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Work and Play: The Production and Consumption of Toys in Germany, 1870-1914
Contributor(s): Hamlin, David (Author)
ISBN: 047211588X     ISBN-13: 9780472115884
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
OUR PRICE:   $89.05  
Product Type: Hardcover
Published: June 2007
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: The development of toys in late nineteenth century Germany represents a perhaps surprising, but nonetheless extremely valuable tool for understanding the influence of consumerism on Wilhelmine society at a time of extreme social transformation. The rapid development of commerce in toys brought to the industry a significant increase in national wealth and power, but toys also became a site for contesting social and cultural problems. Would consumer capitalism lead to greater wealth or more exploitation? Should toys train young children in desirable adult traits or unlock the doors of fantasy? What were the implications for modern individualism and society inherent in these alternatives? Through the lenses of producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, pedagogues as well as cultural and social reformers, Hamlin explores how this new industry helped to lead the way toward German modernity.


"Exciting in the scope of its analytic purview, "Work and Play" explores not only the traditional business history of the toy industry in the Second Empire but also the cultural history of toys as well as the intellectual debates about the place of play in the cultivation of bourgeois individuals. In each arena, Hamlin makes extremely valuable contributions."
---Andrew Stuart Bergerson, Associate Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of "Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times: The Nazi Revolution in Hildesheim"


David Hamlin is Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University.

Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | Europe - Germany
- Business & Economics | Economic History
- History | Social History
Dewey: 338.476
LCCN: 2006103237
Series: Social History, Popular Culture, & Politics in Germany
Physical Information: 1.01" H x 6.48" W x 9.16" (1.28 lbs) 304 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1851-1899
- Cultural Region - Germany
- Chronological Period - 1900-1919
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

The development of toys in late nineteenth century Germany represents a perhaps surprising, but nonetheless extremely valuable tool for understanding the influence of consumerism on Wilhelmine society at a time of extreme social transformation. The rapid development of commerce in toys brought to the industry a significant increase in national wealth and power, but toys also became a site for contesting social and cultural problems. Would consumer capitalism lead to greater wealth or more exploitation? Should toys train young children in desirable adult traits or unlock the doors of fantasy? What were the implications for modern individualism and society inherent in these alternatives? Through the lenses of producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, pedagogues as well as cultural and social reformers, Hamlin explores how this new industry helped to lead the way toward German modernity.

"Exciting in the scope of its analytic purview, Work and Play explores not only the traditional business history of the toy industry in the Second Empire but also the cultural history of toys as well as the intellectual debates about the place of play in the cultivation of bourgeois individuals. In each arena, Hamlin makes extremely valuable contributions."
---Andrew Stuart Bergerson, Associate Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times: The Nazi Revolution in Hildesheim

David Hamlin is Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University.