Merritt Ierley, a social historian, is the author of seven books relating to American history and technology, including the recently published Open House: A Guided Tour of the American Home. His other books include Traveling the National Road and With Charity for All: Welfare and Society, Ancient Times to the Present. He was the recipient of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for The Comforts of Home. He lives in northern New Jersey.
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