Working Americans, 1880-1999: The upper class

Book excerpt: The third and final volume of the Working Americans 1880-1999 project, this volume presents a compendium of information profiling the work, homes, and affluent lifestyles that have defined the wealthy upper class. Each chapter covers one decade and begins with an overview of important events. Subsequent information includes economic data that puts individual lifestyles and decisions in perspective, news profiles, historical snapshots, and articles from local media. Derks (whose credentials are not stated) has written fictional family profiles (75 in all)--composites intended to represent the financial and social situations of families from an array of ethnic groups and occupations. The volume contains many bandw photographs as well as illustrations derived from popular printed materials of the day. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR