The moral obligation to save time has been a sovereign force in American culture since colonial days. Time saving took on added importance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when businessmen sought to standardize the performance of the country's growing industrial sector. This movement toward greater efficiency extended into personal lives as well, as people sought to maximize their own working and leisure time. An instant success that went on to become the most powerful vehicle for the printed word in the world, Reader's Digest was only one expression of the time-saving vogue when it was introduced in 1922. Printed in a handy booklet form that made it suitable for slipping into a coat pocket or purse, Reader's Digest featured 31 articles, one for each day of the month, culled from leading magazines, "each article of enduring value and interest, in condensed...