Working At Play: A History of Vacations in the United States

By Cindy Sondik Aron

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195142349
• ISBN13: 9780195142341
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book about an interesting subject

As soon as I first spotted this book I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed! The author covers approximately a 150 year period ending around 1940. She brings to the reader many fascinating aspects surrounding not only the types of vacations (e.g. religious retreats, resorts for the wealthy, camping, etc.), but perhaps more importantly, the psychological aspects of vacationing in America. Aron describes, in a reflection of the book's title, how the working class had to break the thought process that working was the only way of life; vacationing -- or "play" -- took a number of years to become an acceptable practice. I especially found interesting the role of religion in the acceptance, or non-acceptance, of vacationing. The book was very well researched and, in my opinion, is well worth the investment. "Working at Play" is a wonderful look at American society. There were many times as I was reading the book that I would just pause and reflect on the subject matter, thinking to myself "Now that's something that I would have never even thought about."