The Consumer Revolution, 1650-1800

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'The Consumer Revolution, 1650-1800 is a well-written and well-conceived book that presents an up-to-date account of scholarship on the Consumer Revolution alongside an expert's critical account of that scholarship and where it needs to go in the future. Students and scholars will surely appreciate the overview of the field provided and the suggestions for more specialized reading.' Clare Crowston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 'For many years now, Michael Kwass has been one of the most innovative contributors to debates on consumer culture in early modern France. Now, his The Consumer Revolution provides a superbly comprehensive and intelligently nuanced account of the global impact of western consumerism before the industrial age, that remains nicely alert to comparisons with our own society.' Colin Jones, author of The Great Nation: France 1715-99 'Kwass's The Consumer Revolution brilliantly charts the remarkable economic, cultural, and political consequences of new consumer practices in this era of skyrocketing global trade, from the rise of calicoes, sugar, or tobacco to the shifting politics of fashion in the age of revolutions. Comprehensive, imaginative, and a pleasure to read.' William Sewell, University of Chicago '... insightful, engaging, and scholarly ... This study draws on and offers discerning interpretations of a wide range of scholars and academic studies to provide perceptive analysis that will interest economic historians, sociologists, political scientists, and others. ... Recommended.' T. E. Sullivan, Choice '... Kvass has produced a fluently readable introductory text to the consumer revolution of the 18th century. The book presents the current state of research on the basis of English and French-language literature in particular and critically discusses it. Above all, he adds a new accent with his stronger emphasis on politics in the history of consumption in the 18th century. The book is recommended to all those interested in this subject.' Andre Steiner, Zeitschrift fuer Geschichtswissenschaft '... the author deliver[s] a number of fresh insights and hypotheses, and the book benefits also from his clear and witty expository style, his ability to synthesize multiple directions of research into a coherent narrative, the numerous and well-chosen illustrations and their perceptive commentaries, and the use of an impressive array of secondary sources in English, French, and Spanish.' Pierre Gervais, H-France Review