Boston’s Immigrants, 1790–1880

This book has helped raise this field of American studies to a high level of distinction and satisfaction. -- Nathan Glazer * New Leader *
An excellent case study in the great problem of social assimilation. One feature, among others, that stands out clearly is its refutation of the all-too-comforting and popular notion that the American community, local or national, has been able to accept great contingencies of foreign population without experiencing significant and lasting modifications of its own cultural features. * American Sociological Review *
Dr. Handlin has helped to illuminate a chapter in our history which, while local in its setting, has broad general implications… The book is eminently readable and characterized by imagination as well as learning. -- Louis M. Hacker * New York Herald Tribune *
While there have been good general studies of immigration, this book by Oscar Handlin is the first historical case study of the impact of immigrants upon a particular society and of the adjustment of the immigrants to that society. The writer has opened a new field for historical research and has also made a significant contribution to the literature of race and culture contacts. -- William F. Whyte * American Journal of Sociology *