Do It Yourself: Home Improvement In 20Thcentury America,Used

Do It Yourself Investigates The History Behind The Current Doit Yourself Craze In Home Repair And Remodeling. The Origins Of Home Improvement Can Be Traced To The Early Part Of The Century, When Government Loan Programs Placed Home Ownership Within The Reach Of Growing Numbers Of Families, Masscirculation Magazines Began Providing Their Readers With Information About Home Renovation, And Increasing Numbers Of Americans Turned To The Manual Arts And Handicrafts As Leisuretime Pursuits. World War Ii Provided Many Americans With The Skills And Confidence To Undertake Homeimprovement Projects On Their Own, And After The War, Changes In The Manufacturing And Retailing Of Tools And Equipment Created New Possibilities For Transforming One'S Home. As Home Remodeling Became A Central Feature Of Domestic Life And Consumer Culture,The 'Doityourself' Movement Was Born, Coming Of Age In The Babyboomer 1950S And 1960S, When Americans Created Suburban Paradises And Reclaimed Decaying Urban Centers.The Text Of Do It Yourself, Which Investigates Topics Ranging From Women'S Roles In Home Repair To Historic Preservation, Is A Lively Mix Of Illustrations Including Period Photographs, Magazine Spreads, And Advertisementsand Clearly Written Analysis Of The Trends Behind These Images.Carolyn M. Goldstein Is Curator Of The Exhibition Do It Yourself, At The National Building Museum In Washington, D.C.