On the Make

Clerks and the Quest for Capital in Nineteenth-Century America

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book On the Make by Brian P. Luskey, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Brian P. Luskey ISBN: 9780814752548
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Brian P. Luskey
ISBN: 9780814752548
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

In the bustling cities of the mid-nineteenth-century Northeast, young male clerks working in commercial offices and stores were on the make, persistently seeking wealth, respect, and self-gratification. Yet these strivers and "counter jumpers" discovered that claiming the identities of independent men—while making sense of a volatile capitalist economy and fluid urban society—was fraught with uncertainty.
In On the Make, Brian P. Luskey illuminates at once the power of the ideology of self-making and the important contests over the meanings of respectability, manhood, and citizenship that helped to determine who clerks were and who they would become. Drawing from a rich array of archival materials, including clerks’ diaries, newspapers, credit reports, census data, advice literature, and fiction, Luskey argues that a better understanding of clerks and clerking helps make sense of the culture of capitalism and the society it shaped in this pivotal era.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the bustling cities of the mid-nineteenth-century Northeast, young male clerks working in commercial offices and stores were on the make, persistently seeking wealth, respect, and self-gratification. Yet these strivers and "counter jumpers" discovered that claiming the identities of independent men—while making sense of a volatile capitalist economy and fluid urban society—was fraught with uncertainty.
In On the Make, Brian P. Luskey illuminates at once the power of the ideology of self-making and the important contests over the meanings of respectability, manhood, and citizenship that helped to determine who clerks were and who they would become. Drawing from a rich array of archival materials, including clerks’ diaries, newspapers, credit reports, census data, advice literature, and fiction, Luskey argues that a better understanding of clerks and clerking helps make sense of the culture of capitalism and the society it shaped in this pivotal era.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Out of the Running by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book One Nation Underground by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Bodies of Reform by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Desi Hoop Dreams by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Money Talks by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Faithful Measures by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Video Games Have Always Been Queer by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Reimagining Equality by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Raising Freedom's Child by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Immigrant Faith by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book What Would Mrs. Astor Do? by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book From Slavery to Poverty by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Beyond El Barrio by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Immigration and Crime by Brian P. Luskey
Cover of the book Finding Feminism by Brian P. Luskey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy