Sense of History: The Place of the Past in American Life

In seven essays composed and revised over the course of a decade, Glassberg (public history, U. of Massachusetts-Amherst) explores the various ways Americans have understood and used the past during the 20th century. For a population of rootless immigrants, he contends, the sites of great events or vanished lifestyles, become the most valuable and tangible manifestations of history. He points out how New England villages, Civil War battlefields in Virginia, and gold rush towns in California anchor personal and family identities. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)