New Releases by Frederick Lewis Allen

"The History of the United States" brings together three seminal works by Frederick Lewis Allen, offering readers a captivating journey through key moments in American history, accompanied by stunning illustrations. In "Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s," Allen provides a vivid and insightful portrayal of the Roaring Twenties, exploring the social, cultural, and political developments that shaped the decade. From the rise of consumer culture to the impact of Prohibition and the stock market boom, Allen captures the spirit of an era marked by prosperity and change. "Since Yesterday: The 1930s in America" continues the narrative, delving into the tumultuous decade that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Allen examines the Great Depression, the New Deal era, and the challenges faced by Americans as they grappled with economic hardship and social upheaval. Through poignant anecdotes and historical analysis, he paints a nuanced picture of a nation in crisis and the resilience of its people. In "The Lords of Creation: The History of America''s 1 Percent," Allen shifts his focus to the economic forces that shaped America in the early 20th century. He explores the rise of corporate power, the influence of financial magnates, and the impact of their actions on society and politics. With meticulous research and incisive commentary, Allen sheds light on the individuals and institutions that wielded immense wealth and influence during this transformative period. Accompanied by richly detailed illustrations, this collection offers readers a visually stunning and intellectually stimulating exploration of American history. From the exuberance of the Jazz Age to the struggles of the Great Depression and the complexities of economic power, "The History of the United States" provides a comprehensive overview of key events and themes that continue to shape the nation to this day. Contents: • Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s • Since Yesterday: The 1930s in America • The Lords of Creation: The History of America''s 1 Percent

A revealing biography of J. P. Morgan, one of the most powerful and enigmatic financiers in history, from bestselling author Frederick Lewis Allen. Celebrated as a titan of industry by some and decried as a monopolizing robber baron by others, John Pierpont Morgan was without a doubt a dominant player in American finance at the turn of the twentieth century. He founded U.S. Steel, a conglomeration of leading steel and iron producers, which was the nation’s largest coast-to-coast railroad system, and the first company to be worth more than $1 billion. Morgan was also instrumental in developing the Federal Reserve after working with political leaders to prevent a potentially devastating fiscal crisis in 1907. Indeed, he was a driving force in the modernization of American business, and the effects of his acumen and foresight continue to resonate today—on Wall Street and beyond. Additionally, known for his displays of wealth and power, Morgan was a prominent figure of the New York society scene—a member of the original one percent—as well as a notable art connoisseur with a sizable collection now housed in Manhattan’s lavish Morgan Library & Museum, once his own private library. In this meticulously researched and comprehensive biography, Frederick Lewis Allen, former editor of Harper’s magazine and author of Only Yesterday, delves into the life and character of a fascinating, multidimensional man. Allen also probes the evolution of the business landscape during Morgan’s lifetime, when giant corporations with unparalleled economies of scale began to absorb and replace smaller competitors. This richly detailed portrait of a man whose name is inseparable from American finance is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of banking and business history.

A “stimulating” account of the capitalists who changed America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, setting the stage for the 1929 crash and Great Depression (Kirkus Reviews). In the decades following the Civil War, America entered an era of unprecedented corporate expansion, with ultimate financial power in the hands of a few wealthy industrialists who exploited the system for everything it was worth. The Rockefellers, Fords, Morgans, and Vanderbilts were the “lords of creation” who, along with like-minded magnates, controlled the economic destiny of the country, unrestrained by regulations or moral imperatives. Through a combination of foresight, ingenuity, ruthlessness, and greed, America’s giants of industry remolded the US economy in their own image. They established their power and authority, ensuring that they—and they alone—would control the means of production, transportation, energy, and commerce—creating the conditions for the stock market collapse of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. As modern society continues to be affected by wealth inequality and cycles of boom and bust, it’s as important as ever to understand the origins of financial disaster, and the policies, practices, and people who bring them on. The Lords of Creation, first published when the catastrophe of the 1930s was still painfully fresh, is a fascinating story of bankers, railroad tycoons, steel magnates, speculators, scoundrels, and robber barons. It is a tale of innovation and shocking exploitation—and a sobering reminder that history can indeed repeat itself.

Here, for the first time in one volume, are Frederick Lewis Allen''s two classic studies of America in the early decades of the twentieth century. Only Yesterday and its sequel, Since Yesterday, are a look at the events, the personalities, the politics, and the manners and morals of the nation during a significant and turbulent era in history. Only Yesterday has been called "the best account of all that happened in the United States during the wonderfully wacky 1920s." It deals with that delightful decade from the Armistice in November 1918 to the panic and depression of 1929-30. Here is the story of Woodrow Wilson''s defeat, the Harding scandals, the Coolidge prosperity, the revolution in manners and morals, the bull market and its smash-up. Allen''s lively narrative brings back, revitalized and freshly interpreted, an endless variety of half-forgotten events and fashions, crazes and absurdities. He neglects neither the play of political, social, and economic forces in American life nor those tremendous trifles which immediately concerned ordinary people the significance of short skirts, Eskimo pies, flagpole sitting. Since Yesterday, which is as gracefully written as its predecessor, picks up where the first book ends. Recapping the period of feverish stock market activity that preceded the Crash of 1929, it goes on to look at what happened in the decade that followed, from September 3, 1929, to September 3, 1939. Allen examines the Depression, the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the beginning of the New Deal, the Dust Bowl, the way Americans worked (and didn''t work), how they played. He covers the fashions of the times, gangsterism, politics, unions, Hollywood, and a great deal more.

"In this book, we are taken on a tour of twelve rooms, each representative of a significant period on America''s artistic past...we see not only the rooms, but the history, attitudes and biases, the entertainments and amusements, the architecture, the furniture style, and the mode of dress that characterise each period." -- Back cover.