Review

Gelber has uncovered an astonishing array of writings -- advice literature, popular magazines, newspaper articles -- on hobiies.... Gelber takes an unusal and little studied topic -- the history of hobbies -- and shows us its depth, its breadth and its importance. This is a fine book, one that reminds us that the study of leisure is also the study of work, gender, and culture.

Review

Explains why hobbies emerged in nineteenth century American as desirable activity, in the face, nonetheless, of the dominant work ethic centered in industrial capitalism. Using detailed analyses of collecting and handicrafts, Gelber illustrates the variable reception of these two hobbies from then to the present. Hobbies is a beautifully written and eminently readable contribution to the study of serious leisure.