CONTENTS

List of Abbreviations

Preface

ONE / Introduction

PART I: ORIGINS

TWO / The Foundation of Home Ownership

THREE / An Industry Unready to Improve

FOUR / The Realm of the Retailer

FIVE / The Birth of the Home Improvement Store

PART II: CRISIS, 1927–1945

SIX / A Perfect Storm for the Building Industry

SEVEN / Manufacturers Save the Retailer

EIGHT / The State Makes Credit

PART III: RESOLUTION, 1945–1960

NINE / Mr. and Mrs. Builder

TEN / Help for the Amateur

ELEVEN / The Improvement Business Coalesces

TWELVE / A Zelig of the American Cultural Economy

Notes

Index