{"title":"Books by Thorstein Veblen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780199552580","title":"The Theory of the Leisure Class","description":"'Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.'In The Theory of the Leisure Class Thorstein Veblen sets out 'to discuss the place and value of the leisure class as an economic factor in modern life'. In so doing he produced a landmark study of affluent American society that exposes, with brilliant ruthlessness, the habits of production and waste that link invidious business tactics and barbaric social behaviour. Veblen's analysis of the evolutionary process sees greed as the overriding motive in the modern economy; with an impartial gaze he examines the human cost paid when social institutions exploit the consumption of unessential goods for the sake of personal profit. Fashion, beauty, animals, sports, the home, the clergy, scholars - all are assessed for their true usefulness and found wanting. The targets of Veblen's coruscating satire are as evident today as they were a century ago, and his book still has the power to shock and enlighten. Veblen's uncompromising arguments and the influential literary force of his writing are assessed in Martha Banta's Introduction. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201508573362,"sku":"9780199552580","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780199552580.jpg?v=1786013040"},{"product_id":"9780140187953","title":"The Theory of the Leisure Class","description":"\u003cb\u003eA classic of sociology and economics, originally published in 1899\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith exquisite irony, Veblen, the \"best critic of America that America has produced\" (C. Wright Mills), lays bare the hollowness of our canons of taste and culture. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56224010666357,"sku":"9780140187953","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780140187953_3826b641-00f8-491c-b895-167baaeb2f18.jpg?v=1786011048"},{"product_id":"9780141023984","title":"Great Ideas Conspicuous Consumption","description":"Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.\u003cp\u003eWith its wry portrayal of a shallow, materialistic 'leisure class' obsessed by clothes, cars, consumer goods and climbing the social ladder, this withering satire on modern capitalism is as pertinent today as when it was written over a century ago.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56224198656373,"sku":"9780141023984","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780141023984_42c1d3f4-405f-4738-a7ce-4bbb8665fa26.jpg?v=1786011481"},{"product_id":"9780486280622","title":"The Theory of the Leisure Class","description":"Classic of economic and social theory offers a satiric examination of the hollowness and falsity suggested by the term \"conspicuous consumption,\" exposing the emptiness of many cherished standards of taste, education, dress, and culture. Since first appearing in 1899, it has become a classic of social theory that has contributed to the modernization of economic policy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56290868724085,"sku":"9780486280622","price":6.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780486280622_754de96e-320d-408a-8e27-0f3e4240d2be.jpg?v=1786032688"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-thorstein-veblen.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}