The Jazz Age: The 20s

by Time-Life Books

Social history of the 1920s

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Reference

192 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Time-Life Books. They are compelling, well written and have amazing illustrations. The time this book heads into is fascinating and although different from the world we live in today, a few things never change.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another freebie I picked up and I didn’t expect it to be this good! A quick history of the decade for (mostly) white America, packed with tons of photos - now I have another list of books for further reading plus the need to find the other decades in this series.

[AnnMarie]

This book was fun. And, even though this makes me sound like a five-year-old, I liked the pictures.

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

When discussing the wonderful PBS specials by Ken Burns with friends and family, they are surprised when I tell them that my favorite series is not BASEBALL but is JAZZ. I love the music and the performers featured by Burns in this series. As I read the chapter in this book, THE JAZZ AGE, I could "hear" the voice of Keith David in my head. I have often said that I was born perhaps forty years too late to experience jazz in those early years AND, more importantly, the golden years of radio, of which I was engaged, off and on, for more than fifty years. This book touches on its beginnings; the next book in this collection, HARD TIMES, devotes a chapter to its programs and stars.
Speaking of stars, I loved the chapter, Notables, focusing on some of the special celebrities of the decade, including a good number from the literary field. The chapter, The Sports Stars features not only the superstars of what we now call the major sports but also of some "minor" sports.
While on the subject of notable people in the 20's, I would have liked to see a chapter listing Deaths of Notable Persons, which was the name of a section of the World Book Encyclopedia Yearbooks beginning in 1960. My family received those Yearbooks every year and my love and learning of history was kindled, in part, by reading those chapters. I confess this came to mind because I know that Harry Houdini, the great magician and escape artist, died on Halloween Day 1926. He was not mentioned in this book; two pages were devoted to him in the Time-Life book End of Innocence.
I should also add that Bill Bryson wrote a wonderful book covering much of this decade: ONE SUMMER: AMERICA, 1927.

Four stars

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed getting a glimpse of what was going on here 100 years ago.

[Aubrey Rudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a light read, an overview of the era with lots of pictures and some interesting facts. I breezed through it while I was stuck home with a summer head cold and enjoyed it very much.

[Tory Lindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m using this as a resource for my pop culture course I’m teaching. Great reference with tons of info!

[Bernie Tomasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time-Life Books are always excellent and this is no differeent.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Very informative

[Megargee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This, the first book in Time-Life's five volume series on Our American Century, is a lavishly illustrated and opinionated social history of the 1920s. It describes and depicts mass culture during the 1920s, focusing primarily on New York, specifically Harlem (jazz), Wall Street (the stock market), the Garment District (fashion), and Madison Avenue (advertising), and the West Coast (specifically Hollywood and the entertainment industry). The flyover country in between is largely ignored with the exception of Chicago (Prohibition and Al Capone). There is no mention of events such as Teapot Dome or the great Misissippi flood, the largest in US history. It describes the advent of radio, talking movies, and phonograph records, as well as passenger air travel. Using a combination of air by day and rail by night it was possible to travel coast to coast in 33 hours.
The Jazz Age portray the major athletes, both amateur (such as Bobby Jones, Gertude Ederle, and Bill Tilden) and professional (Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Red Grange, Knute Rockne and Man O' War), literati such as Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, Eugene O'Neiland H. L. Mencken, as well as entertainers such as Al Jolson, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow (the IT girl)among many others. Politics and politicians are largely ignored, and, if mentioned, typically disparaged. Calvin Coolidge, for example, was noteworthy chiefly for his 2-4 hour daily naps.
For any Dumb Doras who want to come across as Sheiks or Shebas, there is a swell glossary of '20s slang that is the bee's knees, so everything is copacetic.

[Ceejay · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you would like a quick history of the U.S.A. in the 1920's, this is the book to read. Like all Time-Life books, it's highly illustrated. I enjoyed it, and names and events were mentioned that I will look into more deeply.Warner Fabian,one of my favorite authors from this era was quoted. He's the gentleman who coined the phrase, Flaming Youth.It's a quick read with enough interesting facts to keep you hooked.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed a few of these books from the library, mainly for the pictures to be honest, but the text was so interesting! I am in love the 20's. Such an exciting and progressive time in our country.

[Jennifer Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent series, detailing life and highlighting notable historical events in the 20th century.

[Connie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations with fun, brief writing.