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Hidden History: Exploring Our Secret Past
In this provocative new collection, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel J. Boorstin explores the essential "hidden history" of the American experience that is overlooked by most historians. In twenty-four essays -- divided into five sections, "The Quest for History," "A By-Product Nation," "The Rhetoric of Democracy," "Unsung Experiments," and "The Momentum of Technology" -- Daniel J. Boorstin examines significant rhythms, patterns, and institutions of everyday American from his intimate portraits of such legendary figures as Paul Revere, Abigail Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, to more expansive discussions of historical phenomena, such as the Therapy of Distance and the Law of Survival of the Unread.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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383 people want to read
About the author
Daniel J. Boorstin
198 books379 followersDaniel Joseph Boorstin was a historian, professor, attorney, and writer. He was appointed twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1975 until 1987.
He graduated from Tulsa's Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 15. He graduated with highest honors from Harvard, studied at Balliol College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and earned his PhD at Yale University. He was a lawyer and a university professor at the University of Chicago for 25 years. He also served as director of the National Museum of History and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution.
His The Americans The Democratic Experience received the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in history.
Within the discipline of social theory, Boorstin’s 1961 book The Image A Guide to Pseudo-events in America is an early description of aspects of American life that were later termed hyperreality and postmodernity. In The Image, Boorstin describes shifts in American culture—mainly due to advertising—where the reproduction or simulation of an event becomes more important or "real" than the event itself. He goes on to coin the term pseudo-event which describes events or activities that serve little to no purpose other than to be reproduced through advertisements or other forms of publicity. The idea of pseudo-events closely mirrors work later done by Jean Baudrillard and Guy Debord. The work is still often used as a text in American sociology courses.
When President Gerald Ford nominated Boorstin to be Librarian of Congress, the nomination was supported by the Authors League of America but opposed by the American Library Association because Boorstin "was not a library administrator." The Senate confirmed the nomination without debate.
Boorstin died in 2004 in Washington, D.C.
He graduated from Tulsa's Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 15. He graduated with highest honors from Harvard, studied at Balliol College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and earned his PhD at Yale University. He was a lawyer and a university professor at the University of Chicago for 25 years. He also served as director of the National Museum of History and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution.
His The Americans The Democratic Experience received the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in history.
Within the discipline of social theory, Boorstin’s 1961 book The Image A Guide to Pseudo-events in America is an early description of aspects of American life that were later termed hyperreality and postmodernity. In The Image, Boorstin describes shifts in American culture—mainly due to advertising—where the reproduction or simulation of an event becomes more important or "real" than the event itself. He goes on to coin the term pseudo-event which describes events or activities that serve little to no purpose other than to be reproduced through advertisements or other forms of publicity. The idea of pseudo-events closely mirrors work later done by Jean Baudrillard and Guy Debord. The work is still often used as a text in American sociology courses.
When President Gerald Ford nominated Boorstin to be Librarian of Congress, the nomination was supported by the Authors League of America but opposed by the American Library Association because Boorstin "was not a library administrator." The Senate confirmed the nomination without debate.
Boorstin died in 2004 in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 13, 2009
Daniel Boorstein, former Librarian of Congress, (but not a librarian much to the consternation of many of my overly-credential-conscious-and picayune-librarian colleagues) is a wonderful writer and historian (his series entitled The Americans: The Americans The Colonial Experience,The Americans The Democratic Experience,The Americans The National Experience is masterful social history.)This book is collection of essays.
In one essay ("A Wrestler With the Angel") he explores some of the pitfalls common to historical research. For example his "Law of the Survival of the Unread" states that very popular works, purchased and read widely may not survive, i.e. they are worn out or stolen from libraries, etc. Another law is "Survival of the durable/monumental. Religions have traditionally placed value on monumental objects: tombs, statues, temples, burial rituals, etc. Thus many religious objects survive which may give excessive prominence to religion in the particular culture under study. Color and odor are obviously lost. We now know that the Parthenon was actually painted in very garish colors, vastly different from the weathered marble were accustomed to seeing.
We can often get a perverted view by what is saved. For example, the New England primer was used all over New England to teach students. There were so many copies, no one gave a thought to saving them. Sermons on the other hand, had almost no demand so there are multiple copies still extant. So which was the more influential?
