The New Look: A Social History of the Forties and Fifties - Harry Hopkins, Readers Union edition, London, 1964

A quietly compelling social history that captures Britain in the long shadow of war and on the cusp of modern life.

The New Look traces the everyday textures of the 1940s and 50s - from austerity and rationing to shifting class structures, fashion, politics, television, and the slow unravelling of Empire. Rather than a dry chronology, Hopkins writes with sensitivity to mood and feeling, exploring how ordinary people felt history happening around them.

This 1964 Readers Union hardback edition is beautifully understated, with an illustrated paper cover and bound in brown cloth underneath, that feels entirely of its time. Inside, crisp typography and thoughtful chapter titles invite slow reading - the kind of book to dip into on a winter afternoon, or keep close on a bedside table.

There is something especially resonant about this book now: a reflection on periods of change, uncertainty, and quiet resilience, written with clarity and humanity.

Details

• Hardback, Readers Union edition
• Published by Secker & Warburg, London, 1964
• Originally published 1963
• Printed in Great Britain
• Illustrated cloth cover

Condition: Good vintage condition. General age-related wear to the cover, including light rubbing and softening at the corners. Pages are clean and well bound, with no loose leaves. A well-preserved, characterful copy.