The highly prized ability to make financial plans with some certainty about the future comes from the core fields of economics. In recent years the availability of more data, analytical tools of greater precision, and ex post studies of business decisions have increased demand for information...

Writing American consumption history -- Consumer culture theory in historical perspective -- Colonial consumption from 1607 to 1790 -- Consumption in a new nation, 1790 to 1865 -- The gilded age, 1865 to 1900 -- Consumption progress, 1900 to 1930 -- The great depression and World War II --...