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Ready, Steady, Go!: The Smashing Rise and Giddy Fall of Swinging London
by
Shawn Levy
It’s the summer of 1966... The fundamental old ways: chastity, rationality, harmony, sobriety, even democracy: blasted to nothing or crumbling under siege. The city glows. It echoes. It pulses. It bleeds pastel and fuzzy, spicy, paisley and soft. This is how it's always going to be: smashing clothes, brilliant music, easy sex, eternal youth, the eyes of everybody, eve...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
July 8th 2003
by Broadway
(first published 2002)
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Name: Anna Carlsson Hour: 5th
SSR: Book-A-Month
What month did you read this book for? February
Title: Ready, Steady, GO! The Smashing Rise and Giddy Fall of Swinging London
Author: Shawn Levy
Date started/date completed: January 11/February 13
Total Pages: 322
Rating of book (1-10): 7.5
Briefly summarize the book: Ready, Steady, GO! provides a riveting portrait of ‘60s era “Swinging” London. It chroni...more
SSR: Book-A-Month
What month did you read this book for? February
Title: Ready, Steady, GO! The Smashing Rise and Giddy Fall of Swinging London
Author: Shawn Levy
Date started/date completed: January 11/February 13
Total Pages: 322
Rating of book (1-10): 7.5
Briefly summarize the book: Ready, Steady, GO! provides a riveting portrait of ‘60s era “Swinging” London. It chroni...more
I love this book so much that I brought it with me to London so I could use the locations in it as a reference guide. It's a history of the trends that came out of London in the 60's.
Excellent book which follows key figures in fashion,hairstyling,modelling ,music,acting and photography to offer an interesting insight into a decade when Britain did indeed seem 'cool'.
It's mentioned by one reviewer on the back of the book that this may be the 'definative' book on the sixties and it's cultural stock and this may just be so..much of the book looks at the rise and social change in the early part of the decade with the latter smaller part looking at the LSD enthused latter y...more
It's mentioned by one reviewer on the back of the book that this may be the 'definative' book on the sixties and it's cultural stock and this may just be so..much of the book looks at the rise and social change in the early part of the decade with the latter smaller part looking at the LSD enthused latter y...more
Richard Mascall
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in modern history
Shelves:
general
This is an American's view of the story, with a particular focus on specific individuals, including Terence Stamp, David Bailey, and Marianne Faithful. It conveys the creative and liberating heights to which Swinging London rose, with perhaps the cross-fertilisation of different areas such as fashion, music, films, and the arts being such a strength. It also describes the darker side, and convincingly suggests why it was such a temporary phenomenon : London's weather.
I've long loved the music, art, and fashions from the early 60s. This book explores the stories of each of those who contributed to it.
It profiles the creators of the "looks", "fashion trends", "artwork trends", "music trends", "furniture design trends" - all the elements that collectively represent the Mod/Swinging 60s as we know it.
I loved it. It made me want to move back to London.
It profiles the creators of the "looks", "fashion trends", "artwork trends", "music trends", "furniture design trends" - all the elements that collectively represent the Mod/Swinging 60s as we know it.
I loved it. It made me want to move back to London.
A very breezy read through the London Swinging 60's years. A lot of the book is devoted to photographer icon David Bailey who is sort of the magnet or glue that holds the scene together for this particular book. The author Levy has an understanding and historical perspective of understanding a culture - he also did a nice book on Vegas hipster culture - The Rat Pack as well.
The author tells the story of Swinging London through the lives and bios of people who embodied the time (Mick Jagger, David Bailey, Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, and others). Fun read.
A great overview of the brief period in which all eyes were on London, as explored through the movers and shakers in the film, fashion, theater and music worlds.
You cannot be an Anglophile and NOT read this book. I promise, you will never walk London streets in the same way again.
I would have liked this book a lot better if I had stopped reading it about halfway through.
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