Hopes and Ashes: The Birth of Modern Times, 1929-1939

xii, 274 pp. "Modern American popular culture as we know it began to take shape in the 1930s with the emergence of radio, the coming of sound to movies, the birth of news magazines, and the growing appreciation of modern art. Marquis describes developments in these areas, as well as detailing the 1939 New York World's Fair, in this well-written, enjoyable book. The interaction of mass and elite culture is investigated, as are the cultural effects of the Depression and the European unrest in the course of the decade."