Terrence H. Witkowski is Professor of Marketing and Director of the International Business Program at California State University, USA. Educated at Northwestern University, UCLA, and UC Berkeley, he has published over 120 scholarly works.
This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to gain a comprehensive grasp of how pluralistic forms of American consumer culture were born, flourished, dissipated, and in some cases, were reinvigorated. Starting before the birth of the nation, Terry Witkowski offers a palatable and penetrating look at seven broadly defined eras of consumer culture history. His choice to compare the developments of consumer culture across three threads – the meaning consumers attribute to goods and services, gender-role discourses as they pertain to household and macro-marketing phenomena, and resistance to consumerism—make for a compelling and coherent narrative. Chockablock with compelling images, this book is sure to remain a vital reference. Cele C. Otnes, Investors in Business Education Prof. of Marketing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. A History of American Consumption provides a much-needed overview of how consumption came to occupy such a central place in the consumer culture of the US. Richly illustrated and meticulously researched, this book makes an important contribution to the growing area of historical research in marketing. Jonathan Schroeder, William A. Kern Professor of Communications, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA.