Discussed how Americans spend their free time and entertain themselves. Essays present perspectives in the fields of American and cultural studies, sociology, recreation, sports, leisure studies, auctions, bloodsports, shopping malls, and theme parks.

"This set offers a fascinating look at how Americans spend their free time and entertain themselves. A total of 271 essays present chiefly historical perspectives in the fields of American and cultural studies, sociology, recreation, sports, and leisure studies. Entries cover all facets of American leisure with topics ranging from auctions and blood sports to shopping malls and theme parks. Articles range in length between two and six pages and include brief bibliographies."--"Reference that rocks," American Libraries, May 2005.

Edited by leading authorities, this key reference reflects the multidisciplinary nature of its subject. It is an essential resource for teaching, an invaluable companion to independent study, and a solid starting point for wider subject exploration.

True to the spirit of the all-American athlete and our society's seemingly endless pursuit of and passion for leisure activities is Sports & Recreation Fads. This readable and fascinating reference book highlights some of the most notable as well as some long-forgotten pastimes and personalities. Sporting and recreation events have thrived in the United States for more than two centuries. Just about every sport and recreation embraced from Colonial America to the present has had its faddish aspects. The fascinating introduction provides a basic understanding of the importance of fads in the development of sports and recreation. No book on sports fads would be complete without several chapters on baseball, and this exciting volume is no different--Hank Aaron's 715th home run, baseball card collecting, Mark “the Bird” Fidrych's shining season with the Detroit Tigers, Bo Jackson's double career, Jackie Robinson's success in breaking the color barrier, and Pete Rose's gambling troubles--a true slice of Americana, the best and the worst of our favorite pastime! From the controversial people and events in professional athletics--Mohammed Ali, Joe Namath, Mike Tyson, the “battle of the sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the “Black Sox Scandal,” and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, to the heroes--Charles Atlas, Joe Louis, and Babe Ruth, Hoffmann and Bailey illustrate the often fickle and sometimes enduring interest that Americans have for sports figures and their games. This informative and entertaining book also examines our personal quest for fitness, our devotion to automobiling, and our love of games, including bridge, charades, crossword puzzles, Monopoly, Dungeons & Dragons, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit. Sports &Recreation Fads is a handy guide to our favorite leisure activities of the last 200 years.

In fewer than three hundred years tourism has become a global service industry of great economic, cultural and political importance. Published to critical acclaim, the Encyclopedia of Tourism - now available as a Routledge World Reference title - is the definitive one-volume reference source to this challenging multisectoral industry and multi disciplinary field of study. Comprising over one thousand entries, this volume has been written by an international team of contributors to provide a comprehensive guide to both the manifest and hidden dimensions of tourism. It explores the wide range of definitions, concepts, perspectives and institutions and includes: comprehensive coverage of key issues and concepts definitions of all terms and acronyms entries on the significant institutions, associations and journals in the field country-specific tourism profiles, from Greece to Japan and Kenya to Peru thorough analysis of the trends and patterns of tourism development and growth. The extensive cross-referencing and comprehensive index will assist the reader in making links between the diverse aspects of tourism studies, and the suggestions for further reading are invaluable.