How Long to Read Before the Refrigerator

How Long Does it Take to Read Before the Refrigerator?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 13 minutes to read Before the Refrigerator by Jonathan Rees

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

A historical study of how increased access to ice—decades before refrigeration—transformed American life. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans depended upon ice to stay cool and to keep their perishable foods fresh. Jonathan Rees tells the fascinating story of how people got ice before mechanical refrigeration came to the household. Drawing on newspapers, trade journals, and household advice books, Before the Refrigerator explains how Americans built a complex system to harvest, store, and transport ice to everyone who wanted it, even the very poor. Rees traces the evolution of the natural ice industry from its mechanization in the 1880s through its gradual collapse, which started after World War I. Meatpackers began experimenting with ice refrigeration to ship their products as early as the 1860s. Starting around 1890, large, bulky ice machines the size of small houses appeared on the scene, becoming an important source for the American ice supply. As ice machines shrunk, more people had access to better ice for a wide variety of purposes. By the early twentieth century, Rees writes, ice had become an essential tool for preserving perishable foods of all kinds, transforming what most people ate and drank every day. Reviewing all the inventions that made the ice industry possible and the way they worked together to prevent ice from melting, Rees demonstrates how technological systems can operate without a central controlling force. Before the Refrigerator is ideal for history of technology classes, food studies classes, or anyone interested in what daily life in the United States was like between 1880 and 1930. “An in-depth portrayal of a once-indispensable, life-changing technology, the former existence of which is as unknown to most of us as that of the telegraph or canal is to today’s undergraduates. . . . Rees synthesizes considerable archival research and presents interpretations of importance to scholars. . . . Before the Refrigerator is as refreshing as ice water on a hot summer day.” —Journal of American History “This fact-filled book explains how ice became an American necessity by the early twentieth century. Students in business history and history of technology courses will be fascinated to learn how macrobreweries made lager into America’s favorite beer, how cocktails became commonplace, and how burly men used to lug giant blocks of ice into American kitchens.” —Shane Hamilton, author of Trucking Country: The Road to America’s Wal-Mart Economy

How long is Before the Refrigerator?

Before the Refrigerator by Jonathan Rees is 192 pages long, and a total of 48,384 words.

This makes it 65% the length of the average book. It also has 59% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Before the Refrigerator Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 4 hours and 24 minutes to read Before the Refrigerator aloud.

What Reading Level is Before the Refrigerator?

Before the Refrigerator is suitable for students ages 10 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Before the Refrigerator?

Before the Refrigerator by Jonathan Rees is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

To buy Before the Refrigerator by Jonathan Rees on Amazon click the button below.