Twenty Years at Hull-House (Signet Classics)

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While on a trip to East London in 1883, Jane Addams witnessed a distressing scene late one night: masses of poor people were bidding on rotten vegetables that were unsalable anywhere else.

Their pale faces were dominated by that most unlovely of human expressions, the cunning and shrewdness of the bargain-hunter who starves if he cannot make a successful trade, and yet the final impression was not of ragged, tawdry clothing nor of pinched and sallow faces, but of myriads of hands, empty, pathetic, nerveless, and workworn, showing white in the uncertain light of the street, and clutching forward for food which was already unfit to eat.

This scene haunted Addams for the next two years as she traveled through Europe, and she hoped to find a way to ease such suffering. Five years later, she visited Toynbee Hall, a London settlement house, and resolved to replicate the experiment in the U.S. On September 18, 1889, Jane Addams and her friend Ellen Starr moved into the second floor of a rundown mansion in Chicago's West Side. From the outset, they imagined Hull-House as a "center for a higher civic and social life" in the industrial districts of the city. Addams, Starr, and several like-minded individuals lived and worked among the poor, establishing (among other things) art classes, discussion groups, cooperatives, a kindergarten, a coffee house, a lending library, and a gymnasium. In a time when many well-to-do Americans were beginning to feel threatened by immigrants, Hull-House embraced them, showed them the true meaning of democracy, and served as a center for philanthropic efforts throughout Chicago.

Hull-House also provided an outlet for the energies of the first generation of female college graduates, who were educated for work yet prevented from doing it. In some respects, however, Addams's impressive work, often hailed by historians as "revolutionary," was nothing of the sort. She embraced the sexual stereotypes of her day, and, though she was clearly an independent woman, soothed public fears by acting primarily in the traditional roles of nurturer and caregiver. Hull-House was a rousing success, and it inspired others to follow in Addams's footsteps.

Though Twenty Years at Hull-House is meant to be an autobiography, it is Hull-House itself that stands in the spotlight. Addams devotes the first third of the book to her upbringing and influences, but the remainder focuses on the organization she built--and the benefits accruing to those who work with the poor as well as to the poor themselves. At times Addams's prose is difficult to follow, but her ideals and her actions are truly inspiring. A classic work of history--and a model for today's would-be philanthropists. --Sunny Delaney

Book Description

The true story of one of America's greatest philanthropists

This is Jane Addams's graphic account of her famed settlement house in Chicago's West Side slums. Covering the years 1889 to 1909, a time when America was fired with fear of subversives and suspicion of foreigners, this book stands as the immortal testament of a woman who lived and worked among the immigrant settlers, the sweatshop toilers, the unwed mothers, the hungry, the aged, the sick, to show them the true concept of American Democracy.

* Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her philanthropic work
* This new edition features an afterword by Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger which examines the current state of settlement houses in America

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I suppose all the children who were born about the time of the Civil War have recollections quite unlike those of the children who are living now. Although I was but four and a half years old when Lincoln died, I distinctly remember the day when I found on our two white gateposts American flags companioned with black.

Customer Reviews:

Spoiled rich kid seeking attention.......2007-03-26

A well written book but a littany of "look at what I did for the less fortunate" Jane Adams clearly brings out the fact that she was of the upper class and so much better than those she sought to help. Her goal it seems was to bring high society upper middle class values to the poor. She rarely talks about others who had to be involved. If it did not include her she was not interested in reporting. She also failed to show that she actually helped anyone better thier lives. She just crows about how she brought literature and art to the poor masses.

America's Secular Saint.......2005-11-22

Along with the author herself, "Twenty Years At Hull-House" has inspired generations of US social and political activists. For decades a Hull House sojourn, or at least a visit, was virtually a pilgrimage for all kinds of progressive reformers. Jane Addams came from a very conventional Middle American milieu, but was radicalized by seeing the ravages of the Industrial Revolution both in Britain and Chicago. This timeless memoir, covering the years 1889-1909, documents her wide-ranging concerns, which embraced public health, pacifism and feminism as well as philanthropy, working-class education and poverty alleviation. Nationalist hysteria damaged Addams's reputation as a result of her antiwar principles during World War I, but it recovered enough for her to win the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize. My students had mixed views of book and author. To some she is a moving figure, but others see her as rather sanctimonious (a fair criticism to some extent). Her prose is accessible but a little archaic now, sometimes appearing flowery or pompous, which deters some readers. In my reading, while I sincerely respect and admire Addams, I waited in vain for the kind of epiphany felt by thousands inspired by her life's work. People who find their own way to "Hull-House" will probably appreciate her more than those required to read her book---but such unsought exposure lies at the heart of liberal education, and brings many rewards.

