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Title: Provocative yet Entertaining
Review: Although there are many facets of this book worth mentioning, I feel that Hofstadter's analysis of the evolution of the Agrarian myth to be most interesting.Also, Hofstadter's "The Age of Reform" is (in my opinion) extremely broad and philosophical in context. Written in 1955, this Pulitzer Prize winning work traces the development of Populism and the beginnings of Progressivism from the 1890's to the rise of WWI. However, this book is in my opinion "primarily a study of political thinking and of political moods" and, therefore, suffers from a major weaknesses. Put simply Hofstadter's book is largely devoid of primary regional sources, and his work pays lip service to the crucial values and strategies of key Populist leaders. I recommend Lawrence Goodwyn's account over Hofstadter for this reason...otherwise, a well written and intellectual achievement...worth a look.
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