Books That Shaped The Contemporary American Mind
What books have had the most impact in shaping the contemporary American mind?
In 1939 Malcolm Cowley and Bernard Smith polled American educators, historians, critics, lecturers, and publicists on this subject. Following is the list of twelve titles which were most prominent.
- The Interpretation of Dreams
(Freud)
- The Education of Henry Adams
(Adams)
- The Frontier in American History
(Turner)
- FOLKWAYS: A Study of Mores, Manners, Customs and Morals
(Sumner)
- The Theory of Business Enterprise
(Veblen)
- Studies in Logical Theory
(Dewey)
- The Mind Of Primitive Man
(Boas)
- An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States
(Beard)
- Principles of Literary Criticism
(Richards)
- The State And Revolution
(Lenin)
- The Decline of the West
(Spengler)
If the same survey was conducted today among American educators, historians, critics, and lecturers I would be surprised if more than one or two of the above titles would appear on the list.
What titles do you think should appear on the list?
__________
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