I have recently been reading A. N. Wilson's THE VICTORIANS
(Hutchinson, 2002 ) and enjoyed it very much. It's now in paperback at
£9.99, which is good value for nearly 750 pages. Good index and
bibliography too. It seems to fit the specification in this letter,
viz., broad sweep, pleasure, etc. I've just bought Hattersley's THE
EDWARDIANS but haven't started it yet.
For a little known book which would be a suitable gift for anyone
interested in everyday life in the early 20th century, especially
motoring, I much enjoyed A BRIEF JOLLY CHANGE - The Diaries of Henry
Peerless, 1891-1920 (Edited by Edward Fenton) (See www.day-books.com)
(Day Books, 2003) Peerless gets near to being a Mr Pooter but these are
real diaries he kept of his annual holidays. Some of his trips in
England were taken in a motor-car. Country roads weren't crowded in
1910 but they were pretty awful. There seem to have been many horrors
in motoring then when there was little traffic but cars were extremely
unreliable and difficult to drive and there were few, if any, services
for stranded motorists.
Brian Read
On 14 Dec 2004, at 19:45, erniepoll wrote:
> Christmas torpor seems to have descended on local historians, so I am
> making a seasonal request for ideas for books for Christmas. To write,
> or attempt to write, a parish history requires, as I am finding, a
> considerable knowledge of national history, especially social history.
> I am familar with, and full of admiration for, Trevelyan's "English
> Social History", but it was written 60 years ago - knowledge and
> interpretations change. Are there more recent books which
> people recommend, cover the ground in broad sweep (perhaps jointly),
> are a pleasure to read, and bring their subjects to life and up to
> date. If I am very lucky I may get book tokens to the value of £40 and
> could add a bit!
>
> Ernie Pollard
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