A true pioneer of social reform!.......2005-10-25

In 1911 Addams helped found the National Foundation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers, and she was its first president. She was also a leader in women's suffrage and pacifist movements. In 1915 she helped found the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She received the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize (shared with American educator Nicholas Murray Butler).

The Hull House could boast a group of about 2,000 people a week. It had facilities including: a night school for adults, kindergarten classes, clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery, a coffeehouse, a gymnasium, a girls club, a swimming pool, a book bindery, a music school, a drama group, a library, and labor related divisions.

The Hull House also served as a women's institution of sociology and Addams was a friend and colleague to the early men of the Chicago School of Sociology influencing their social thought of the time through her work in applied sociology, which became defined as social work by academic sociologists of the time. Addams did not, however, consider herself a social worker. She co-authored the Hull-House Maps and Papers in 1893 that came to define the interests and methodologies of Chicago Sociology. She worked with George H. Mead on social reform issues including women's rights and the 1910 Garment Workers' Strike. Addams combined the central concepts of symbolic interactionism with the theories of cultural feminism and pragmatism to form her sociological ideas.

Hull HOuse .......2005-01-05

I am doing a History Fair project on the Hull House. I thought that I would just be quickly skimming over the book, but in fact i really enjoyed it and I ended up reading with a lot of intrest.

Such a strong woman.......2004-12-14

I enjoy reading about strong women with great vision. I also enjoy this particular period in history, so this was a perfect match for me. I would love to have been part of the Plato club, or study cooking, or sewing, or heard concerts throughout the week. I sometimes think we have so much going on in our lives right now that we don't take the time to slow down and cherish the simple things. This book did that for me. It made me want to study and focus on things. I know we have tons of technology available to us, but I wish we would still discuss philosophy, and I wish more people would read - I mean, really read. Not just the top twenty things out there. But times are different...

101 Classic Homes of the Twenties: Floor Plans and Photographs

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1920s Houses and photographs
A good starting place
Great addition to a collection of plan books
Interesting Reproduction of an Original House Plan Catalogue

101 Classic Homes of the Twenties: Floor Plans and Photographs
McHenry & Baker Co. Harris
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

House Plans | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0486407314

Book Description

This authentic plan book advertises 101 "modern homes," selected by the publisher from thousands of submitted designs. Chosen for aesthetic appeal, convenience, and economy of construction, the homes range in scale from lavish to modest, and each appears with detailed floor plans and an actual photograph of the completed dwelling. 118 photos.

Customer Reviews:

1920s Houses and photographs.......2006-01-14

As another reviewer pointed out, this book is really a straight reprint of the 1925 Harris, McHenry and Baker Lumber company. It's a book of house plans (not whole kits) offered for sale.

Unlike some of the kit home catalogs, this book showed actual photographs of the finished properties.

For those restoring a 1920s home to its original grandeur, this is a wonderful book. If you're just a nut about old houses and enjoy studying the early 20th Century architecture, you'll love the vintage photos.

One of the things I loved about the book was finding that my home town (Portsmouth, VA) was loaded with houses pictured in this book. I grew up in a section called "Waterview" and found six houses from this book in that one area.

So, apparently these homes were quite popular in certain locales.

All that aside, as someone with a deep, abiding love of historic architecture, I would highly recommend this book. It's interesting, informative and a wonderful window into our past.

Rose
author, The Houses That Sears Built
co-author, California's Kit Homes

A good starting place.......2002-08-15

This book is a good starting point for anyone interested in the homes built in the 1920-1930's. The plans are small, but do give you an idea of the basic setup.

Great addition to a collection of plan books.......2002-07-11

This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1925; originally, it was the catalog of the Harris, McHenry & Baker Co., a lumber company. These books from Dover are exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly - this book is one of the latest years in the series). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. To judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison.

This particular homes catalog has several unusual elements to it which make it worth adding to a collection. For starters, almost all of the houses are illustrated with photographs, rather than drawings, so we are seeing actual, finished models of the houses. The photographs include some things we'd be unlikely to see in a drawing or artist's rendering, for example, the photo of the Webster model shows the driveway, and the garage with carriage-house type doors behind the house. And the Kingston shows a car in the driveway - just the rear of the car, I couldn't identify the make or model, but it is neat to see a nice middle-class house with a car, something we couldn't take for granted in earlier years.

