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1939: THE WORLD WE LEFT BEHIND how newspapers shaped public opinion before the outbreak of war
‘Authentic, absorbing . . . and worth any number of conventional histories.’ The Times
In the early months of 1939, nobody knew war was coming.
In this unique account, Robert Kee presents a world in which World War Two is not yet a certainty.
Using newspapers and radio broadcasts of the day, Kee shows a world where Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement was accepted as the best solution to stop Hitler. Winston Churchill was just a backbench MP.
In the press, the biggest issue was the outrage that Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Political rumblings, which would later have global consequences, went relatively unnoticed.
Kee’s book is a compelling look at history without the benefit of hindsight. An extraordinary view of the calm before the storm.
________________________________________________
PRAISE FOR 1939: The World We Left Behind:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absorbing book, full of facts.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Well written, informative and enjoyable.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fascinating insight . . . this book brings the year much more to light — more human.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The clearest and most detailed account of the complexities of the fateful year of 1939 yet written.’
In the early months of 1939, nobody knew war was coming.
In this unique account, Robert Kee presents a world in which World War Two is not yet a certainty.
Using newspapers and radio broadcasts of the day, Kee shows a world where Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement was accepted as the best solution to stop Hitler. Winston Churchill was just a backbench MP.
In the press, the biggest issue was the outrage that Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Political rumblings, which would later have global consequences, went relatively unnoticed.
Kee’s book is a compelling look at history without the benefit of hindsight. An extraordinary view of the calm before the storm.
________________________________________________
PRAISE FOR 1939: The World We Left Behind:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absorbing book, full of facts.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Well written, informative and enjoyable.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fascinating insight . . . this book brings the year much more to light — more human.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The clearest and most detailed account of the complexities of the fateful year of 1939 yet written.’
498 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2024
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About the author
Robert Kee
58 books12 followersRobert Kee, CBE was a broadcaster, journalist and writer, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a pupil, then a friend, of the historian A.J.P. Taylor.
During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force as a bomber pilot. His Hampden was shot down by flak one night while on a mine-laying operation off the coast of German-occupied Holland. He was imprisoned and spent three years in a German POW camp. This gave him material for his first book A Crowd Is Not Company. It was first published as a novel in 1947 but was later revealed to be an autobiography. It recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war and his various escapes from the Nazi camp. The Times describes it as "arguably the best POW book ever written."
His career in journalism began immediately after the Second World War. He worked for the Picture Post, then later became a special correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Observer. He was also literary editor of The Spectator.
In 1958 he moved to television. He appeared for many years on both the BBC and ITV as reporter, interviewer and presenter. He presented many current affairs programmes including Panorama, ITN's First Report and Channel 4's Seven Days. He was awarded the BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award in 1976.
Kee wrote and presented the documentary series Ireland – A Television History in 1980. The work was widely shown in the United Kingdom and the United States and received great critical acclaim, winning the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. Following its transmission on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, Kee won a Jacob's Award for his script and presentation.
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