BOB BATCHELOR EXAMINES POP CULTURE AND EVERYDAY LIFE IN NEW BOOK, The 1900s

Exciting picture of American life at the dawn of the 20th century, including technological innovation, modern architecture, advertising, sports, hobbies, and changes in fashion and cuisine.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 7, 2002 – Bob Batchelor's new book, The 1900s, was recently published by Greenwood Press, one of the nation's foremost publishing companies.

The 1900s is part of the "American Popular Culture Through History" series, one of 16 groundbreaking books examining how popular culture influenced history across the entire scope of American history. The thematic chapters examine everything from the daily life of children to advertising and sports to literature. The book covers the 1900-1910 era, one of the most underappreciated, but pivotal, decades in American history.

"Bob Batchelor's The 1900s captures the spirit of America at the turn of the century. Batchelor shows the period as a critical foundation for the rest of the century, setting the tone in industry, politics, and culture," said Thomas Heinrich, Baruch College, and author of Ships for the Seven Seas: Philadelphia Shipbuilding in the Age of Industrial Capitalism (Johns Hopkins, 1997)

Most historical studies bury us in wars and politics, paying scant attention to the everyday effects of popular culture. The 1900s welcomes readers to America's other history—the arts, activities, lifestyles, and popular opinions that profoundly impacted our national way of life.

The so-called "quiet decade" of 1900-1910 was anything but quiet. Spurred by the energy and progressive attitude of President Theodore Roosevelt and millions of immigrants flooding into our cities, American life saw tremendous cultural and technological change. A healthy economy gave workers more spending money and leisure time to enjoy hobbies, travel, and pastimes, including a new and revolutionary entertainment—the movies. Providing an exciting picture of American life at the dawn of the 20th century, this volume covers:

-Innovations in technology, such as the airplane and the automobile
-The advent of "modern" architecture
-The proliferation of advertising aimed at the new middle class
-Fads, games, sports, and hobbies
-Changes in fashion and cuisine

This book also features the burgeoning of the arts, including the school of realism and naturalism in literature, the first truly American music—jazz—and the new performing art that played to American tastes: vaudeville. Students will find this book a handy reference work, while history buffs will enjoy the detailed look at a vastly underappreciated time in American history.

ABOUT GREENWOOD

The Greenwood Publishing Group is one of the world's leading publishers of academic monographs, reference titles (for university, public, and school libraries), college texts, journals, professional books, and electronic resources. With over 18,000 titles in print, GPG publishes some 800 titles each year, many of which are recognized with annual awards from Choice, Library Journal, The American Library Association, and various scholarly and professional organizations.

Through our wide range of imprints and an impressive variety of publications we seek to comprehensively serve the scholarly, library, student, and professional communities. For more information, visit www.greenwood.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BOB BATCHELOR is an award-winning business writer and historian. Trained at the University of Pittsburgh and Kent State University, he currently lives with his wife, Katherine, in San Rafael, CA.

Batchelor has three additional books coming out next year (a major business book examining the rise, fall, and lessons learned from the high tech boom, a corporate history of Kimberly-Clark, the maker of Kleenex and many other important consumer products, and a book of original essays on the history of modern basketball, ranging from todays high school players to Michael Jordan). His essays have been featured recently on the Web site of The American Prospect magazine (www.prospect.org) and PopPolitics.com.

If you would like more information about me, please see: www.bobbatchelor.com.

PRESS INQUIRIES/READINGS/BOOK REVIEW CONTACT: Bob Batchelor, (415) 455-8463 or via email at bob@bobbatchelor.com