Tale of the Century: Memories of Life in the Twentieth Century

Citation

Freeman, M. (2001), "Tale of the Century: Memories of Life in the Twentieth Century", New Library World, Vol. 102 No. 1/2, pp. 68-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2001.102.1_2.68.6

An intriguing, well produced collection of “memories of residents” of the Housing Association in Staines, giving a taste of ordinary people’s lives in the twentieth century. There are crisp, clear accounts with well chosen illustrations covering such topics as “being gassed in the trenches in 1918”, remembrances of “knocker‐uppers (sic) and lamplighters”; the London Blitz, school days in the 1930s, and dance halls in the 1960s. An interesting and readable book for social history enthusiasts and useful for school libraries too.