A Calculating People : The Spread of Numeracy in Early America - Patricia Cline Cohen

A Calculating People

The Spread of Numeracy in Early America

By: Patricia Cline Cohen

Paperback | 3 November 1999 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $98.99

$84.50

15%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $21.13 with

 or 

Expected to ship in at least 4 weeks

"A Calculating People" is an entertaining and informative history of the birth of the American passion for numbers, tracing the history of "numeracy" from its origins in the Enlightenment to its flowering in mid-19th century America. Patricia Cline Cohen focuses on episodes that illustrate the growing skill and enthusiasm for numbers in the colonies and early republic, from the controversial inauguration of the census in Jamestown and the West Indies to the role played by "statisticks" in politics and social reform. By examining the rising prestige of quantification, Cohen sheds light on the changing ways that Americans thought about their social, political and economic relations. Now back in print, "A Calculating People" reveals how numeracy profoundly shaped the character of society in the early republic and provides a wholly original perspective on the development of modern America.
Industry Reviews
"[An] exceptionally well-crafted book...Illuminating and richly detailed." -Paul Starr, "The New Republic "An important volume...This thoughtful, original, and felicitous book deserves a broad audience." -Michael Kammen, "Journal of American History "A classic study...This elegant cultural history of how numbers became America's most powerful signs, both for reasoning and persuasion, is crucial for understanding the transformation of 19th-century America." -Richard D. Brown, University of Connecticut

More in History

Silk Silver Opium : The Trade with China that Changed History - Michael Pembroke
If I Must Die : Poetry and Prose - Refaat Alareer

RRP $39.99

$33.40

16%
OFF
Velleius Paterculus : Loeb Classical Library - Velleius Paterculus
The Spy in the Archive : How one man tried to kill the KGB - Gordon Corera
Beyond Green : The Social Life of Australian Nature - Lesley Head
The Death of Stalin - Sheila Fitzpatrick

RRP $27.99

$23.75

15%
OFF
Bombard the Headquarters! : The Cultural Revolution in China - Linda Jaivin
Darwin on the Beagle - Harrison Christian

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Start With Why : How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action - Simon Sinek
History's Strangest Deaths : A Half-Arsed History book - Riley Knight
Sword : D-Day - Trial by Battle - Max Hastings

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
A Concise History of Australia : 5th Edition - Stuart Macintyre

RRP $41.95

$33.75

20%
OFF
100 Weirdest Tales from Across Australia - Ben Pobjie

RRP $22.99

$20.35

11%
OFF
The Rape of Nanking : The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II - Iris Chang
Letters from a Stoic : The Ancient Classic - Seneca

RRP $24.95

$21.75

13%
OFF