The Postal Age: The Emergence of Modern Communications in Nineteenth-Century America

though i'm a history and media buff by trade, this book is appealing beyond a specific, academic audience. henkin's clear prose, grounded in a thorough understanding of his subject matter and an elegant and eloquent way with words makes this a fun and informative read for even the casually interested reader. virtually every page has me saying "whoa, cool!" and reading passages out loud to my partner. his trenchant analysis of the ways the mail developed over the course of the 19th-century combines the best of gender studies, race studies, visual and popular culture studies, and historical research. as the last reviewer said: it will change the way you think.