"[A] richly nuanced reconstruction of farmers, artisans, and merchants positioning themselves in the emerging market society of Greene and Columbia Counties. . . . [I]nteresting and innovative. . . . A brief review only hints at the many strengths of this book. . . . Bruegel has a lovely way of blending telling anecdotes with analysis of aggregate data. In his astute hands, the most unlikely sources, such as a farm wife’s description of whitewashing a room, yield insights into important patterns like consumption. . . . Conceptualization, insights, and clear organization of material strongly recommend Farm, Shop, Landing. . . . [C]lear, graceful writing. . . . Bruegel has laid a veritable feast for his reader-guests. . . ." — Kathleen Smith Kutolowski , New York History
"[A]dd[s] significantly to our understanding of northern small farmers in the early republic." — Cathy Matson , Journal of the Early Republic
"Brings fresh insight into what has become an old, if not tired, debate in American historiography. . . . " — Béatrice Craig, Social History
"[Bruegel] should be praised for going where many others have feared to tread. Bruegel's extensive bibliography of secondary sources, a triumph of compilation in its own right, underscores his familiarity with relevant scholarly literature….Farm, Shop, Landing adds to our understanding of a group of individuals little studied. Students of New York history as well as those interested in rural life in the United States during the first half of the nineteenth century will welcome the publication. . . . The author's attempt to weave the commonplace and the epic is a noble one." — Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Winterthur Portfolio
"Richly researched and tightly written book. . . . Bruegel's research is deep, and his analysis and writing rich. . . . [A]n important contribution to New York's rural history." — Thomas S. Wermuth, Hudson River Valley Review
"[V]aluable. . . . [Bruegel] demonstrates a theoretical sophistication and an eye for the telling details that give a familiar story fresh nuance and texture as well as a scope and sweep that transcend the local. . . . Bruegel has done a masterful job researching his subject, and it is a pleasure to review a book as well grounded in archival research. . . . Farm, Shop, Landing is highly recommended for all scholars interested in American rural history and the social dimensions of economic change." — Hal S. Barron , Journal of Economic History
"An outstanding environmental history. . . . A deeply researched, tightly argued, and nicely written study. The book is both an important scholarly monograph and a fine paperback addition to reading lists for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level history courses." — James A. Henretta , American Historical Review
"Bruegel adds notably to our understanding of how and why a new way of life came about in the two generations following the American Revolution. His account deserves attention from all historians interested in understanding how, in concrete terms, social change came about and was experienced." — Christopher Clark , Journal of Social History
"Bruegel successfully blends economic, social and political history to present the picture of a region in transition. . . . Bruegel's study is a welcome addition that will allow scholars to better understand all of the complexities of the market revolution in the early United States." — Kim M. Gruenwald , Reviews in American History
"In Farm, Shop, Landing, a sprightly book about the mid Hudson River Valley counties of Columbia and Greene, Martin Bruegel has boldly entered into the long-running debate over economic development and the so-called ‘market revolution’ of post-Revolutionary America. . . . [A] wealth of detail. . . . [C]ompelling. . . . Farm, Shop, Landing does raise significant questions about the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. . . ." — Allan Kulikoff , Common-Place
"This deeply researched account of the market revolution in the mid-Hudson River Valley adds nuance and concreteness to a historiography that has been at times overly stark and abstract." — Carol Sheriff, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"This excellent book should be read by all scholars of the pre-Civil War era." — Jeffrey P. Brown , History: Reviews of New Books
“This is an extremely well-researched and sophisticated contribution to American rural history. Bruegel has written a detailed local study on the development of the Hudson River Valley, which has important methodological and interpretive implications for many other regions and fields.” — Peter Coclanis, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
“This is an outstanding work. In an era where so many historians are focusing on smaller and smaller subjects, it is a pleasure to read a book that directly tackles the big picture. Indeed, it is something close to a histoire totale. It not only addresses a topic of extraordinary importance but does so with theoretical sophistication and remarkable research.” — Richard Stott, George Washington University