Cover… Double Issue of the Good LIFE – Begin Here and Have a Happy Trip… From 1890 to 1975: Leisure of the Classes and Masses
Pg… 12 THE GAY OLD DAYS Five artists paint memorable episodes– some rowdy and some classy like the yacht party of J. P. Morgan (left)–of the old days when leisure was a luxury that belonged to a well–heeled few
Pg… 36 WHAT BROUGHT THE CHANGE Startling color photographs dramatize one important source of America's leisure: the introduction of automated production (left) which brings with it more and cheaper goods and better jobs
Pg… 76 THE CELEBRITIES' LEISURE From playing French horn to collecting campaign buttons, some well–known Americans like Ralph Bunche set an example by putting spare time to the use that refreshes
Pg… 69 A $40 BILLION BILL FOR FUNLIFE Staff Writer Robert Coughlan examines the nation's huge leisure business and finds that everything from worm–raising to water–skiing helps bolster the U.S. economy to the tune of $40 billion a year
Pg… 85 WHAT'S YOUR LEISURE RATING? Russell Lynes, a witty observer (with an assist by Artist Mike Rarnusl. charts a new type of class system–from aristocrat to peasant–based on how you spend leisure
Pg… 53 SATURDAY A.M. ON ELM The big leisure bonus is Saturday morning and LIFE turns six photographers loose in two U.S. Elm Streets to record the important news story of the precious day off
Pg… 90 DO IT YOURSELF High labor costs make home handymen think they are having fun and saving money
Pg… 62 EDITORIAL Leisure can mean a new civilization. By using it, Americans can raise unparalleled standards of excellence
Pg… 64 PASSING OF A PRIVATE PLAY YARD A last stronghold of old–time elegance is sold
Pg… 93 AMF Comes to Shelby Ohio
Pg… 96 GREAT U.S. PLAYGROUND Pure physical fun is a prime outlet lot leisure. Name your pleasure and you will find it in the world's busiest arena spectacularly displayed here in a dazzling portfolio of color
Pg… 117 JUST A BIG RAT RACE? Novelist Sloan Wilson, an expert on social foibles, laments the guilt, fear and discontent that drives many of us to misspend a legacy that we've fought so hard to get
Pg… 125 HOW TO PLAY WITH THE KIDS A St. Louis father shows it can be sensibly enjoyed
Pg… 130 FOR ESKIMOS, NO THANKS Life in Miami is strictly for the Arctic terns
Pg… 132 GOOD DEEDS–WITH GRACE Up to her ears in good works, a Birmingham housewife (left) shows how energy, good– will and brains can make a city a livelier, kinder and more rewarding place to live
Pg… 153 LOAFING: TWO POINTS OF VIEW It's a hard art to master, says Nathaniel Benchley; but, from a woman's point of view, where's all that leisure? asks Phyllis McGinley
Pg… 161 AFTER RETIREMENT, WHAT? What happens when they've given you the gold watch and the hearty handclasp? A Cincinnati railroad man finds he has to work out a way to enjoy his enforced leisure
Pg… 168 WHAT'S WITH 1975? Some experts in planning for the future offer a practical prophecy on what's in store for us–and some others warn us to watch out for pitfalls
Pg… 174 LOVE, THE ELIXIR Whether it's a mother's or a teen–ager's or husband's or wife's, love can be a big beneficiary of our leisure. Six photographers portray in color its special meanings
Pg… 185 TOMORROW'S TRIP TODAY In a tiny whirlybird that gives a hint of how we all may vacation one day, a California couple takes off for the most varied, traffic– free weekend you ever saw
Pg… 139 CULTURE IN THE SUMMERTIME In sylvan retreats millions mix fun and artistic creativity
Pg… 148 THE JOYS OF SOLITUDE "When you are alone you get down to fundamentals," says Olaus Murie, a famous naturalist and 20th Century Thoreau, who finds the quiet wilderness a necessity