The controversy over Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is another example of how our perception of an era may be influenced by what we currently see. The use of perfumes during the middle ages was not just a luxury but a necessity to cover up the gross stench of people who never took baths. Other "laws" include "Survival of the Protected and Collected" (government files which may or may not reveal the truth of a matter,) "Survival of materials Surrounding Controversies," (disputations and matters of controversy are always recorded, yet ordinary currents of daily life which flow smoothly may never be chronicled; our history of sexual mores is basically a history of deviance rather than normality, i and "Survival of the Academically Classifiable and Dignified" which states that the inherent conservatism of academics is to study the "classics," i.e.teach what they have been taught. Finally, "Survival of the Victorious Point of View" (rather obvious, rarely do we read about unsuccessful inventions) and "Survival of the Self-Serving;" what is written down may be what the politicians want history to believe reflecting their personal agendas.
In one essay ("A Wrestler With the Angel") he explores some of the pitfalls common to historical research. For example his "Law of the Survival of the Unread" states that very popular works, purchased and read widely may not survive, i.e. they are worn out or stolen from libraries, etc. Another law is "Survival of the durable/monumental. Religions have traditionally placed value on monumental objects: tombs, statues, temples, burial rituals, etc. Thus many religious objects survive which may give excessive prominence to religion in the particular culture under study. Color and odor are obviously lost. We now know that the Parthenon was actually painted in very garish colors, vastly different from the weathered marble were accustomed to seeing.
We can often get a perverted view by what is saved. For example, the New England primer was used all over New England to teach students. There were so many copies, no one gave a thought to saving them. Sermons on the other hand, had almost no demand so there are multiple copies still extant. So which was the more influential?
The controversy over Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is another example of how our perception of an era may be influenced by what we currently see. The use of perfumes during the middle ages was not just a luxury but a necessity to cover up the gross stench of people who never took baths. Other "laws" include "Survival of the Protected and Collected" (government files which may or may not reveal the truth of a matter,) "Survival of materials Surrounding Controversies," (disputations and matters of controversy are always recorded, yet ordinary currents of daily life which flow smoothly may never be chronicled; our history of sexual mores is basically a history of deviance rather than normality, i and "Survival of the Academically Classifiable and Dignified" which states that the inherent conservatism of academics is to study the "classics," i.e.teach what they have been taught. Finally, "Survival of the Victorious Point of View" (rather obvious, rarely do we read about unsuccessful inventions) and "Survival of the Self-Serving;" what is written down may be what the politicians want history to believe reflecting their personal agendas.
December 9, 2019
While this book is getting on in years, the message remains true - the history we know is often the history we are told. There are many elements - from "pseudo-events" to unknown connections - that influence and impact the history we know and generally study. The book provides a unique perspective on the American experience through those stories and events that may be less familiar. A good read.
September 10, 2012
This is a group of Boorstin essay's put into a structure that falls under specific themes. The most interesting, which are particularly applicable today, is "From Hero to Celebrity" and "From Traveler to Tourist".
July 24, 2017
Boorstin is both knowledgeable and very readable. The book is a collection of essays and my response to them varied widely.
Perhaps the most shocking was his chapter "The Amateur Spirit and Its Enemies" written in 1985 where he discusses the need for a non-professional congress in order to have it serve its citizens rather than an elite. Here's a quote from page 225 of the paperback edition:
" The representative of the people, however frequently reelected, must be wary of becoming a professional politician. The more complex and gigantic our government, the more essential that the layman's point of view have eloquent voices.
The amateur spirit is a distinctive virtue of democracy. Every year, as professions and bureaucracies increase in power, it becomes more difficult -- yet more urgent-- to keep that spirit alive. In a word, we need leaders with the customer's point of view -- which is another name for the citizens' slant on government."
Quite a leap from that notion to the current reality of "my party above everything else" and "I need your money to run in the next election so here's what I'll do for you" that passes for our current congress' occupants. To say nothing of the gravy train to lobbying that even election losers hop on in their "retirement" from politics.
Perhaps the most shocking was his chapter "The Amateur Spirit and Its Enemies" written in 1985 where he discusses the need for a non-professional congress in order to have it serve its citizens rather than an elite. Here's a quote from page 225 of the paperback edition:
" The representative of the people, however frequently reelected, must be wary of becoming a professional politician. The more complex and gigantic our government, the more essential that the layman's point of view have eloquent voices.
