Never Had it So Good: A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Never Had it So Good: A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles Book

Dominic Sandbrook’s White Heat (subtitled A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties) is a mesmerising piece of reportage -- detailed, authoritative and written with the kind of vividness that brings the period to vibrant life, both for those who lived through it, and for those to whom it is as remote as ancient history. And weighing in at nearly a thousand pages, it is as comprehensive as one could wish, dealing with revolutions in the arts (the Beatles, of course, are central -- and iconic -- figures here), as well as the relentless bloodletting in Northern Ireland, and political scandals in Westminster (the John Profumo/Christine Keeler affair being the most significant). The book quotes on it jackets Harold Wilson's much-repeated comment ‘Britain that is going to be forged in the white heat of this revolution’ -- and Sandbrook, taking his title from this quote, makes the strongest possible case for this being a revolutionary period -- even if several of the revolutions involved (such as the hippie-inspired ‘Summer of Love’) actually came to nothing. The changes in society during this period were seismic: cultural and political (as mentioned above), but also technological. In the sports arena, Britain featured a resounding World Cup triumph in 1966). In many ways, as the author demonstrates, Britain became a significant player again in this era and featured once again on the world stage in a fashion it had not achieved in the 1950s. But the outward accoutrements of these revolutions in society nurtured some clandestine (and less palatable) undercurrents, and Sandbrook anatomises these with quite as much skill as he devotes to the more celebratory sections of the book. The range of references involved is quite stunning, and the period concentrated on (1964 to 1970) is not likely to receive such a comprehensive airing again. --Barry ForshawRead More

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  • Amazon

    A fresh, enlightening and comprehensive history of Britain in the early 1960s by a supremely talented young historian.

  • Foyles

    'Alternately delightful and enlightening...a treat to read' Observer'A rich treasure-chest of a book' Sunday TelegraphIn 1956 the Suez Crisis finally shattered the old myths of the British Empire and paved the way for the tumultuous changes of the decades to come. Dominic Sandbrook looks at the dramatic story of affluence and decline between 1956 and 1963. Arguing that historians have until now been besotted by the supposed cultural revolution of the Sixties, Sandbrook re-examines the myths of this controversial period and paints a more complicated picture of a society caught between conservatism and change. He explores the growth of a modern consumer society, the impact of immigration, the invention of modern pop music and the British retreat from empire. And he tells the story of the colourful characters of the period, like Harold Macmillan, Kingsley Amis and Paul McCartney, bringing to life the experience of the first post-imperial generation, from the Notting Hill riots to the first Beatles hits, from the Profumo scandal to the cult of James Bond. In this strikingly impressive book, he combines academic verve and insight with colourful, dramatic writing to produce a classic, ground-breaking work that has changed forever how we think about the Sixties.

  • Play

    In 1956 the Suez Crisis finally shattered the old myths of the British Empire and paved the way for the tumultuous changes of the decades to come. In NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD Dominic Sandbrook takes a fresh look at the dramatic story of affluence and decline between 1956 and 1963. Arguing that historians have until now been besotted by the supposed cultural revolution of the Sixties Sandbrook re-examines the myths of this controversial period and paints a more complicated picture of a society caught between conservatism and change. He explores the growth of a modern consumer society the impact of immigration the invention of modern pop music and the British retreat from empire. He tells the story of the colourful characters of the period like Harold Macmillan Kingsley Amis and Paul McCartney and brings to life the experience of the first post-imperial generation from the Notting Hill riots to the first Beatles hits from the Profumo scandal to the cult of James Bond. In this strikingly impressive debut he combines academic verve and insight with colourful dramatic writing to produce a classic ground-breaking work that will change forever how we think about the Sixties.

  • Blackwell

    Arguing that historians have been besotted by the cultural revolution of the Sixties, Dominic Sandbrook re-examines the myths of this controversial period and paints a more complicated picture of a society caught between conservatism and change.

  • BookDepository

    Never Had It So Good : Paperback : Little, Brown Book Group : 9780349115306 : 0349115303 : 04 May 2006 : A fresh, enlightening and comprehensive history of Britain in the early 1960s by a supremely talented young historian.

  • ASDA

    A fresh enlightening and comprehensive history of Britain in the early 1960s by a supremely talented young historian.

  • 0349115303
  • 9780349115306
  • Dominic Sandbrook
  • 4 May 2006
  • Abacus
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 928
  • New edition
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