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The Theory of the Leisure Class

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First published: 1899
Pages: 260

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11 h 51 min · 38 parts

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01 - Chapter I - Introductory, Part One
16:59
02 - Chapter I - Introductory, Part Two
17:39
03 - Chapter II - Pecuniary Emulation
24:04
04 - Chapter III - Conspicuous Leisure, Part One
18:05
05 - Chapter III - Conspicuous Leisure, Part Two
22:14
06 - Chapter III - Conspicuous Leisure, Part Three
21:08
07 - Chapter IV - Conspicuous Consumption, Part One
20:00
08 - Chapter IV - Conspicuous Consumption, Part Two
15:41
09 - Chapter IV - Conspicuous Consumption, Part Three
15:31
10 - Chapter V - The Pecuniary Standard of Living
19:17
11 - Chapter VI - Pecuniary Canons of Taste, Part One
18:02
12 - Chapter VI - Pecuniary Canons of Taste, Part Two
18:04
13 - Chapter VI - Pecuniary Canons of Taste, Part Three
16:20
14 - Chapter VI - Pecuniary Canons of Taste, Part Four
18:08
15 - Chapter VI - Pecuniary Canons of Taste, Part Five
14:45
16 - Chapter VII - Dress as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part One
21:38
17 - Chapter VII - Dress as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part Two
20:25
18 - Chapter VIII - Industrial Exemption and Conservatism, Part One
23:54
19 - Chapter VIII - Industrial Exemption and Conservatism, Part Two
20:12
20 - Chapter IX - The Conservation of Archaic Traits, Part One
21:04
21 - Chapter IX - The Conservation of Archaic Traits, Part Two
23:22
22 - Chapter IX - The Conservation of Archaic Traits, Part Three
25:08
23 - Chapter X - Modern Survivals of Prowess, Part One
16:25
24 - Chapter X - Modern Survivals of Prowess, Part Two
22:04
25 - Chapter X - Modern Survivals of Prowess, Part Three
17:33
26 - Chapter XI - The Belief in Luck, Part One
15:34
27 - Chapter XI - The Belief in Luck, Part Two
14:21
28 - Chapter XII - Devout Observances, Part One
19:46
29 - Chapter XII - Devout Observances, Part Two
17:37
30 - Chapter XII - Devout Observances, Part Three
18:54
31 - Chapter XII - Devout Observances, Part Four
16:47
32 - Chapter XIII - Survivals of the Non-Invidious Interests, Part One
18:07
33 - Chapter XIII - Survivals of the Non-Invidious Interests, Part Two
20:16
34 - Chapter XIII - Survivals of the Non-Invidious Interests, Part Three
20:09
35 - Chapter XIV - The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part One
16:19
36 - Chapter XIV - The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part Two
15:20
37 - Chapter XIV - The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part Three
16:27
38 - Chapter XIV - The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture, Part Four
14:09

The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) is a public domain work.

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About this book

First published in 1899, Thorstein Veblen's most famous book turned a sardonic economist's eye on the habits of the American rich. He argued that once people have more than they need, they spend to be seen, and coined the phrases that stuck: conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. Wealth, in his account, proves itself by wasting time and money in ways the poor cannot copy, from idle servants and impractical clothing to sports, etiquette, and higher learning. Written in deadpan, mock-scholarly prose, the book traces these display habits back to predatory tribal societies and forward into modern business. More than a century later, its dissection of status spending still cuts. The full text is available here as a free PDF and EPUB.

About the author

Thorstein Veblen

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was an American economist and sociologist of Norwegian immigrant stock, known for caustic critiques of capitalism and consumer culture. A founder of the institutional school of economics, he taught at Chicago, Stanford, and elsewhere while writing several influential and famously prickly books.