The Edwardians: Biography of the Edwardian Age [Import] [Paperback]

ROY HATTERSLEY (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: ABACUS; New Ed edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349116628
• ISBN-13: 978-0349116624
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 2 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A solid survey of Edwardian England from 1901 to the beginning of World War I, June 19, 2006

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Edwardians (Hardcover)

King Edward VII ruled Great Britain from the death of his

mother the venerable Queen Victoria. In the years of his brief

monarchy from 1901-1910 the British Isles became a modern, industrial nation.

The Edwardians are often portrayed as the gentle gentlemen and ladies who lived quiet lives of splendor and wealth prior to the

Great War of August,1914 that bled European dry of its young man-

hood.

Not so! The age was noted for rapid advances in:

technology-Hattersly tells us of the developments in flight,

automobiles and shipping

An age of revolution for women suffragetes and common persons demanding the vote. Public education was extended during this

period. England was 77% urban with a high rate of literary as

compared with the previous Victorian age.

The English novel flourished with such authors as Henry James,

D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad and E.M. Forster penning classics.

Poetry was in flower as witness the work of William Butler Yeats while the theatre of ideas was the realm of George Bernard Shaw.

English music was most noted in the works of the muse of the empire Sir Edward Elgar.

Politics in the House of Common saw such stars emerge as the

young Winston Churchill. Notable politicians included Prime

Minister Balfour and David Lloyd-George. The Labour Party grew

in power and influence during the age.

British expeditions resulted in Scott's failed try to reach the

South Pole and the exploits of South Pole explorer Sir Shackleton.

Professional sports became voguish as cricket, rugby football and the 1908 London Olympics were featured. Boxing and Horse

Racing were very popular with all levels of society showing a keen interest.

Journalism catered to the grew literacy rate and the British

Empire dealt with such issues as Irish Home Rule the Boer War and

the rulership of India and other distant lands.

Hattersly book does have errors. Middlemarch by George Eliot was written and published in the 1870s instead of the 1890s.

The book is written in a dry, somewhat academic style. A livelier and more reader friendly account of the same period may be found in A.N. Wilson's new book "After the Victorians."

This was a book worth reading if you approach it as someone

picking up a textbook.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging!, May 2, 2006

By 

Cherchezlafemme (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Edwardians (Hardcover)

I was excited to see a brand new book devoted to the Edwardian era since the interest in the era seems to have died out in the 1970s. Though wordy at times, Hattersley brings to life the glamour and the harsh reality that existed side by side in a time that has been swept away by the World Wars. Hattersley's book is an excellent, and at times more detailed introduction into the era known as Edwardian--though books published in the 1970s and before have the benefit of being authored by contemporaries of the time and/or contemporaries of that time were still living.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very STIFF upper lip!, June 6, 2009

By 

Kent L. Hedrick "romantically inclined" (LAS VEGAS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Edwardians (Hardcover)

This book was definitely not what I expected! I didn't realize that it was going to be so drily political. Having said that, after plodding through it, I have to admit it did explain a great deal of the whys & wherefores of the edwardian era. This is definitely NOT a light read!