At Home in Nineteenth-Century America

"One might think that there is nothing more to add to the conversation on the nineteenth-century American home. Amy G. Richter shows us just how wrong that assumption is. She has compiled rich and varied primary documents that represent and give voice to a diverse group of historical actors and spans a wide range of genres and historical interpretations." ~The Journal of American History

"Amy Richter has put together a rich and wonderful set of documents that reveal the breadth and complexity of the nineteenth century conversation about the home in its practical and cultural dimensions. It reveals how central the home was in the changing meanings of gender, work, race, class, and ultimately the moral lifeand it clarifies this conversation. Her excellent introduction reveals the significance embedded in these documents. This terrific book is an invaluable resourceand it is a pleasure to read straight through." ~Thomas Bender,University Professor, New York University

"Wisely edited, At Home in Nineteenth-Century America is a treasure house of voices. Listen to them, and hear a compelling array of hopes and fears about one of the deepest of human needsto have a home where the heart can be." ~Catharine R. Stimpson,University Professor, New York University

"This is a marvelous collection! Drawing on recent scholarship in womens history, cultural history, and material culture, Richter advances an original, imaginative, and remarkably expansive interpretation of nineteenth-century domestic life. At Home in Nineteenth-Century America rewards readers with a rich and varied selection of sources that represent a multiplicity of voices, experiences, and genres all beautifully contextualized by Richters smart and accessible commentary." ~Wendy Gamber,Indiana University

"At Home in Nineteenth-Century Americawill appeal to readers of cultural history, material culture, and womens history as well as scholars in history and the humanities, librarians, archivists, and students." ~Journal of American Culture

"Historians and literary critics alike will find much to savor inAt Home in Nineteenth Century America The nineteenth-century home has never been more vexing, or more delightfully fraught, than it is in this fine collection." ~Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies,

"Editor and annotator Richter has done an admirable job selecting writings and graphics from a wide range of 19th-century sources and people.Richter masterfully provides a superb overview in only 232 text pages, targeted particularly for college students and general readers." ~Choice