"Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was an unrelenting critic of the American way of life. In his first and best-known work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, Veblen defined the social attitudes and values that condoned the misuse of wealth and the variety of ways in which the resources of modern society were wasted." "Thorstein Veblen remains a baffling figure in American intellectual history, and this important work, undertaken by Louis Patsouras, attempts both to unravel the riddles that surround his reputation and to assess his varied and important contributions to modern social theory." "By setting Veblen's work in its social and intellectual context, and by considering Veblen not just as an economist or a sociologist - as has been the case up to now - Patsouras also examines Veblen's politics, in particular the early manifestations of American socialism and anarchism, as well as his support of labor unions. Veblen's views are then compared and contrasted with other well-known historical and contemporary thinkers."--BOOK JACKET.