Some plan books have no text except the price listings and how to order; others have entire sections of articles, or extensive suggestions as to furnishings, colors to finish the house in, etc. This book falls in between those extremes as to amount of text, but what's actually written for each house, although short, is quite unusual. The company is apparently trying to push social engineering along with new homes. For example, here's the text accompanying the photo of the Van Buren model: "Clean men, both of hand and heart, are invariably the product of happy home unions. It is around the harmonious hearthstone where the glow of mutual interest and understanding temper the finer senses that men mould character of sterling worth. It would be a violation of a natural law if homes in The Van Buren class should produce other than men of clean purpose." And here's the text for the Dumont Duplex: "The Dumont cannot be surpassed as a double house, and will make homes of exceptional advantages and refinements for those whose experience and education have taught them the value of good fellowship and neighborly kindness. Learning to co-operate with our fellow creatures is the secret of overcoming selfishness and all of its poisoning effects upon our better selves." Well! Is that the best reason for living in multi-family housing you've ever heard?

This book is late enough into the century that we can take interior bathrooms for granted; the 1920's are quite modern compared to 15 years earlier. A plan book from 1912, for example, still has half the houses without indoor baths, and many not wired for electricity. On the other hand, there are not yet garages featured automatically with the houses, and the kitchen stoves still need a chimney vented to the outside. I greatly enjoy comparing books from a few years apart, to see the progress being made. Many of the houses have the "built-in" features that became popular in the teens: built-in fold-down ironing boards, breakfast nooks with built-in bench seating, laundry chutes from upstairs to downstairs, built-in bookcases next to the fireplace or between the living room and dining room.

There are quite a few houses that seem ahead of their time as to modern features. The Van Buren has two bathrooms upstairs, one for the master bedroom and the other for all the other bedrooms. Both bathrooms have both a bathtub and a shower stall. In fact, looking at the floor plan for the Van Buren, one could imagine living in it today fairly easily, with just the addition of a bit more kitchen counter space. The Chesterfield, likewise, is a house I'd love to live in, with not only two full bathrooms, but built-in bookcases downstairs, and built0in window seats upstairs in the bedrooms, a walk-through pantry with more built-in cabinets than most, and beautiful balconies. The Webster has a "radio room" off the dining room - presumably for the hobbyist! It also has a downstairs powder room as well as the usual upstairs bathroom. The Westhaven offers a dumbwaiter to the basement (presumably where there is storage), a separate laundry room, a downstairs washroom with both toilet and a double sink and an upstairs bathroom, as well as a sewing room, a clothes chute, an indoor refrigerator instead of an ice box that has to be near the back door, and a waste-burner disposal. (Remember, this is before we were worried about air pollution! A waste burner was very modern then!) Most of the houses still have the refrigerators situated right by the back door, still assuming the need for ice delivery, and many with slots for milk delivery as well, but there were the first few real refrigerators, as well as real washing machines, at this time, and this company appears to be forward thinking enough to have designed houses for these brand-new conveniences.

In summary: a must for continuity from "old" houses to "modern" and also for the unusual text which will keep you amused.

Interesting Reproduction of an Original House Plan Catalogue.......2000-06-23

This faithful reproduction of a 1920's home plans catalogue offers a wide range of plans covering many different styles and house sizes.

Each page provides a photograph or rendering of the house exterior, a floor plan including dimensions, and a "unique" promotional blurb which shows how times have changed!

On the downside, all homes are shown in black and white and there are no interior views to indicate finishings, accessories or furniture for those who are looking for a restoration resource book. The last few pages, however, do include sections on possible additions, garage styles and renderings of interior and exterior doors.

Average customer rating:

Fun!

Another great reproduction from Dover

A wealth of information

This is a fascinating look back....

Classic Houses of the Twenties (Loizeaux's Plan Book No. 7)
Loizeaux
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Residential | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Specific Styles | Building Types & Styles | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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117 House Designs of the Twenties (Dover Books on Architecture)

101 Classic Homes of the Twenties: Floor Plans and Photographs

Distinctive House Design and Decor of the Twenties: With Over 500 Floor Plans and Illustrations

124 Distinctive House Designs and Floor Plans, 1929

Architectural Details and Measured Drawings of Houses of the Twenties (Dover Pictorial Archives)

ASIN: 0486273881

Book Description

Unabridged republication of rare plan book published by Loizeaux building-supply and lumber companies of New Jersey in 1927. Illustrations and floor plans for 134 houses in many styles — New England Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Gothic or Half Timber, Modern English, Italian, Spanish Mission and more. Over 230 halftone and line illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Fun!.......2003-07-21

I've always been interested in old houses, and my recent favorite era is the '20s. This catalog-turned-book thrilled me! It was so much fun to look at the blueprints for houses that contained servants' quarters and only one bathroom and to read the silly descriptions. It was like taking a step back in time. I imagine this would be a perfect tool for someone wanting to build a modern version of a '20s-style home ... that's what I hope to do one day.

Another great reproduction from Dover.......2001-07-27

This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1927. These books are actually exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly - this book is one of the latest years in the series). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. The only modern element is the accuracy of reproduction- in some cases, if pages in the originals that Dover found are damaged or torn, that page is reproduced in the original with the tear, smudge, blot, or hole showing. So to judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison.

