Definitions if leisure -- History and attitudes regarding leisure -- The economics of leisure -- Less work, more play, and the rise of leisure -- The rise of expenditures on leisure goods and services -- Patterns in leisure for the young and the old -- The interaction of leisure and public health -- The changing workplace -- The transformation of the domestic economy -- Commercialized leisure in the early 1900s -- Mass entertainment to the fore -- Improved infrastructure and leisure -- Government and leisure -- Antitrust issues and the leisure industries
Summary
At the end of the 19th century, economist Thorstein Veblen wrote 'The Theory of the Leisure Class.' A century later, the economic conditions in America had changed beyond recognition. Improvements in agricultural productivity led to better nutrition and triggered improved productivity and living standards throughout the economy. American workers chose to take the benefits accruing from economic growth in the form of higher wages, shorter workweeks, better working conditions and increased leisure. This text charts the rise of leisure activities during this period