Description
Book SynopsisAlong the way, he shows readers how technology enables the forms, equipment, and devices of play to evolve constantly, both reflecting consumer choices and driving innovators and manufacturers to promote toys that involve entirely new kinds of play-from LEGOs and skateboards to beading kits and videogames.
Trade ReviewAn engaging social history of play... Pursell's text helps inform readers how capitalist structures focus as much on leisure as they do work or politics to cement their structures in US culture. Choice [From Playgrounds to PlayStation] is a fascinating read, and the mixture of facts, anecdotes, quotes, and other sources of research makes it quite an impressive work. PsycCRITIQUES Pursell's account is masterful in its ability to draw a wide range of cultural sources, sometimes from unexpected quarters, into a unified yet nuanced historical narrative. Journal of American History A most engaging read...one that no scholar or layperson interested in the parallel development and interplay of technology and leisure activities can ignore without missing out on a significant contribution. Australasian Journal of American Studies ... The real strength of this book is his striking detail in analyzing the technologies that have shaped play, especially his frequent and imaginative use of sources like patent records and advertising, too often neglected in histories of play and leisure. Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Toys for Girls and Boys
2. The Safe and Rational Playground
3. From Pleasure Gardens to Fun Factories
4. The Hobbyist
5. Games and Sports
6. Extreme and (Sometimes) Impolite Sports
7. Electronic Games
Conclusion
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
