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The Age of Homespun

Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth

Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth

By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Best Seller

Category: U.S. History

Category: U.S. History

Paperback $18.00

Nov 12, 2002 | ISBN 9780679766445

Ebook $9.99

Aug 26, 2009 | ISBN 9780307416865

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    The Age of Homespun by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
    Paperback $18.00
    Nov 12, 2002 | ISBN 9780679766445

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    • Paperback $18.00

      Nov 12, 2002 | ISBN 9780679766445

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      Aug 26, 2009 | ISBN 9780307416865

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    About The Age of Homespun

    They began their existence as everyday objects, but in the hands of award-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, fourteen domestic items from preindustrial America–ranging from a linen tablecloth to an unfinished sock–relinquish their stories and offer profound insights into our history.

    In an age when even meals are rarely made from scratch, homespun easily acquires the glow of nostalgia. The objects Ulrich investigates unravel those simplified illusions, revealing important clues to the culture and people who made them. Ulrich uses an Indian basket to explore the uneasy coexistence of native and colonial Americans. A piece of silk embroidery reveals racial and class distinctions, and two old spinning wheels illuminate the connections between colonial cloth-making and war. Pulling these divergent threads together, Ulrich demonstrates how early Americans made, used, sold, and saved textiles in order to assert their identities, shape relationships, and create history.

    About The Age of Homespun

    They began their existence as everyday objects, but in the hands of award-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, fourteen domestic items from preindustrial America–ranging from a linen tablecloth to an unfinished sock–relinquish their stories and offer profound insights into our history.

    In an age when even meals are rarely made from scratch, homespun easily acquires the glow of nostalgia. The objects Ulrich investigates unravel those simplified illusions, revealing important clues to the culture and people who made them. Ulrich uses an Indian basket to explore the uneasy coexistence of native and colonial Americans. A piece of silk embroidery reveals racial and class distinctions, and two old spinning wheels illuminate the connections between colonial cloth-making and war. Pulling these divergent threads together, Ulrich demonstrates how early Americans made, used, sold, and saved textiles in order to assert their identities, shape relationships, and create history.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    About Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

    LAUREL THATCHER ULRICH is the author of numerous works on early American history and women’s history, including A Midwife’s Tale, which won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in History and became the subject of a PBS documentary film. A former MacArthur Fellow… More about Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

    About Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

    LAUREL THATCHER ULRICH is the author of numerous works on early American history and women’s history, including A Midwife’s Tale, which won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in History and became the subject of a PBS documentary film. A former MacArthur Fellow… More about Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

    Product Details

    Category: U.S. History

    Paperback | $18.00
    Published by Vintage
    Nov 12, 2002 | 512 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780679766445

    Category: U.S. History

    Ebook | $9.99
    Published by Vintage
    Aug 26, 2009 | 512 Pages | ISBN 9780307416865

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    Praise

    “Eloquent, imaginative. . . . The creativity and vigor that made A Midwife’s Tale an instant classic are also present [here].”–Newsday

    “With The Age of Homespun, [Ulrich] has truly outdone herself.”–The New York Times Book Review

    "Remarkable . . . [Ulrich] performs like a virtuoso, conjuring up the small details she then weaves into her larger stories. . . . She dazzles." —Chicago Tribune

    "Lively and captivating. . . . [Ulrich] quilts a new narrative, one that both probes and explodes the myths surrounding the idealized era of ‘homespun.’" —Los Angeles Times

    Author Essay

    Included in this desktop are Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s thoughts on writing THE AGE OF HOMESPUN, as well as key images from the book accompanied by commentary.

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