Max Arthur, bestselling author of the hugely popular Forgotten Voices series, recaptures the day-to-day lives of working people in the Edwardian era.

The Edwardian era is often eclipsed in the popular imagination by the Victorian age that preceded it and World War I that followed. In this wonderful work, Max Arthur redresses this imbalance, combining oral history and images from the rediscovered Edwardian Mitchell and Kenyon film footage to give voice to the forgotten figures who peopled the cities, factories and seasides of Britain.

This extraordinary period was fuelled by a relentless sense of progress and witnessed the invention of many of the technologies we now take for granted. The extremes of this upstairs-downstairs world prompted a huge upsurge in political activity, and the Edwardian age saw the rise of socialism and the emergence of the suffragette movement. These years are made all the more poignant by our knowledge that World War I was imminent and this time of optimistic development would be brutally cut short.

This exciting work draws together the experiences of people from all walks of life, capturing the first generation that were able to record their lives on film and imbuing them with an emotional immediacy.

About the Author

Max Arthur served with the RAF and he has written several best-selling oral history books about twentieth-century history in war and peacetime. He lectures on strategy and leadership and writes for the Independent. His previous books include 'Above All', 'Courage', 'Forgotten Voices of the Great War', 'Forgotten Voices of the Second World War', 'Symbol of Courage: A History of the Victoria Cross' and 'Lost Voices of the Royal Navy'.

Reviews

Praise for Max Arthur:

'An extraordinary and immensely moving book.' Stephen Fry

'The words are as fresh as if they were written yesterday...extraordinary.' Deborah Moggach

'What emerges from these hundreds of forgotten voices is not change but continuity - the essence of a national character which survived two world wars and survives today.' Daily Mail

'Another of Max Arthur's splendid oral histories, giving the undiluted voices literally of princes and paupers...this is a rich and informative read.' BBC History Magazine

'Fascinating and sometimes touching...Max Arthur vividly recreates the world of our great-grandparents...' Image Magazine

'Max Arthur is a researcher with a huge appetite for the almost forgotten..."Lost Voices" penetrates to the core of Edwardian Life - a marvellous evocation of a neglected era.' Oxford Times

Book Information
ISBN 9780007216147
Author Max Arthur
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint HarperPerennial
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 310g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 29mm