Robert A. Stebbins Book order

Focusing on the concept of project-based leisure (PBL), this book explores its impact on individual and community well-being. PBL is characterized as a creative, occasional endeavor pursued during free time, requiring planning and effort. The author examines how PBL contributes to subjective well-being, albeit to a lesser extent than serious leisure. Through a review of existing research and original insights, the book highlights the potential of PBL activities to foster community engagement and enhance quality of life.

The devotee occupations serve as full-time or part-time livelihoods for people fortunate enough to have found them. Such work has so far been observed to exist in four sectors of the economy: the liberal professions, consulting occupations, skilled trades, and small business proprietors. Devotee work roots in serious leisure.

Exploring the often-overlooked 'third space' between work and leisure, this book highlights how non-work obligations impact our well-being and lifestyle. The author, a recognized expert in the field, provides insights into navigating these responsibilities and emphasizes the importance of finding contentment amidst discontentment. This guide offers valuable perspectives for anyone seeking balance and fulfillment in their daily lives.

Focusing on the complexities of leisure lifestyles, this book explores the potential of serious and casual leisure as frameworks for research in social science. It aims to bring clarity to the common-sense understanding of leisure, providing insights from a leading expert in the field. By examining how these leisure concepts can be systematically studied, the author seeks to enhance the relevance and applicability of leisure studies in social science research.

The book offers a conceptual framework for exploring the connections between work, leisure, and daily chores, emphasizing how these activities are interrelated and managed in everyday life. It delves into the dynamics of balancing these aspects, providing insights into their significance in personal and social contexts.

Revised edition of: A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians / text and illustrations by Robert C. Stebbins. 3rd ed. 2003.

Focusing on the intersection of scholarship and politics, this book explores how self-esteem derived from achievement is rooted in expertise. It delves into the dynamics of idea generation and implementation within these realms, highlighting the significant role that intellectual contributions play in shaping self-worth among scholars and political figures.

Exploring the multifaceted nature of leisure, this book delves into its social, historical, cultural, temporal, and geographical dimensions. It examines how various contexts shape the understanding and experience of leisure activities, offering a comprehensive analysis that highlights the significance of leisure in different societies and periods. Through this lens, readers gain insights into the complex interplay between leisure and various societal factors.

This book illustrates how leisure, as with other complex ideas that hold currency in today’s world, suffers at the level of common sense, due to a combination of oversimplification, moral depreciation, and even lack of recognition. Leisure’s modern legacy is both profound and immense, as a product of approximately 45 years of steady research, application and theory development. The common sense view of free-time activities, therefore, can and should be challenged. Stebbins provides this confrontation by tackling four particular themes: that gatekeepers within the institutions of higher education and funding agencies for research often fail to attach adequate resources to the idea of leisure; that the general population are guided by certain common sense definitions and largely unaware of how an informed view of free time could be beneficial; that practitioners within certain fields continue to refuse to engage with the idea of leisure despite its benefitfor their clients; and that the weak reception of the science of leisure within mainstream social sciences suggests a similarly warped understanding of how people use their free time. Leisure’s Legacy will be of interest to scholars of Leisure Studies and all those wishing to learn more about the vital importance of leisure in modern Western society.

Exploring the motivations behind volunteering, this book contrasts traditional economic views with the serious leisure perspective, which emphasizes voluntary engagement as a fulfilling activity rather than mere unpaid labor. Through an extensive literature review, it addresses why individuals choose to volunteer despite the absence of financial incentives. By delving into this theoretical and empirical framework, the text provides valuable insights into the intrinsic rewards and motivations that drive people to participate in nonprofit work.