The social-research organization Mass-Observation was founded in 1937. In this book, the true extent and significance of Mass-Observation's unique role in the formation of postwar Britain's idea of itself through the examination of everyday life across the long twentieth century. An excellent guide to Mass-Observation and the period generally, this scholarly work also provides surprising insights into the role social research has played in the development of policy and mass democracy.
I'm a bit ambivalent about this book: I think it does what it does in its analysis of MO very well, but unfortunately it was not what I wanted from a study of MO in relation to my own current interests. Very much about the centre when I am more interested in the periphery.