In a provocative new interpretation of a transforming era, 1850-1920, Klein integrates social, economic, and business history and stresses the driving role of technology in creating a complex society of many cultures. As increasing organization made life more fragmented and alienated for ordinary persons, Klein argues, a unifying social thread was provided by a surprising new source: the consumer economy.

Maury Klein is professor of history and director of the honors program at the University of Rhode Island. His other books include Prisoners of Progress (about the rise of American industrial cities), The Life and Legend of Jay Gould, and a two-volume history of the Union Pacific railroad.