Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen)

History's Best Selling Products of 1921

1. The Age of Innocence

   Released in 1921 by Edith Wharton, D. Appleton & Company

   The Age of Innocence, published in 1920, stands as a monumental work in American literature, primarily for its incisive portrayal of late 19th-century New York aristocracy and its subsequent recognition with the Pulitzer Prize in 1922, making Edith Wharton the first woman to win the award. Released in the immediate aftermath of World War I, the novel provided a powerful contrast between the seemingly ordered yet profoundly restrictive Gilded Age society it depicted and the rapidly changing, disorienting world of the 1920s. This historical distance allowed Wharton to reflect with a unique blend of nostalgia and critical insight on the social codes and moral dilemmas that defined an earlier era, captivating readers by inviting them to ponder the costs of adherence to tradition versus personal desire.