"This book is a gem. In tribute to their inspiring teacher, Morton Keller, three fine American historians have brought together an exciting group of essays that share a commitment to a dynamic new organizing concept—'public life.' As historians' work increasingly crosses old field boundaries, integrating political and cultural history, legal and intellectual, to name only a few emerging hybrids, it is time to open up new conceptual borderlands. Gamber, Grossberg, and Hartog show us the way." —Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America"This is an important, well-written history of American public life . . . an excellent collection by authors who are known for their superb work." —Paul Finkelman, University of Tulsa College of Law"This splendid collection features fresh, first-rate scholarship by historians who are advancing new arguments, based on impressive research, concerning an important set of issues in American history." —James T. Kloppenberg, Harvard University