is essential reading for anyone interested in Shakespeare's religion--an issue that recurs continually among Shakespeare scholars. Professor Wright sees the history plays as vital expressions of Shakespeare's patriotism containing a common-sense argument for the Anglican Church as the proper spiritual adjunct of the English (and Tudor)Crown. He makes a persuasive case for Shakespeare as an immensely intelligent, well-read and theologically literate defender of the Anglican Church. This is a powerful (and readable) antidote to the light-weight theorizing about Shakespeare as a Lancashire Catholic.

This is a very enjoyable collection. There are plenty of well-known poets here (W.H. Auden, Anne Sexton, James Wright,John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, Hart Crane, etc., etc.) and many of the less famous as well. Includes mostly poetry from the 1960s to the early 80s, though there is some earlier material as well. Another nice feature is the sizable number of fine translations from poets not often found in American anthologies. Fairly decent range of styles, though there is nothing here that's really experimental or avant garde. Overall, a nice book for poetry lovers to browse through. I recommend it!

Concise, informative, detailed catalogue of antique fly reels. The author has produced great photos making it easy to identify and decipher reels for the enthusiast. A guide to values is accurate for today's market. Easy to read format. The book would appeal to collector and fisherman alike.

This was a very good presentation of these stories. Daniel Massey does his best to assume the persona of the characters of Poirot(with moderatly good beligan accent) and some female characters. The story was well paced and did had a twist to be expected from Agatha Christie. The plot centers on Poirot being commisioned to find a woman for a love smitten local mechanic after Poirot's car breaks down. This was more difficult than Poirot initially figured. Nice part of the Labours of Hercules saga. This will make you want to get the rest of the set. I enjoyed the story and would recommed. Enjoy :)

"Are You As Confused?" was fun to read. I read the entire book in two evenings. Many of the poems, particularly ones about love and feelings were excellent. "In The Air" and "Love" are two of several good poems. The cover was also well done!

This is a fun book with outstanding photos that follows now-famous young men and coach. In a sport where lady luck can kiss you or kick you in the same contest, this book chronicles the UVa program becoming a perenial power house. UVa won four national titles, three of which were unprecedented consecutive crowns.The book is written in the voice of a sports columnist, Rob Daniels. This author does not get into the technical and tactical aspects of the game;it is not the purpose of the book, (much to the disapointment of this youth soccer coach and enthusiast). Although not a coaching manual, it does give a few insights into the disposition and demeanor of coach Bruce Arena. Included is background of some of the gifted players who have played at Virginia such as Harkes,Meola, and Reyna. Of couse, several more gifted players are mentioned as the author details important moments in roster changes, player developement, and key moments in the games. The collection of top quality photographs is inspiring and helps make the book a discussion piece. However, I am still looking forward to a coaching book authored by Arena Himself.