Wartime Women: A Mass-Observation Anthology

These fascinating essays provide unique and unrivaled insight into women’s minds and experiences during World War Two. Set up in 1937, the Mass-Observation organization aimed to record everyday life in Britain during that difficult period. From its astonishingly rich archives comes an anthology that asks whether the war actually liberated women and provided the opportunity that many expected. The extracts include research reports, letters, diaries, and detailed questionnaires, and come from an enormous range of contributors, from a fish-and-chip shop employee in Birmingham to a 17-year-old schoolgirl.

 

“Irresistible reading.”—Sunday Times

 

“A list of treasures here presented could continue almost indefinitely...a wonderful book...”—Times Literary Supplement