[2][3] The book was inspired by an article in the Boston Globe about the successful introduction of the four-day week in a Kyanize Paints factory in Everett, Massachusetts.

[4] In 1971, the book received attention in a New York Times article that tied it to a growing trend in companies to allow a four-day workweek.

"[4] In another article about the four-day workweek in 1976, The New York Times called 4 Days, 40 Hours "the definitive reference work in this field.

"[6] A 1975 review of the book's second edition in The Journal of Human Resources said that Poor "can only be described as radiantly positive about [the 4-day workweek's] potential for good, and utterly unconvinced by the negative criticism from trade union and other sources... She is definitely not impressed by the argument that 10-hour days are fatiguing, or that they represent a regression to 19th century standards."

While she does not give much attention to alternatives, "this focus does permit her to concentrate on presenting us with a spirited defense of a four-day, 40-hour schedule, and, as such, her book is to be recommended.