Download or read book The Theory of the Leisure Class written by Thorstein Veblen and published by The Floating Press. This book was released on 2009-05-01 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considered the first in-depth critique of consumerism, economist Thorstein Veblen's 1899 book The Theory of the Leisure Class has come to be regarded as one of the great works of economic theory. Using contemporary and anthropological accounts, Veblen held that our economic and social norms are driven by traces of our early tribal life, rather than ideas of utility.