Harrison, B: Seeking a Role

Introduction ; 1. The United Kingdom in 1951 ; 2. The United Kingdom and the World ; 3. The Face of the Country ; 4. The Social Structure ; 5. Family and Welfare ; 6. Industry and Commerce ; 7. Intellect and Culture ; 8. Politics and Government ; 9. 'The Sixties' ; 10. Retrospect ; Chronology ; Bibliography ; Index

Brian Harrison is Emeritus Professor of Modern British History at the University of Oxford. He has published on many aspects of British history from the 1790s to the present. His books include Drink and the Victorians (1971, second edition 1994) and The Transformation of British politics 1860-1995 (1996). From 2000-2004 he edited the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

there is a hugely impressive breadth of reference and eye for detail on display here. Lawrence Black, Journal of Modern History, on Seeking a Role and Finding a Role? These two magisterial volumes... [Seeking a Role and Finding a Role?]... offer a consistently stimulating and formidably well-informed analysis of the condition of England since 1950, as it was shaped both by the wider world and its own internal development. Richard Whiting, History He provides a huge flow of information on almost all topics...all treated in fascinating detail. Kenneth O.Morgan, Literary Review Harrison has a special gift which historians prize. He can turn the grains of history into fascinating and convincing patterns. Peter Hennessy, Times Literary Supplement Full of surprising details and impressive insights. Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times Seeking a Role is not only vastly informative, but it is also a terrific read. Peter Weiler, Twentieth Century British History A wonderfully readable summation of this crucial and endlessly fascinating period of Britain's recent past...a masterly account Matthew Grant, Political Quarterly Magnificent if demanding history... all couched in an enviable prose style...the reader comes away from the text with a sense that he or she has learnt the history of a people, not just of its elite. Neal Blewett, Australian Book Review A sweeping assessment of British history... Comprehensive and thorough...the definitive starting point for any student or academic wishing to engage with this complex and fascinating period. LIMINA: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies, on Seeking a Role and Finding a Role? No short review can do justice to the richness and complexity of this book ... A major achievement of modern historical analysis D.L.LeMahieu, CHOICE