Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service

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Synopsis
&“[The] book makes you care what happens to its main protagonist, the U.S. Postal Service itself. And, as such, it leaves you at the end in suspense.&” —USA Today Founded by Benjamin Franklin, the United States Postal Service was the information network that bound far-flung Americans together, and yet, it is slowly vanishing. Critics say it is slow and archaic. Mail volume is down. The workforce is shrinking. Post offices are closing. In Neither Snow Nor Rain, journalist Devin Leonard tackles the fascinating, centuries-long history of the USPS, from the first letter carriers through Franklin&’s days, when postmasters worked out of their homes and post roads cut new paths through the wilderness. Under Andrew Jackson, the post office was molded into a vast patronage machine, and by the 1870s, over seventy percent of federal employees were postal workers. As the country boomed, USPS aggressively developed new technology, from mobile post offices on railroads and airmail service to mechanical sorting machines and optical character readers. Neither Snow Nor Rain is a rich, multifaceted history, full of remarkable characters, from the stamp-collecting FDR, to the revolutionaries who challenged USPS&’s monopoly on mail, to the renegade union members who brought the system—and the country—to a halt in the 1970s. &“Delectably readable . . . Leonard&’s account offers surprises on almost every other page . . . [and] delivers both the triumphs and travails with clarity, wit and heart.&” —Chicago Tribune
Copyright:
2016

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
288 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780802189974
Related ISBNs:
9780802124586
Publisher:
Grove Atlantic
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Devin Leonard
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Social Studies, Politics and Government
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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