The Americans

At the turn of the twentieth century many were curious about this new breed, the Americans--what they believed, how they dealt with one another, and what place they wanted to take in the world. In 1904 Münsterberg (psychology, Harvard U.) responded to this curiosity, particularly questions coming from Germany, with an encyclopedic treatment that rivaled de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. With an eye firmly focused on the turmoil of American souls beneath their ambitious and efficient surface, he provides succinct commentary on such phenomena as Americans’ strong loyalty to democracy but underlying affection for the aristocratic. He concentrated on the spirit of the people rather than facts, so we learn more about their belief in self-perfection than about how they asserted themselves. Münsterberg described the Americans to the world and to themselves in 1908, but many of his assertions seem to be correct for Americans now. Originally published in 1904 by McClure, Phillips & Co (New York). This edition includes a new introduction by John J. Bukowcyck. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)