Anti-Intellectualism in American Life

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Paperback
$20.00 US
| $27.99 CAN
On sale Feb 12, 1966 | 464 Pages | 9780394703176
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
Winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction

Anti-Intellectualism in American Life is a book which throws light on many features of the American character. Its concern is not merely to portray the scorners of intellect in American life, but to say something about what the intellectual is, and can be, as a force in a democratic society.

"As Mr. Hofstadter unfolds the fascinating story, it is no crude battle of eggheads and fatheads. It is a rich, complex, shifting picture of the life of the mind in a society dominated by the ideal of practical success." —Robert Peel in the Christian Science Monitor 
  • WINNER | 1964
    Pulitzer Prize
  • WINNER | 1963
    Phi Beta Kappa Ralph Waldo Emerson Award
  • WINNER | 1963
    Sidney Hillman Prize
"As Mr. Hofstadter unfolds the fascinating story, it is no crude battle of eggheads and fatheads. It is a rich, complex, shifting picture of the life of the mind in a society dominated by the ideal of practical success." --Robert Peel, Christian Science Monitor 

"The most comprehensive, succinct, and well-written one-volume treatment of the subject now available."--Walter Laqueur
Richard Hofstadter (1916–1970) was one of the leading American historians and intellectuals of the twentieth century. Throughout his career, he worked at many universities, most recently as the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. His works include the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Age of Reform and Anti-intellectualism in American Life. View titles by Richard Hofstadter

About

Winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction

Anti-Intellectualism in American Life is a book which throws light on many features of the American character. Its concern is not merely to portray the scorners of intellect in American life, but to say something about what the intellectual is, and can be, as a force in a democratic society.

"As Mr. Hofstadter unfolds the fascinating story, it is no crude battle of eggheads and fatheads. It is a rich, complex, shifting picture of the life of the mind in a society dominated by the ideal of practical success." —Robert Peel in the Christian Science Monitor 

Awards

  • WINNER | 1964
    Pulitzer Prize
  • WINNER | 1963
    Phi Beta Kappa Ralph Waldo Emerson Award
  • WINNER | 1963
    Sidney Hillman Prize

Reviews

"As Mr. Hofstadter unfolds the fascinating story, it is no crude battle of eggheads and fatheads. It is a rich, complex, shifting picture of the life of the mind in a society dominated by the ideal of practical success." --Robert Peel, Christian Science Monitor 

"The most comprehensive, succinct, and well-written one-volume treatment of the subject now available."--Walter Laqueur

Author

Richard Hofstadter (1916–1970) was one of the leading American historians and intellectuals of the twentieth century. Throughout his career, he worked at many universities, most recently as the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. His works include the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Age of Reform and Anti-intellectualism in American Life. View titles by Richard Hofstadter