Eyewitness the 1900s (BBC Eyewitness) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Book Description

Series: BBC Eyewitness | Publication Date: April 5, 2004

Tim Pigott-Smith presents an audio snapshot of the history of the Twentieth Century. Released in ten volumes, Eyewitness provides a rare opportunity to hear the history of the 20th century described by those who were actually there. Tim Pigott-Smith weaves together fascinating reminiscences taken from the BBC archives ? many previously unbroadcast ? with an insightful commentary written by Joanna Bourke, Professor of History at Birkbeck College. The century began with British troops at war in South Africa, and majors, colonels and privates recall their part in the action. The death of Queen Victoria led to the streets of London being lined with funeral spectators, and the subsequent coronation of Edward VII in 1902 lent the nation a mood of ?lightheartedness, sparkle and glamour?. Meanwhile theatregoers and music hall audiences were being entertained by Henry Irving and Marie Lloyd. A multitude of vox pops offer insights into life in the 1900s ? the manners, fashion, discipline, religion, alcohol and sport. Voices of ordinary people are mixed with those whose names still resonate today: writer Compton Mackenzie, playwright Ben Travers, Marconi the radio pioneer, suffragette?s daughter Sylvia Pankhurst, and Violet Bonham-Carter.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks (April 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0563530901
• ISBN-13: 978-0563530909
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,241,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessary supplement to any written history, September 4, 2007

By 

J. Michael (Now Born) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eyewitness the 1900s (BBC Eyewitness) (Audio CD)

I've listened to several of these BBC Eyewitness series, and have found every single one to be utterly engrossing. After the narrator gives the background of the decade's major events, we hear the first-hand accounts of the people who witnessed or participated in them. This series covering the first decade of the century is my favorite, for a few reasons: First, the people who experienced life in the "aughts" are pretty much all dead and gone, unlike those from the WWII generation, so to hear these people who lived through the death of Queen Victoria and the Boer War is to hear the voice of a whole generation speaking from the grave. Secondly, theirs was probably the last generation whose voices were not unnaturally influenced by the homogenizing effects of mass radio and television. And in this series we have the pleasure to hear the wonderful diversity of the British tongue in its myriad charming and sometimes indecipherable accents and dialects. Third, it is absolutely fascinating to learn just how backward- economically and socially- Britain was a mere century ago. Especially when contrasted with egalitarian America, it is striking to hear how turn-of-the-20th century Britain was living under a class/caste system that hadn't changed much since the turn of the 19th century. This is a wonderful series of popular history that takes you back in time better than any history book. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to understand the average Briton's world of 100 years ago.