I study the history of the book in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. My dissertation examines the role of books in the American socialist movement. It serves as a counterpoint to the work of Roger Chartier and Robert Darnton, who have emphasized the contributions of books to the spread of revolutionary ideas. I show how socialist leaders' use of print helped bring about the movement's downfall, adding a new dimension to the question, "Why did socialism fail in America?" This is just part of what I hope will be a larger study of working-class reading and literacy in America.