The amateur spirit is a distinctive virtue of democracy. Every year, as professions and bureaucracies increase in power, it becomes more difficult -- yet more urgent-- to keep that spirit alive. In a word, we need leaders with the customer's point of view -- which is another name for the citizens' slant on government."
Quite a leap from that notion to the current reality of "my party above everything else" and "I need your money to run in the next election so here's what I'll do for you" that passes for our current congress' occupants. To say nothing of the gravy train to lobbying that even election losers hop on in their "retirement" from politics.
November 17, 2018
Interesting but a bit too esoteric for my taste.
June 7, 2020
Published in 1987. A bit out of date: pre-internet; pre-9/11; pre-social media; pre-covid19; pre-Trump and the decline of America's reputation in the eyes of the world.
April 1, 2021
Pulled this off the shelf thinking that I'd never read it. Yet, it had my handwriting in it. Hmm. Talk about your secret history. Apparently I read this in 2014. I still stand by that 2014 review, the book was 'meh.' But what I find interesting is that the problems I have with the book today (7 years later) did not merit a mention in 2014. Good on me for noticing things more. I keep stumbling over the word 'men.' Trying to figure out if he meant 'men' or people. He almost always means people. This is not really a slight on Boorstin, it was the standard way things were done then (only 30+ years ago?). What really irked me is that he listed Africans as a group in a list of immigrants to North America. (p xiii of the prologue) I think its pretty safe to say that under the common usage of the word immigrant (the ONLY usage I know), NO Africans immigrated to the US before the Emancipation act. There is no definition of immigrant that works if you are brought to a place against your will. I re-read the first 40-50 pages, and after reading my old review, I decided there was no need to go further. No secrets, nothing really new, and what is here is told in a very old fashioned way.
2014 Review: Title was misleading - thought I was really going to get some secrets - like where that warehouse with the Ark of the Covenant is at the end go Indiana Jones. Instead I got a number of thought provoking essays on, mostly, political history. The book was published in 1987, and most of the material is older work. -- so some essays felt dated, even though the ideas did not. He was talking about the difference between heroes and celebrities, and using TV and newspapers. No CNN, no internet, no Kardashians. Just amusing how much has changed in 25 years. His thoughts about the false importance of our ever increasing media stream were dead on point. "Pseudo events" is what he calls them. It was also amusing to read about anti immigration efforts in the 1920's or so. Apparently bigotry never changes.
2014 Review: Title was misleading - thought I was really going to get some secrets - like where that warehouse with the Ark of the Covenant is at the end go Indiana Jones. Instead I got a number of thought provoking essays on, mostly, political history. The book was published in 1987, and most of the material is older work. -- so some essays felt dated, even though the ideas did not. He was talking about the difference between heroes and celebrities, and using TV and newspapers. No CNN, no internet, no Kardashians. Just amusing how much has changed in 25 years. His thoughts about the false importance of our ever increasing media stream were dead on point. "Pseudo events" is what he calls them. It was also amusing to read about anti immigration efforts in the 1920's or so. Apparently bigotry never changes.
Read
May 2, 2021I like Boorstin, one of my favourite books is his The Discoverers which I rated as 5 stars. However, I couldn't get through this. The author writes very well but the range of topics, the academic tone, and the specific American outlook, though I am interested in the roots of American culture, was a bit too dry and detailed for what I would want. Additionally the book is probably too dated in at least a number of topics. It's certainly not a bad book. My personal rating based on my wants - 3 stars.
January 4, 2016
This was an excellent read, not just for historians, but for anyone passionate about politics and America's place in the world yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Although it was written several decades ago, Boorstin's commentary and analysis seems particularly relevant to today's political debates with chapters on everything from the role of the media to immigration to the influential change of technology.
May 17, 2012
First set of essays were good. He brought up good points about American history. The Gibbon's section I really was not interested in. But by the 5th section, The Momentum of Technology, it kinda got long. I guess it is mostly because I agree that we let TV dominate too much of our society. We need to go outside and enjoy nature more.
Want to read
November 13, 2009The writing style was engaging enough, and there were a couple of essays I found interesting, but I gave up on this book after reading about 4 chapters. These seemed very much like "b-sides" of Boorstin's more popular writings.
Read
October 27, 2013Interesting collection of essays written by this reknown historian through the years, regarding different ways of looking at US history and important individuals. All of these essays can be found in his numerous published books, but apparently the important ones are found right here!
Read
November 21, 2009None
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews