Reviews
"The Birth of American Tourism explores not only the historical accidents that initiated tourism, but also the many side developments that intersected with it, from the rise of hotels to accommodate tourists to the creation of transportation networks to carry them, to the invention of cultural attractions designed to infuse their experience with meaning. A welcome addition to American history and cultural studies collections."--The Midwest Book Review "The Birth of American Tourism provides a fresh and interesting perspective on several elements of early national American culture. . . . Cultural historians, students of the early American republic, and anyone with an interest in the evolution of leisure and tourism will find much of value and interest here."--Journal of Social History "According to Gassan, the origins of American tourism in the Hudson Valley can be traced to a confluence of historical accidents, including the proximity of the region to the most rapidly growing financial and population center in the country, and the remarkable beauty of the valley itself. Tourism in the region, he argues, gave rise to the nation's first literary and artistic movements and thus helped shape national identity."--Isle, The Birth of American Tourism explores not only the historical accidents that initiated tourism, but also the many side developments that intersected with it, from the rise of hotels to accommodate tourists to the creation of transportation networks to carry them, to the invention of cultural attractions designed to infuse their experience with meaning. A welcome addition to American history and cultural studies collections., According to Gassan, the origins of American tourism in the Hudson Valley can be traced to a confluence of historical accidents, including the proximity of the region to the most rapidly growing financial and population center in the country, and the remarkable beauty of the valley itself. Tourism in the region, he argues, gave rise to the nation's first literary and artistic movements and thus helped shape national identity., " The Birth of American Tourism explores not only the historical accidents that initiated tourism, but also the many side developments that intersected with it, from the rise of hotels to accommodate tourists to the creation of transportation networks to carry them, to the invention of cultural attractions designed to infuse their experience with meaning. A welcome addition to American history and cultural studies collections."-- The Midwest Book Review " The Birth of American Tourism provides a fresh and interesting perspective on several elements of early national American culture. . . . Cultural historians, students of the early American republic, and anyone with an interest in the evolution of leisure and tourism will find much of value and interest here."-- Journal of Social History "According to Gassan, the origins of American tourism in the Hudson Valley can be traced to a confluence of historical accidents, including the proximity of the region to the most rapidly growing financial and population center in the country, and the remarkable beauty of the valley itself. Tourism in the region, he argues, gave rise to the nation's first literary and artistic movements and thus helped shape national identity."-- Isle, The Birth of American Tourism provides a fresh and interesting perspective on several elements of early national American culture.... Cultural historians, students of the early American republic, and anyone with an interest in the evolution of leisure and tourism will find much of value and interest here., "The Birth of American Tourism explores not only the historical accidents that initiated tourism, but also the many side developments that intersected with it, from the rise of hotels to accommodate tourists to the creation of transportation networks to carry them, to the invention of cultural attractions designed to infuse their experience with meaning. A welcome addition to American history and cultural studies collections."--The Midwest Book Review"The Birth of American Tourism provides a fresh and interesting perspective on several elements of early national American culture. . . . Cultural historians, students of the early American republic, and anyone with an interest in the evolution of leisure and tourism will find much of value and interest here."--Journal of Social History"According to Gassan, the origins of American tourism in the Hudson Valley can be traced to a confluence of historical accidents, including the proximity of the region to the most rapidly growing financial and population center in the country, and the remarkable beauty of the valley itself. Tourism in the region, he argues, gave rise to the nation's first literary and artistic movements and thus helped shape national identity."--Isle
