The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character

The Lonely Crowd isconsidered by many to be the most influential book of the twentieth century. Its now-classic analysis of the “new middle class” in terms of inner-directed and other-directed social character opened exciting new dimensions in our understanding of the psychological, political, and economic problems that confront the individual in contemporary American society. The 1969 abridged and revised edition of the book is now reissued with a new foreword by Todd Gitlin that explains why the book is still relevant to our own era. “As accessible as it is acute, The Lonely Crowd isindispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand American society. After half a century, this book has lost none of its capacity to make sense of how we live.” —Todd Gitlin Praise for the earlier editions: "One of the most penetrating and comprehensive views of the twentieth-century urban American you're likely to find." —Commonweal "Brilliant and original." —Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

About the Author :
David Riesman is Henry Ford II Professor of Social Sciences Emeritus at Harvard University. Nathan Glazer is emeritus professor of education and sociology structure at Harvard University. Reuel Denney was emeritus professor of English at the University of Hawaii. Todd Gitlin is professor of culture, journalism, and sociology at New York University and the author of The Sixties, The Twilight of Common Dreams, and two novels, most recently Sacrifice.

Review :
"[P]ublished more than half a century ago . . . [Riesman's book] remains . . . the best-selling book by a professional sociologist in American history."—Orlando Patterson, New York Times "The Lonely Crowd .. . was published more than half a century ago. It remains not only the best-selling book by a professional sociologist in American history, but arguably one that has had the widest influence on the nation at large. The work . . . inevitably raises questions about the claims and limitations of academic sociology today."—Orlando Patterson, New York Times "A book for anyone who believes that the economic, political, and psychological problems of our time demand social discovery and invention and who is interested in joining with a vigorous and provocative mind in the discovery."—Helen Lynd, New York Post (on the earlier edition) "As accessible as it is acute, The Lonely Crowd isindispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand American society. After half a century, this book has lost none of its capacity to make sense of how we live."—Todd Gitlin "Brilliant and original."—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (on the earlier editions) "A stimulating and provocative book. . . . It is impossible to do justice in a review to the breadth and richness of the material."—Margaret Mead (on the the earlier edition) "Riesman has a spaciousness of outlook which brings great promise to American social theory. . . . His work is strewn with insights which make every page crackle as you read it."—Max Lerner