Literacy in the United States: Readers and Reading Since 1880 - Hardcover

Kaestle, Mr. Carl F.; Damon-Moore, Helen; Stedman, Lawrence C.; Tinsley, Katherine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300049463 ISBN 13: 9780300049466

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1991

Synopsis

In this book, Carl F. Kaestle and his colleagues provide a social history of literacy in America that broadens the definition of literacy and considers who was reading what, under what circumstances and for what purposes. The book explores diverse sources - from tests of reading ability, government surveys and polls to 19th-century autobiographies and family budget studies - in order to assess trends in American's reading abilities and habits. It concludes that there has been an immense expansion of literacy in America over the last century against which modest skill declines of the 1970's pale by comparison. In recent years, however, literacy has levelled and even declined in some areas of reading, as shown in the downward trends in purchases of newspapers and magazines. Current worries about American's literacy levels may be justified, they argue, as Americans are lured away from print media by electronic media. This landmark study will be essential reading for anyone wanting to understand contemporary or historical debates about literacy in the United States.

About this title

From Library Journal:

In this comprehensive exploration of the history of literacy in America, Kaestle (educational policy studies and history, Univ. of Wisconsin) and his colleagues investigate numerous and varied sources, providing a clear picture of the effects of reading and literacy on a democratic society. In addition, the authors study the reading habits and abilities of Americans, revealing a "perspective on the present moment in the history of American literacy" in an attempt to draw attention to the urgency of domestic literacy problems. Their straightforward narrative gives necessary information without irrelevant details and is complemented by a definitive bibliography. Recommended for historians, informed laypersons, and specialists, as well as those interested in the role of literacy in U.S. society.
- Bonnie Johnson, Montana State Univ. Lib., Bozeman
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0300049463
• ISBN 13: 9780300049466
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352