Conspicuous Consumption

by Thorstein Veblen

Overview

With its wry portrayal of a shallow, materialistic 'leisure class' obsessed by clothes, cars, consumer goods and climbing the social ladder, this withering satire on modern capitalism is as pertinent today as when it was written over a century ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141964317
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	08/25/2005
Series:	Penguin Great Ideas
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929) was an American economist and sociologist. Educated at Carleton College, Johns Hopkins University and Yale University, his most famous work, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), from which this selection is taken, is a satiric look at American society. He coined the widely used phrases "conspicuous consumption" and "pecuniary emulation".

Table of Contents

Conspicuous Consumption
The Leisure Class
Conspicuous Leisure: Status and Servants
Conspicuous Consumption: Women, Luxury Goods and Connoisseurship
Canons of Taste: Greenery and Pets
Admission to the Leisure Class
Survivals of Primitive Male Prowess: Fighting and Sports
Conspicuous Uselessness of Education

Editorial Reviews

This year's crop of Penguin "Great Ideas" volumes offers another eclectic dozen works that shaped society from the ancient Greeks to the 20th century. The books are fairly no frills, but the price isn't bad. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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