England, 1840 to 1940

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 96, 24 April 1941, Page 5

England, 1840 to 1940

53 E/NGLISH SAGA," by Arthur Bryant, is an exhaustive and at times fascinating account of the last one hundred years of English history. It is a book with a purpose which is not only social but topical. "What," asks the author of his preface, "is going to happen after the war?" And he reminds his readers of a radio talk given by J. B. Priestley, in which Mr. Priestley said that even had he a magician’s power he would not bring back the England of the past in place of the grisly present, for by so doing he would forgo the fight to make a better future. Mr. Bryant insists that slums and under-nourished men and women, verminous children and despairing dole queues are as much the concern of the patriot as the battlefield and that a philosophy which sets profits and comforts above needs and security must be rejected. In order to stress these main points, Mr. Bryant has written a detailed account of the story of England between 1840 and 1940. His book is crowded with events and personalities, with descriptions of customs and costumes, conditions and comments. No one interested in the mansions and slams of England, the countryside and industrial towns, the class struggle and foreign wars, the politicians and workers’ representatives, the domestic scene and the public scene, can fail to be interested by the immense amount of detail which Mr. Bryant has managed to include.(Book Review by Winston Rhodes, 3YA Christchurch, March 18.)