Scan barcode
teumessians's review
This is taking foreeeeever because it's incredibly long but so far the scope and the detail feel very very worth the investment of time and effort
markk's review
5.0
This is a fantastic survey of a controversial decade in British history. A longtime historian and writer, Juliet Gardiner provides a readable and informative overview of the 1930s, using specific events to open up a broader examination that takes in the politics, society, and culture of the times. In doing so, she presents the traditional interpretation of a working-class population suffering through the Depression, while at the same time illustrating the gains being made by a growing middle-class consumer society. Combining both provides for a remarkably holistic view of the times, one that both entertains with anecdotes while informing with an impressive amount of detail. For anyone seeking to learn more about the 1930s in British history, this is an excellent place to begin.
lnatal's review
2.0
From BBC radio 4 Extra:
Juliet Gardiner begins her journey into the History of the Future with a look at the Oracle of Delphi, the place where the Ancient Greeks went to consult the Oracle and hear what the future held for them.
Juliet argues that a history of the future is really a history of anxiety, and begins her excavation of how the futurologists of their day foretold what was to come, and what these visions says about the pre-occupations of the time. How different were prophesies about the future at different points in history? What can ideas about the future tell us about the past?
People seek reassurance about the future, but that desire is rooted in their understanding of the present, with its specific predicaments, and it is these particularities that Juliet will be unearthing. Whose master plan does the future represent? Is it determined by God, or gods, or does man have the power to change what might seem predetermined?
This series of ten programmes will range from the Apocalyptic visions found in the New Testament Book of Revelation, to the enigmatic prophesies of Nostradamus in 16th century France to the science fiction dystopias of HG Wells and George Orwell. In 5th Century BC Greece, the god Apollo and his Oracle at Delphi was central to the idea of the future. In a fragmented society made up of warring City States with no over-arching authority people flocked to the Oracle to see what the future held. The Priestess through whom the god Apollo would speak would greet a questioner seated on a tripod in an underground chamber chewing bay leaves and surrounded by the intoxicating vapours which escaped through the fault line in the earth on which the Temple was built. Juliet speaks to classicists Nick Lowe and Hugh Bowden, and visits a tarot card reader on Brighton Pier.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd
A Juniper Production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mhx6v
Juliet Gardiner begins her journey into the History of the Future with a look at the Oracle of Delphi, the place where the Ancient Greeks went to consult the Oracle and hear what the future held for them.
Juliet argues that a history of the future is really a history of anxiety, and begins her excavation of how the futurologists of their day foretold what was to come, and what these visions says about the pre-occupations of the time. How different were prophesies about the future at different points in history? What can ideas about the future tell us about the past?
People seek reassurance about the future, but that desire is rooted in their understanding of the present, with its specific predicaments, and it is these particularities that Juliet will be unearthing. Whose master plan does the future represent? Is it determined by God, or gods, or does man have the power to change what might seem predetermined?
This series of ten programmes will range from the Apocalyptic visions found in the New Testament Book of Revelation, to the enigmatic prophesies of Nostradamus in 16th century France to the science fiction dystopias of HG Wells and George Orwell. In 5th Century BC Greece, the god Apollo and his Oracle at Delphi was central to the idea of the future. In a fragmented society made up of warring City States with no over-arching authority people flocked to the Oracle to see what the future held. The Priestess through whom the god Apollo would speak would greet a questioner seated on a tripod in an underground chamber chewing bay leaves and surrounded by the intoxicating vapours which escaped through the fault line in the earth on which the Temple was built. Juliet speaks to classicists Nick Lowe and Hugh Bowden, and visits a tarot card reader on Brighton Pier.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd
A Juniper Production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mhx6v
classicapricot's review
5.0
A very interesting deep dive into "The Thirties", with various aspects of society explored with the "cinematic sense of detail" (a quote from a Times quote on the back of the book which I believe sums up the book well) being absolutely incredible and a joy to read.
It took me a very long while to read but then again it is one of the longer books I have read.
I also enjoyed the epigraphs as it was a nice introduction to the chapters and introduced me to some interesting writers. For instance, I found "Night Mail" by WH Auden in one of the epigraphs and it is starting to become one of my more favourite poems of all time.
It took me a very long while to read but then again it is one of the longer books I have read.
I also enjoyed the epigraphs as it was a nice introduction to the chapters and introduced me to some interesting writers. For instance, I found "Night Mail" by WH Auden in one of the epigraphs and it is starting to become one of my more favourite poems of all time.
fuzzibehr_reads's review
1.0
The editing on this book has been so poor that I have struggled to pick it up again. I don't know if I will ever finish it. The information it provides is interesting, and there are many fascinating vignettes illustrating what life was like in this decade, but the lack of organization and flow in the book makes it very nearly unreadable.
More...