Legacies - Collecting America's History At the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. Very Good in Very Good+ dust jacket. 2001. First Edition. Hardcover. 156098886x . Ex-library book, but this oversize hardcover is still in very nice condition. Laminated jacket and usual ex-lib type of markings. Pages are clean and intact. Laminate on jacket has some scuffing and a little wear along spine. Hardcover has light wear to bottom corners. Profusely illustrated in colour. ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 256 pages; The Smithsonian Institution has been America's museum since 1846. What do its vast collections -- from the ruby slippers to a piece of Plymouth Rock, first ladies' gowns to patchwork quilts, a Model T Ford to a customized Ford LTD low rider -- tell Americans about themselves? In this lavishly illustrated guide to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick tell the stories behind more than 250 of the museum's treasures, many of them never before photographed for publication. These stories not only reveal what America as a nation has decided to save and why but also speak to changing visions of national identity. As the authors demonstrate, views of history change over time, methods of historical investigation evolve and improve, and Americas' understand of the past matures. Shifts in focus and attitude lie at the hearth of Legacies, which is organized around four concepts of what a national museum of history can be: a treasure house, a shrine to the famous, a palace of progress, and a mirror of the nation. Thus, the museum collects cherished or precious objects, houses celebrity memorabilia, documents technological advances, and reflects visitors' own lives. Taking examples from science and technology, politics, decorative arts, military history, ethnic heritage, popular culture and everyday life, the authors provide historical context for the work of the Smithsonian and shed new light on what is important, and who is included, in American history. Throughout its history, Lubar and Kendrick conclude, the museum has played a vital role in both shaping and reflecting America's sense of itself as a nation. (*Note: due to heavy weight, extra postage will be required) (1790,0811) .