The Pursuit of Happiness

By Howard Mumford Jones,

Book cover of The Pursuit of Happiness

Book description

Number seven in the William W. Cook Foundation Lectures at the University of Michigan. Presented in January, 1952.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Pursuit of Happiness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is an older book that traces the development of the American definition of happiness from the founding of the nation until the mid-twentieth century. Jones carefully illustrates that happiness transformed from a collective political concept to an individual moral entitlement. His reading of self-help texts shows that earlier Americans tried to achieve happiness by learning to conform themselves to the obligations imposed on them by others outside the self. In contrast, Jones’ investigation shows that the modern understanding of happiness demands individual liberation from the expectations of others, a feat achieved by listening to the internal desires of…

Want books like The Pursuit of Happiness?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Pursuit of Happiness.

Browse books like The Pursuit of Happiness

Book cover of Chemically Imbalanced: Everyday Suffering, Medication, and Our Troubled Quest for Self-Mastery
Book cover of Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn't Be Yourself
Book cover of The Ethics of Authenticity

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in happiness, the United Kingdom, and presidential biography?

Happiness 350 books
The United Kingdom 583 books