Non-fiction series of vignettes, each representing a significant event in the early years of the 20th century. Walter Lord’s vivid narrative explores what life was like in America in a simpler time when people were confident that any challenge could be resolved. The author examines how these events influenced society as a whole by focusing on its parts, including the Boxer Rebellion, McKinley’s assassination, Theodore Roosevelt’s enforcement of anti-trust, the Wright Brothers’ flying machine, elaborate parties of New York socialites, the San Francisco fire and earthquake, the rise of labor laws, the momentum toward women’s suffrage, the 1907 financial panic and J. Pierpont Morgan’s role of rescuer, Henry Ford’s Model T, Robert Peary’s dash to the North Pole and the controversy over Frederick Cook’s claim of precedence, the 1912 convention that nominated Woodrow Wilson, and the last peaceful summer before World War I.

As in many collections of stories, some will be more to a specific reader’s interest than others, but all are thoroughly researched and distinctively written. Published in 1960, the author interviewed many of the actual participants. These certainly are not all “good years.” Imagine a time before air conditioning, when most people wore heavy woolen clothing, no internet, no movies, no television, even radio was still several years away. I think Lord’s point is that these years were less complicated, when people were optimistic that problems could be easily solved. Unfortunately, World War I shattered the illusions of security and easy answers.

I have always admired Lord’s writing style and his ability to bring history to life, and this book is no exception. Recommended to history buffs or anyone interested in learning more about the major events of the early years of the 20th century in the United States. ( )

709. The Good Years: From 1900 to the First World War, by Walter Lord (read 16 Sep 1962) Lord is kind of a superficial guy and his history is very much 'popular' but I enjoyed this account of the extremely interesting years. ( )

This has been on my shelf for ages, avoided because it was big. That was a really bad idea. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One may remember [[Walter Lord]] from [A Night to Remember] about the Titanic. What he has done in this book is to take the years from 1900 until the start of the First World War, and tell one great story about a major event that occurred during that year (some years get 2 events). For instance, 1906 is the San Francisco earthquake. 1912 focuses on the Democratic National Convention (with a very short mention of the Titanic; only to show what kind of affect it had on the country). The great thing is that this book was published in 1960, so a majority of his references were interviews with people who were actually there! I just found it a fascinating book, and if you can find a copy, you should read it. ( )