THE PAST s:: .. ~ E c "" ~ !: i:i. Ll 1 'C A Capitalist Romance: Singer and the Sewing Machine, Ruth Brandon, 1977, $10.95 from: J.B. Lippincott Company E. Washington Square Philadelphia, PA 19105 Isaac Merritt Singer could hardly be called a conscious advocate of the women's suffrage movement. During the Civil War, the nation was shocked to discover that he was maintaining a number of " wives" simultaneously, and he no doubt would have been equally shocked had he discovered that any of these ladies was a follower of Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Yet, ironically, Singer and his fellow sewing machine manufacturers may have had as much to do with improving the status of women in nineteenth century America as the suffragettes did. The challenge facing Singer and his competitors was a formidable one: to convince millions of women (and their husbands) to purchase a piece of machinery which was not only expensive, but which actually threatened to provide the ladies with a small measure of leisure time. That the devil frequently found work for idle hands was well known , but for the men of America, an even more sobering prospect loomed: a cartoon of the time showed a sewing machine salesman exclaiming how the machine was so efficient that "there's nothing left for the ladies to do now but to Improve their Intellects!" Indeed, the manufacturers, whatever their personal beliefs on the subject, found it in their best interests to encourage women to look upon themselves as capable and self-reliant. Women were employed to demonstrate and teach the operation of the Singer machines, and Singer advertising pointed out both the benefits of added leisure time for childrearing and the opportunities for independent income which could be realized from taking in sewing. If the initial cost of the machine was a problem, the Singer Company was ready with yet another revolutionary idea : easy monthly installment payments! Unfortunately, this fascinating glimpse at the sewing machine's impact on women's lives and attitudes is overshadowed by author Ruth Brandon's greater concern with the technical development of the machine and with the R-rated details of I.M. Singer'S private life. The book provides enjoyable reading throughout. but it is hoped that Brandon or some other writer will soon give the " women and technology" angle of her story the kind of detailed attention which it deserves. - JF ~, ....~ •• ;;.;e' .... ~~.) . '.'j;,• '.:-.1<,)1 ••( .' . .~< .•.r.r .~.•... .. . '.. •.J .' '~ ::..' ~I;".~ c' .. ___"',' ~. • • .....,.~ " •• ~ ~~'~: - ....- '~~ ._ --:. 0',') i·" . ~ , ~ .,.. :' I, ~ .. " ~ ~:'j ~ . ..l( ' ... o o ..c... r::.. \ ~ -/J .~ ... J7.i'~' / !: '" ',. J ~ r:: .. -, J), .t I r:: ~ o U ...,...~. ",,' I."... ", ... r:: ·~.: ., .~:.... , Z· :"', I .. . ,-. 4W.. .. r:: .. "'11: I.J f! ... I ~,' ',.""9 _,. .-:,... ... -- . .;~..... .~ .. . .(,~, "" , l ~ 1 o ..... , .' .. -~ February-March 19RO RAIN Page3 c- - BUILDING 1 A Design and Construction Handbook for Energy-Saving Houses, Alex Wade, 1980, $12.95 from: Rodale Press Organic Park Emmaus, PA 18049 When Alex Wade wrote30 Energy·Efficiell t Houses , . . YOId Can Bldld in 1978 it seemed as though he'd written the definitive solar house book-with one reservation : not all of the 30 houses had been built and/or tested. All of the houses in his new book are under wnstruction and/or compll·ted. The methods he desHibes have been tned-and they work. This book proVides the kind of nitty-gritty information needed to bUild your own house. His resource lists steer you in the direction of high quality and efficient materials, tools, deSIgners, contractors and even appliances. To top it oH, it includes a set of working drawings for a basic saltbox house with greenhouse, and the detailed materials lists and spl'Cifications to facilitate construction I But the book is not oriented towards construction of "Alex Wade" homes as much as it is focused on a design and construction attitude and style. " As an initial step in planning an energy-effiCient home, you should examine your entire lifestyle for areas in whith you waste energy," Bravo I This book ranks (with the Mazda Passive So lar Ellrrgy Book and Bruce Anderson's The Solar Home Book) among the bcs! in the field, and is a perfcct follow-up to his 30 Enf'Tgy-Efficiellt Houses, The weU stocked bookshelf should include both books, -CC
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