The Deluge - 2nd Edition by Arthur Marwick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Almost continuously in print for 40 years, this classic title describes life on the home front, analyzing the social changes that made Britain of the 1920s a vastly different place from the Britain that went to war in 1914. This reissued second edition features a new Preface by leading historian Joanna Bourke.

From the Back Cover

Almost continuously in print for 40 years, The Deluge is widely recognised as one of the classics of post-1960 British historical writing, and as the book which initiated the systematic study of the social consequences of modern war. Arthur Marwick describes life on the home front during the first total war in history, analysing the social changes that made Britain of the 1920s a vastly different place from the Britain that went to war in 1914. Comprehensive, precisely documented, full of colourful detail and apt quotations, The Deluge portrays a society in transition at every level.

This reissued second edition features a new contextualising Preface by leading historian Joanna Bourke. Bourke considers how Marwick's work engaged with contemporary debates and examines why it was so significant - and even controversial - when it was first published. Authoritative and insightful, the Preface helps to reinforce and explain the continued importance of Marwick's work and its relevance to students of History today.

Review Quotes

Praise for the 1965 edition:
"Marwick has ingeniously discovered a new approach: away from strategy and battles to the home front. He draws efficiently on the abundant sources, from memoirs to official papers, and brings them together in a clear narrative."--A.J.P. Taylor, Observer
"He writes well, without over-writing; the result is a piece of social history, well conceived and well executed, which deserves the rank as a permanent addition to the historical literature of the First World War."--Max Beloff, The Listener


Praise for the 1965 edition:
"Marwick has ingeniously discovered a new approach: away from strategy and battles to the home front. He draws efficiently on the abundant sources, from memoirs to official papers, and brings them together in a clear narrative."--A.J.P. Taylor, "Observer"
"He writes well, without over-writing; the result is a piece of social history, well conceived and well executed, which deserves the rank as a permanent addition to the historical literature of the First World War."--Max Beloff, "The Listener"

About the Author

ARTHUR MARWICK is Emeritus Professor of History at The Open University, UK. His many publications include War and Social Change in the Twentieth Century (1974), British Society Since 1945 (expanded edition 1990) and The New Nature of History (2001, also published by Palgrave Macmillan).