Great American Bestsellers: The Books That Shaped America

Peter Conn; The Great Courses

ISBN 10: 1598035355 ISBN 13: 9781598035353

Publisher: The Great Courses, 2009

Synopsis

Best-selling books have played a critical role in influencing the tastes and purchasing habits of American readers for more than 100 years. But there is more to America's great best-selling books than the sales figures they rake in. American bestsellers also offer us ways to appreciate and understand particular periods of American culture. In this series of 24 lectures you'll enjoy a pointed look at key best-selling works and their places within the greater fabric of American cultural history. Guided by an award-winning teacher, you'll explore representative bestsellers at various stages of American history, from the first book published in the English-speaking New World to the blockbuster authors who dominate the 21st-century publishing industry. The result is an expert look at the evolution of American culture - its tastes, its hopes, its dreams - through the unique lens of the books that have captivated its readers at various points in American history. Each of the 22 works discussed - from literary masterpieces ( The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ) to enduring self-help books ( How to Win Friends and Influence People ) - has had a crucial and unique impact on American society. Studying these representative works will give you a deeper understanding of how American literature can both mirror the events of its time and, in many instances, have a pronounced impact on them. These lectures are your opportunity to see our nation's best-selling books as more than just popular forms of entertainment that have managed to make their authors lots of money, but as stunning microcosms of American cultural history.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Great Courses
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1598035355
• ISBN 13: 9781598035353
• Binding: DVD