History's Best Selling Books of 1890

Extra! Extra! Step right up to inspect the definitive collection of first-rate books releases from 1890. Discover the genuine articles of American ingenuity that captured the public's fancy and won nationwide acclaim during this historic era.

1. How the Other Half Lives

   Released in 1890 by Jacob Riis, Charles Scribner's Sons

   Published in 1890, "How the Other Half Lives" stands as a monumental work in American history, marking a pivotal moment for photojournalism and social reform during the Gilded Age. Jacob Riis, through his stark photographs and vivid prose, compelled a largely oblivious middle and upper class to confront the grim realities of urban poverty in New York City's tenements. This book was instrumental in shifting public perception of the poor, transforming them from an abstract social problem into a visible human crisis, thereby laying crucial groundwork for the burgeoning Progressive Era movements focused on housing reform, sanitation, and child welfare.