Life in Amana: Reporters' Views of the Communal Way, 1867-1935

Dorothy Crum

ISBN 10: 1572160500 / ISBN 13: 9781572160507

Published by Penfield Books, 1998

About this Item

"Here was the New World home of the Community of True Inspiration, founded in 1855 by a people who quit the Old World's persecution and ventured west seeking the opportunity to worship God in their own way. Their way was communal--from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. There were 25,000 rich acres, and each member--of German, Swiss, and Alsatian ancestry--handed down his skills from father to son, from mother to daughter, in the Old World tradition. Thus were manned the farms, woolen mills, meat smoking plants, furniture factory, wineries, community kitchens, and other industries. In 1932, by a vote of the people, the Amanas dropped the cdommunal way and took the great step into the system of free enterprise that surrounded them." From introduction, p. vi. Due to age and/or environmental conditions, the pages of this book have darkened. Solid binding. Moderate edgewear on the boards. Moderate shelf wear. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item.

Seller Inventory # 123804970

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Life in Amana: Reporters' Views of the Communal Way, 1867-1935
• Publisher: Penfield Books
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1572160500
• ISBN 13: 9781572160507
• Binding: Softcover
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Book Type: Book

About this title

Synopsis

An enlightening, instructive collection of articles written by journalists between 1867 and 1935 on their perceptions of the Amana colonies. Furthermore, the newspaper stories demonstrated that from an early date communal Amana was a popular new subject, not an isolated unknown, and provide many examples of how the community opened itself to outsiders. A bit of Europe in America, a voice out of the past on the world's western frontier, this unique community stands as the nearest approach in our day to the Utopian's dream of a community of men and women living together in peace, plenty, and happiness, away from the world and its many distractions. But the communism of Amana is not a dream: it is a fact an established order of life. Historical photographs and articles document the Amana community.