Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 1901–1910 in Their Own Words

Having read and enjoyed several of the "Lost Voices" series, I was a little doubtful about purchasing this one: the title seemed to convey a hint of milking a successful theme a little too much. However, I was wrong. The standard format of the series - letting people from the time talk themselves about their lives and world - worked very well indeed in shedding light on Britain between the death of Queen Victoria and World War One. Specific key social issues of the time (such as universal suffrage) are given the attention they deserve. In addition, more general topics are covered. For example, the sheer physical grind of life for many people is something easily overlooked today, with all the readily-available labour-saving devices that are so easy to take for granted. And lawlessness and violence were maybe more commonplace than many would now think. Highly recommended as a readable and educational account of a pivotal period in British history.

Another fascinating read from Max Arthur. This book is a wonderful insight into the opening years of the 20th century. It is written using the accounts of the people who lived in the Edwardian era from children, miners, factory workers, sailors, farm workers to the landed gentry, and covers all aspects of what life was like from 1901-10. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about this period in history.

I loved this book and found it fascinating to read about the life and times of my grandparent's era. The diary excerpts were mostly short and were enlightening and entertaining in equal measure. I will be purchasing more from this series and highly recommend this one.

People lives were very very hard,People should never take, simple thing for granted

Would recommend to all lovers of social history of the period. I have read it in stages which is unusual for me but it is much longer than I thought & that makes it hard to read in one step. That said, some topics were fascinating whilst some I was less interested in.

Bought as a gift, my own edition being reread a second time. Almost oral history, in mostly brief glimpses of life in Edwardian times. Worth reading to realise how life in England changed during the twentieth century.

Revealing, in parts emotive. Not good bedtime reading, because images of hardship linger. Could have done with an index of interviewees to link their separate contibutions. A very readable book, good for serious research or for dipping into.

One of my desert island books. Absolutely absorbing and sparkling with honesty, immediacy and many revelations. Everyone needs to hear these voices.

Reading this book---simply a compilation of remarks from people who lived through the times---was like sitting and chatting with your oldest relatives at a family reunion. Aside from a brief Introduction by the author, each section contains nothing but personal rememberances. Some remarks are quite brief, others go into amazing detail about the circumstances of the day and their feelings and struggles at the time. I found the chapter on Childhood fascinating, and found myself shocking my own spoiled children with those tales. Daily Life, Work, Travels, and other chapters were enlightening as well. Most of the interviewees seem to have been from the lower end of the social and economic scale, with a few upper-class exceptions; this seems about right as a representation of that population as a whole. Overall, a wonderful read! So simple in design---just snippets from interviews, arranged in categories---yet the result is a clear and interesting snapshot of the times.

What a treasure trove of information, and what a blessing that we have this information from the people of that period. Gives a true sense of what it was like to be one of us, then.

Presents views and experiences of working class Brits. Organization is choppy: instead of having a section for each person interviewed, quotes from all the interviewees who said something about a particular topic, such as education, are listed under that topic. The reader doesn't get a feel for each person's life experience or personality, but only snapshots of how things were done, such as how much corporal punishment there was in schools.

Very interesting. Well-written.

A lot of British slang words and words that I am not familiar with but the stories are fairly interesting.