Striking a Light: The Bryant and May Matchwomen and their Place in History

Dry.

I’ve just finished this and I read it literally in three days, pausing only briefly to sleep and whinge about cooking dinner. I already knew a fair bit about the match girls strike from childhood in the area but this book brings the women and their struggle to life. The story is well told and so easy to read, and there is a sense that it was a labour of love. As a history enthusiast who does a lot of research myself, I was equally fascinated by the accounts of how the story has been ignored or misrepresented through the years for a variety of political reasons. Oddly enough, finding this book coincided with some research for a novel I was doing anyway and has caused me to completely rethink the story. I really recommend this as an excellent piece of research and also a very good read.

An absolute must if you want much more than a sketchy history of the Bryant & May strike. Context is everything. Thoroughly researched & sourced, thoroughly readable. I purchased the Kindle edition then the paperback later on to help with some research of my own. In my opinion, the author's work has greatly influenced the way we see this significant event.

An illuminating depiction of the working class in London and events at that time. This is not just a history book but gives a clear picture of the people and the personalities involved with the famous match factory strike.

‘Striking a Light’ is an excellent, well written and well researched and thought provoking book on events that were pivotal in Trades Union history. It is of the best pieces of 19th century working class historical research.

This book puts to rest some of the myths about the match women's strike that has bedevilled orthodox history. It is the story of the self organisation of impoverished working class women who fought power and wealth - and won.