Ragtime A Musical and Cultural History Author:Edward A. Berlin Ragtime, the jaunty, toe-tapping music that captivated American society from the 1890s through World War I, forms the roots of America s popular musical expression. But the understanding of ragtime and its era has been clouded by a history of murky impressions, half-truths, and inventive fictions. Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History... more » cuts through the murkiness. A methodical survey of thousands of rags along with an examination of then-contemporary opinions in magazines and newspapers demonstrate how the music evolved and how America responded to it. "The most complete available discussion of ragtime" (Floyd & Reisser, Black Music in the United States).« less