"For centuries," Daniel Horowitz writes, "Americans have worried about
the consequences of comfort, affluence, and luxury. They have often
greeted a rising standard of living with a mixture of pleasure and
disquiet. Anxious about the impact of ease on the commitment to hard
work, savings, and self-control, and ambivalent about the implications
of increased wealth, many in the United States have expressed concern
about new levels and kinds of consumption. This book traces the
development of such misgivings." "Clear, judicious, thorough and
unfailingly interesting; a solid work on a most significant
topic."--Technology and Culture. "An illuminating study...intelligent
and perceptive...full of interesting insights."--Reviews in American
History. "Daniel Horowitz has made creative use of diverse sources in
order to integrate several fascinating strands of American cultural
history.... His findings have broad implications...."--American
Historical Review. "An imaginative and carefully researched study....
The Morality of Spending accomplishes what it sets out to do: not a
sociology of money but a history of ideas about money."--Journal of
Social History.