The Theory of the Leisure Class (Oxford World's Classics)

Clearly delineates the two figures on the historical horizon: the earlier, "savage" man (or woman - Veblen regards women as those responsible for humanity's progress in food) who labors, admires craftsmanship, and, the later "barbaric" man: the predator who, by force and fraud, seizes and controls the usufruct to the detriment of the underlying population. In the semi-peaceful modern period, the barbarian is the pecuniary (monied)class, the businessmen and vested interests who seek a profit, as opposed to the technologists and laborers in charge of the actual production of goods. The profit comes usually at the sabotage of production, and is a matter of salesmanship, not technological knowledge. In this book Veblen paints the mindset of the pecuniary class: make believe: an anthropomorphic god, gradations in rank, and a showing of status by Not Working: conspicuous liesure, conspicuous waste, so that those who actually do work will find work "irksome" due to an envious comparison with the non-worker. With this book you'll learn why we have lawns rather than urban gardens, why sports and entertainment are so highly valued, why people hunt, why no one picks up garbage in a public place, why stock market crashes are the rule rather than the exception, why women paint their nails and bind their feet, and why there are priests even today. The man who predicted the stock market crash of 1929 and the world war to follow World War One, presents to you his very first book. Also, those who wish to improve their vocabulary and the grammar of an argument could not find a better teacher.

Written in 1899 it is a bit of a load to get through. But what this book says is something every single person should understand about our materialistic, chauvinistic culture. It is really surprising that America showed such signs of arrogance and pettiness this long ago, and that Veblen was aware enough to provide such an insightful overview. Understanding what is in this book is essential for everyone.

The best deconstructed treatment of this topic from this period that I have found. A good read for anyone interested in understanding the origins of modern materialism and consumerism.

Explains a lot of unconscious behaviot.

A very entertaining and thought-provoking classic.

As we are drawn into Gilded Age 2.0, it's important to understand what came before. Veblen is the great social critic of the original Gilded Age. He describes for us the leisure-class man as he avoids useful work and revels in wasteful expenditure, in both cases to demonstrate his wealth and elevated social status. At prep school he will play football. At university he will major in Classics. He will marry a clothes horse who has no ambition of her own. He will pride himself expert knowledge of prestige foods and alcoholic beverages. His recreations will include golf, gambling, gambling while golfing, and big-game hunting. Picturing Eric and Donald, Jr.? You're on the right path.The social criticism is the fun part, but there are two problems with the book costing one star each. One is Veblen's odd theories of pre-history and ethnography for which he provides no evidence. Did private property really begin with men claiming ownership over women? Maybe; the first work of history in our canon, Herodotus' "The Histories", actually begins with the seizure of a group of Persian women by Phoenician traders. It works as foundational myth, at least. But the "predatory stage of culture"? The "quasi-peaceable stage"? What is he talking about?Second, this is a very difficult slog due to the way Veblen abuses the English language. Look up his favorite words, "pecuniary" and "invidious" before you start. And be ready for chestnuts like, "hierodule", "humilific", "fatigation", and "dolichocephalic". When he says "quasi-peaceable stage of culture", he's referring to the Roman Empire (I think). When he refers to the "anthropomorphic cult" he's referring to the Catholic Church (I think). In the very last paragraph he comes close to an apology for his style, showing at least that he's self-aware. These are typical of his sentences,"On this head of purity of speech, as at other points where a conventional usage rests on the canons of archaism and waste, the spokesmen for the usage instinctively take an apologetic attitude. It is contended, in substance, that a punctilious use of ancient and accredited locutions will serve to convey thought more adequately and more precisely than would the straightforward use of the latest form of spoken English; whereas, ..."No "whereas"! I'm exhausted by the time I get to "whereas". What we need here is for an engaging modern writer to interpret this book for us so we don't have to actually read it ourselves. P.J. O'Rourke did this with "The Wealth of Nations" a few years ago. P.J., how do you feel about Veblen?

The author wrote this in 1899. His observations at that time hold true for today.

As expected