Blue cloth, gilt titles. Bumping to corners and spine ends. Binding square and tight. Previous owner name in small script on front free endpaper. Browning of first few and last few pages from old newspaper clippings. Jacket is chipped and edge-worn with a few tears and small pieces missing. Foxing and edge toning to front and rear panels. Now protected in a Brodart cover. History of the cultural, emotional, and economical life of the American middle class during the quarter century preceding the Civil War. This generation of Americans was the first to be influenced by the technical revolution in industry and the romantic revolution in literature. 432 pages, illustrated.