This book originally was "Loizeaux's Plan Book No. 7" published by the J.D. Loizeaux Lumber Company. The book starts with photos of the Loizeaux business locations including their lumber plant and their builders' supply yard and dock. There are several pages showing a complete example of what blueprints one receives if one orders a plan. Then there's an article on styles of homes, which gives the modern reader a glimpse of what styles were most popular at the time.

The book continues with still more articles and advice, before getting to plans: a section on decorating, including what color schemes are advised for each room. One interesting feature to today's eyes is the recommendation of strong colors for walls - according to Loizeaux, white should be used only sparingly! There are illustrations of furnished rooms. Although black and white, each is accompanied by a description of its colors. Here's a nice tasteful bedroom: "Walls are tinted soft peach or apricot. Casement curtains are of sunfast voile or net in ecru or café au lait. Valence at top of window is of violet sateen with draperies of cretonne, chintz, or printed linen. Bed cover of violet sateen, flounce of soft jade green. Shirred over-spread of thin dotted swiss. Deep blue Wilton carpet and cushion on window seat. Slipper stool and lamp shade are in soft rose taffeta." Certainly makes your current bedroom sound pale, doesn't it?

In the illustrations of the kitchen and bathroom, we can tell that we are moving from the turn-of-the-century to the Art Deco era, because no longer are they done in gleaming "sanitary white" tile; now the tiles include colors and patterns.

The floor plans actually start on page 17. Each page contains an illustration (sometimes, but not always, a photo), upstairs and downstairs floor plans, a listing of overall dimensions, and 2 or 3 sentences about the house. Each room on the floor plan is labelled, and the various built-ins such as a telephone nook, medicine cabinet, or bookshelf, are pointed out.

Partway through the book, the plans are interrupted by more articles: one on how to heat the small home - basically, an ancestor of the infomercial, really a long advertisement for a particular brand of heater that Loizeaux sells. Likewise an article/ad for hot water heaters. Check out the article on G-E Wiring Systems on pages 70-71; the illustrations of a couple being shown a house by an agent are funny. Perhaps one of the funniest articles is the page about the "combination bath." This was supposed to be a new, modern, convenience, combining a seat, foot bath, shower, and child's bath all in one. Looking at the illustrations (including an unclothed young man in the shower- how racy!), one can see that this design is just an accident waiting to happen, which must have finally occurred to the company, too, because we certainly don't see any of these combination baths any more!

Little sketches here and there add to the charm of the book - a drawing of a child operating a garbage burner, of a furnished sun parlor, and so on.

While most of the plans are for single-family houses, there are a few for duplexes or apartment buildings. This book is also late enough into the century that we can take interior bathrooms for granted; the 1920's are quite modern compared to a 15 years earlier. Other plan books, from 1912, for example, still have half the houses without indoor baths, and many not wired for electricity. On the other hand, it's still long enough ago that there are a few houses with thatched or wooden roofs; there are not yet garages featured automatically with the houses, and the kitchen stoves still need a chimney vented to the outside. I greatly enjoy comparing books from a few years apart, to see the progress being made.

In summary: the extensive number of articles/ads in the plan book make it a valuable addition to a collection, because they provide so much information about what daily life and average tastes of the time were like, not just what architectural styles were popular. Fun reading, fun to browse, and also a valuable reference for anyone who is studying old houses and neighborhoods.

A wealth of information.......2001-03-29

The plans in this book are very similar in design to my bungalow home. From general interior layout to exterior apperance, this book has given me ideas to improve the exterior of my home! I've read this book over and over many atimes. Purchase it and use it for future referance, as I will when I build a home from one of the plans in this book!

This is a fascinating look back...........1999-12-03

If you're as nostalgic as I am about all things old...cars...music...houses...you'll find this book fascinating. Use it as a reference for restoring your old house or as a creative resource for ideas in your brand new custom home. There are even mentions about built-ins like disappearing beds, sleeping porches, and telephone cabinets. I especially enjoyed the explanation about the differences between New England Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Gothic, and Modern English styles of architecture.

The American Landscape in the Poetry of Frost, Bishop, and Ashbery: The House Abandoned (American Literature Readings in the Twenty-First Century)

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The American Landscape in the Poetry of Frost, Bishop, and Ashbery: The House Abandoned (American Literature Readings in the Twenty-First Century)
Marit J. MacArthur
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Criticism | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 023060322X
Release Date: 2008-06-10

Twenty Years at Hull-House: With Autobiographical Notes (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

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Twenty Years at Hull-House: With Autobiographical Notes (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
Ruth Sidel Jane Addams
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJBGQO

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