{"product_id":"the-march-of-spare-time-the-problem-and-promise-of-leisure-in-the-great-depression-paperback-softback-9780812221251","title":"The March of Spare Time; The Problem and Promise of Leisure in the Great Depression (Paperback \/ softback) 9780812221251","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe March of Spare Time\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Problem and Promise of Leisure in the Great Depression\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eSusan Currell (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780812221251\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 23 July 2010\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e248 pages, 26 illus.\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.666 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A groundbreaking book.\"-\u003ci\u003eStudies in American Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Clearly written and tightly argued. . . . \u003ci\u003eThe March of Spare Time\u003c\/i\u003e provides an in-depth analysis of why the leisure question was 'such an intense object of interest, concern, and surveillance by national policy makers, experts, and intellectuals alike in the 1930s.'\"-\u003ci\u003eJournal of American History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Susan Currell has written a worthy book that focuses our attention on Depression-era debates among New Deal policy makers over what she identifies as 'the problem of leisure.'\"-David Nasaw, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Historical Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe March of Spare Time\u003c\/i\u003e, Susan Currell explores how and why leisure became an object of such intense interest, concern, and surveillance during the Great Depression. As Americans experienced record high levels of unemployment, leisure was thought by reformers, policy makers, social scientists, physicians, labor unions, and even artists to be both a cause of and a solution to society's most entrenched ills. Of all the problems that faced America in the 1930s, only leisure seemed to offer a panacea for the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe problem centered on divided opinions over what constituted proper versus improper use of leisure time. On the one hand, sociologists and reformers excoriated as improper such leisure activities as gambling, loafing, and drinking. On the other, the Works Progress Administration and the newly professionalized recreation experts promoted proper leisure activities such as reading, sports, and arts and crafts. Such attention gave rise to new ideas about how Americans should spend their free time to better themselves and their nation.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese ideas were propagated in social science publications and proliferated into the wider cultural sphere. Films, fiction, and radio also engaged with new ideas about leisure, more extensively than has previously been recognized. In examining this wide spectrum of opinion, Currell offers the first full-scale account of the fears and hopes surrounding leisure in the 1930s, one that will be an important addition to the cultural history of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: The Re-creation of Leisure\u003cbr\u003e 1. The Problem and Promise\u003cbr\u003e 2. Preparing for Spare Time\u003cbr\u003e 3. National Recovery of Recreation\u003cbr\u003e 4. The March of Culture\u003cbr\u003e 5. Shopping for Leisure\u003cbr\u003e 6. Motion Pictures and Dance Halls\u003cbr\u003e 7. Mate Selection\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: The Leisured World of Tomorrow, Today\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Pennsylvania Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52702427513112,"sku":"9780812221251","price":21.56,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-march-of-spare-time-the-problem-and-promise-of-leisure-in-the-great-depression-paperback-softback-9780812221251","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}