A Great Idea at the Time

The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books

Nonfiction, Home & Garden, Antiques & Collectibles, Books, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book A Great Idea at the Time by Alex Beam, PublicAffairs
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alex Beam ISBN: 9780786726981
Publisher: PublicAffairs Publication: November 4, 2008
Imprint: PublicAffairs Language: English
Author: Alex Beam
ISBN: 9780786726981
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Publication: November 4, 2008
Imprint: PublicAffairs
Language: English

Today the classics of the western canon, written by the proverbial “dead white men,” are cannon fodder in the culture wars. But in the 1950s and 1960s, they were a pop culture phenomenon. The Great Books of Western Civilization, fifty-four volumes chosen by intellectuals at the University of Chicago, began as an educational movement, and evolved into a successful marketing idea. Why did a million American households buy books by Hippocrates and Nicomachus from door-to-door salesmen? And how and why did the great books fall out of fashion?

In A Great Idea at the Time Alex Beam explores the Great Books mania, in an entertaining and strangely poignant portrait of American popular culture on the threshold of the television age. Populated with memorable characters, A Great Idea at the Time will leave readers asking themselves: Have I read Lucretius's De Rerum Natura lately? If not, why not?

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Today the classics of the western canon, written by the proverbial “dead white men,” are cannon fodder in the culture wars. But in the 1950s and 1960s, they were a pop culture phenomenon. The Great Books of Western Civilization, fifty-four volumes chosen by intellectuals at the University of Chicago, began as an educational movement, and evolved into a successful marketing idea. Why did a million American households buy books by Hippocrates and Nicomachus from door-to-door salesmen? And how and why did the great books fall out of fashion?

In A Great Idea at the Time Alex Beam explores the Great Books mania, in an entertaining and strangely poignant portrait of American popular culture on the threshold of the television age. Populated with memorable characters, A Great Idea at the Time will leave readers asking themselves: Have I read Lucretius's De Rerum Natura lately? If not, why not?

More books from PublicAffairs

Cover of the book The Black Panthers by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Names Heard Long Ago by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Rebel of Rangoon by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Right-and Wrong-Stuff by Alex Beam
Cover of the book For God and Country by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Chaos of Empire by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Alzheimer's Project by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Absolute Power by Alex Beam
Cover of the book The Silence and the Scorpion by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Being a Black Man by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Elephant Destiny by Alex Beam
Cover of the book Soccernomics by Alex Beam
Cover of the book I'm Dying Up Here by Alex Beam
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy