Series consultant and author Mark Mussari takes readers on a journey from the beginnings of rock and roll and the nascent youth culture of the 1950s and 1960s through the materialistic years of the 1980s into the still-being-defined early twenty-first century. In this fascinating book, this record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

A fascinating exploration of the relationship between American culture and music as defined by musicians, scholars, and critics from around the world. Music has been the cornerstone of popular culture in the United States since the beginning of our nation's history. From early immigrants sharing the sounds of their native lands to contemporary artists performing benefit concerts for social causes, our country's musical expressions reflect where we, as a people, have been, as well as our hope for the future. This four-volume encyclopedia examines music's influence on contemporary American life, tracing historical connections over time. Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture demonstrates the symbiotic relationship between this art form and our society. Entries include singers, composers, lyricists, songs, musical genres, places, instruments, technologies, music in films, music in political realms, and music shows on television.

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? In this curious and entertaining book, readers will learn that both are true. Author Daniel Benjamin takes readers on a journey from the gritty realism of post-World War II cinema through the innovations of the 1960s to the blockbuster hits of the 1980s and the very mixed bag of the early twenty-first century. This record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

I Love Lucy and "Mad Men" are both iconic television shows that mirror a specific decade in time. Both productions expose the role of women in society. One in 1950s America, one in 1960s America. How did the referenced culture and political climate influence the decisions creators made to explain their point of view? Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Author Mark Mussari takes readers on a journey from the beginnings of television, when families sat in the living room and watched the one television set they might be lucky to own, to the present, where an increasing number watch television on iPhones or on DVRs rather than in real time. This record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

This unique four-volume encyclopedia examines the historical significance of fashion trends, revealing the social and cultural connections of clothing from the precolonial times to the present day. This sweeping overview of fashion and apparel covers several centuries of American history as seen through the lens of the clothes we wear—from the Native American moccasin to Manolo Blahnik's contribution to stiletto heels. Through four detailed volumes, this work delves into what people wore in various periods in our country's past and why—from hand-crafted family garments in the 1600s, to the rough clothing of slaves, to the sophisticated textile designs of the 21st century. More than 100 fashion experts and clothing historians pay tribute to the most notable garments, accessories, and people comprising design and fashion. The four volumes contain more than 800 alphabetical entries, with each volume representing a different era. Content includes fascinating information such as that beginning in 1619 through 1654, every man in Virginia was required to plant a number of mulberry trees to support the silk industry in England; what is known about the clothing of enslaved African Americans; and that there were regulations placed on clothing design during World War II. The set also includes color inserts that better communicate the visual impact of clothing and fashion across eras.

For many people, popular music provides a soundtrack to their lives by entwining emotion with experience. It is little wonder, then, that eventful periods in American history are often defined by the pop music of the time. For example, big band jazz evokes memories of World War II for those who lived through that era, while songs from the 1960s often remind baby boomers of the drug-fueled hippie revolution. Author Stuart Kallen traces the history of popular music in America from the sounds of Tin Pan Alley to Chicago jazz clubs, to southern rock n' roll and country, to the British Invasion, to psychedelic rock and Woodstock, to garage band heroes and music video rock stars, to hip-hop tycoons and young American idols.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History brings together in one two-volume set the record of the nation's values, aspirations, anxieties, and beliefs as expressed in both everyday life and formal bodies of thought. Over the past twenty years, the field of cultural history has moved to the center of American historical studies, and has come to encompass the experiences of ordinary citizens in such arenas as reading and religious practice as well as the accomplishments of prominent artists and writers. Some of the most imaginative scholarship in recent years has emerged from this burgeoning field. The scope of the volume reflects that development: the encyclopedia incorporates popular entertainment ranging from minstrel shows to video games, middlebrow ventures like Chautauqua lectures and book clubs, and preoccupations such as "Perfectionism" and "Wellness" that have shaped Americans' behavior at various points in their past and that continue to influence attitudes in the present. The volumes also make available recent scholarly insights into the writings of political scientists, philosophers, feminist theorists, social reformers, and other thinkers whose works have furnished the underpinnings of Americans' civic activities and personal concerns. Anyone wishing to understand the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of the United States from the early days of settlement to the twenty-first century will find the encyclopedia invaluable.