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The Edwardians,
This richly illustrated book, a companion volume to Mr. Priestley's widely read study of the regency period.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
J.B. Priestley
469 books293 followersJohn Boynton Priestley was an English writer. He was the son of a schoolmaster, and after schooling he worked for a time in the local wool trade. Following the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Priestley joined the British Army, and was sent to France - in 1915 taking part in the Battle of Loos. After being wounded in 1917 Priestley returned to England for six months; then, after going back to the Western Front he suffered the consequences of a German gas attack, and, treated at Rouen, he was declared unfit for active service and was transferred to the Entertainers Section of the British Army.
When Priestley left the army he studied at Cambridge University, where he completed a degree in Modern History and Political Science. Subsequently he found work as theatre reviewer with the Daily News, and also contributed to the Spectator, the Challenge and Nineteenth Century. His earliest books included The English Comic Characters (1925), The English Novel (1927), and English Humour (1928). His breakthrough came with the immensely popular novel The Good Companions, published in 1929, and Angel Pavement followed in 1930. He emerged, too, as a successful dramatist with such plays as Dangerous Corner (1932), Time and the Conways (1937), When We Are Married (1938) and An Inspector Calls (1947).
The publication of English Journey in 1934 emphasised Priestley's concern for social problems and the welfare of ordinary people.
During the Second World War Priestley became a popular and influential broadcaster with his famous Postscripts that followed the nine o'clock news BBC Radio on Sunday evenings. Starting on 5th June 1940, Priestley built up such a following that after a few months it was estimated that around 40 per cent of the adult population in Britain was listening to the programme.
Some members of the Conservative Party, including Winston Churchill, expressed concern that Priestley might be expressing left-wing views on the programme, and, to his dismay, Priestley was dropped after his talk on 20th October 1940.
After the war Priestley continued his writing, and his work invariably provoked thought, and his views were always expressed in his blunt Yorkshire style.
His prolific output continued right up to his final years, and to the end he remained the great literary all-rounder. His favourite among his books was for many years the novel Bright Day, though he later said he had come to prefer The Image Men.
It should not be overlooked that Priestley was an outstanding essayist, and many of his short pieces best capture his passions and his great talent and his mastery of the English language. He set a fine example for any would-be author.
When Priestley left the army he studied at Cambridge University, where he completed a degree in Modern History and Political Science. Subsequently he found work as theatre reviewer with the Daily News, and also contributed to the Spectator, the Challenge and Nineteenth Century. His earliest books included The English Comic Characters (1925), The English Novel (1927), and English Humour (1928). His breakthrough came with the immensely popular novel The Good Companions, published in 1929, and Angel Pavement followed in 1930. He emerged, too, as a successful dramatist with such plays as Dangerous Corner (1932), Time and the Conways (1937), When We Are Married (1938) and An Inspector Calls (1947).
The publication of English Journey in 1934 emphasised Priestley's concern for social problems and the welfare of ordinary people.
During the Second World War Priestley became a popular and influential broadcaster with his famous Postscripts that followed the nine o'clock news BBC Radio on Sunday evenings. Starting on 5th June 1940, Priestley built up such a following that after a few months it was estimated that around 40 per cent of the adult population in Britain was listening to the programme.
Some members of the Conservative Party, including Winston Churchill, expressed concern that Priestley might be expressing left-wing views on the programme, and, to his dismay, Priestley was dropped after his talk on 20th October 1940.
After the war Priestley continued his writing, and his work invariably provoked thought, and his views were always expressed in his blunt Yorkshire style.
His prolific output continued right up to his final years, and to the end he remained the great literary all-rounder. His favourite among his books was for many years the novel Bright Day, though he later said he had come to prefer The Image Men.
It should not be overlooked that Priestley was an outstanding essayist, and many of his short pieces best capture his passions and his great talent and his mastery of the English language. He set a fine example for any would-be author.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 24, 2018
This book is "illustrations with companion text," mostly, but unlike many books of its type it doesn't pretend to be unbiased - J.B. Priestly, who grew up in the Edwardian era, has strong opinions and definitely shares them. He rejects the Downton Abbey-style view of the Edwardian era as tea parties and sunshine, although at the same time he doesn't do a great job of viewing the era from the point of view of people less privileged than his own middle class (although he acknowledges this at numerous points; really it's most frustrating when he's covering the suffrage movement, which he treats as a political movement with no apparent understanding of the life-and-death issues that many suffragettes perceived in their lack of rights as women). An interesting read.
March 18, 2009
I confess I got this for the pictures. The text is very smoothly written as you'd expect from Priestley, but there are much better Edwardian histories out there. The photographs, paintings and posters that illustrate it are excellent, however, and by themselves made it worth borrowing from the library.
May 3, 2010
J.B. Priestley, who wrote one of my favorite books An Inspector Calls, takes on a period piece from a time in which he lived.....the age of Edward VII and the time leading up to WWI. The book covers every aspect of life during that transition from Victorian to Edwardian and how it affected the lives of the citizens of the Empire that was Britain. He writes about such disparate events as the Dr.Crippen murder case, the Sydney Street Massacre, Home Rule, Prime Ministers, and the high life of the reigning monarch. This is an interesting book which provides the reader with a window into "the perfect summer" that preceded the Great War, although Priestley would not agree that it was "perfect". There is a plethora of pictures, many of which I had not seen before. This is no actually a history book, but more a commentary on an age that changed the complexion of how Britain was perceived by the world.
August 29, 2019
Nice introduction to the Edwardian age, especially for non-UK people.
January 28, 2021
Picked this up for research and found it a surprisingly enjoyable read, written by a socialist!
April 4, 2025
Interesting to read about that time in the U.K. even though it was Priestley's take on events to a large degree.
June 6, 2018
By no means a definitive history of the Edwardian era, this is part coffee table book, social history and personal memoir. The photos and illustrations are excellent and the topics many. Bought at a used book sale in Elora, Ontario, this was originally given as a gift from a woman to her husband back in 1972, since there was an inscription on the front page. Hope he enjoyed it, it made reading this more meaningful. I'll take good care of it. :)
June 7, 2021
This book sets the standard on the subject matter...that last golden summer in England before World War I. It's knowledgable, evocative, hauntingly poetic. High on my list for this era.
I've read this book about five times, in total, and just recently in 2021, I re-read some more Priestley including this book. He writes in an old-fashioned outlook and style, and it's sorely missed--now that you can pick up a new book and wonder if the publisher even hires editors anymore with every other page full of grammatical errors and typos.
This is still a lovely book, set just before the carnage of World War I.
I've read this book about five times, in total, and just recently in 2021, I re-read some more Priestley including this book. He writes in an old-fashioned outlook and style, and it's sorely missed--now that you can pick up a new book and wonder if the publisher even hires editors anymore with every other page full of grammatical errors and typos.
This is still a lovely book, set just before the carnage of World War I.
September 22, 2011
A good short overview of the period, from a presonal perspective, so you may not agree with JBP's observations, but then he doesn't insist you should. Well illustrated.
February 23, 2013
An enjoyable account of various aspects of the Edwardian period, the personal anecdotes bringing the times more alive than a dry account would. The illustrations are excellent too.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews