Rations: A Very Peculiar History

by David Arscott

When war broke out in 1939, few knew that they would soon be fighting to survive, let alone how or when it would end. " A Very Peculiar History" looks at the measures the British government took to ensure the wellbeing of its people during wartime, and how the British public dealt with it. With some stealing, some hoarding, but most just trying to get by, it was one of the bleakest periods in British history. But there's a reason they called it 'the Blitz spirit' - this title features amazing tales of camaraderie and good humour in the face of bombs and hunger. Featuring incredible food-and-energy-saving recipes used at the time, along with quotes from survivors, " A Very Peculiar History" will transport you back to a time when even Buckingham Palace and the Ritz hotel weren't above swapping a bit of venison for a bit of lobster. Spectacular full-colour endpapers feature ephemera of the topic and time, while a full glossary and index help to make the books both fun and informative.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

David John Arscott was a British author, local historian and publisher from Sussex.
Arscott wrote more than 40 books about Sussex, as well as several volumes of the Salariya Book Company's Very Peculiar History series and a number of works of fiction. His 1984 novel The Frozen City has been translated into Japanese. His first venture into political satire, Lady Thatcher's Wink, was published in 2016. As an author, his books are largely held in libraries worldwide.
Arscott worked as a journalist from 1959, first with the Investors Chronicle and the Evening Standard in London and then for the English language paper The Daily Journal in Caracas, Venezuela. Returning to England, he reported for the Dorset Evening Echo. After taking an English degree at Hertford College, Oxford, he joined BBC Radio Brighton as a news producer, switching to general programme production and presentation shortly before the station expanded to become BBC Radio Sussex.
His publishing company, Pomegranate Press, founded in 1992, offered a self-publishing service to other authors. It initially specialised in books with a Sussex theme but later expanded to include the Pomegranate Practicals nutshell guides, fiction and a range of non-fiction titles.
He was also involved in media training with Curtin and Co, working with colleagues in the UK and abroad to coach individuals and groups in improving their skills in front of the microphone and the camera.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for reading a bit here and there. Lots of good info in bite sized pieces.

[Kristine Sprunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book.
Would be good information for someone writing a book in the UK during WWII.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book about rationing during WW ll in the UK. As an American I learned some details about what life was really like for the individuals suffering through this period of time.

[Erkki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful little book looking into the rationing as it were in the UK during and sometime after the second world war. The text makes an easy reading and the slight inaccuracies every here and there do not really spoil the whole.

The whole issue is told in byte-size gobbets, so this makes a decent and entertaining travel reading for commuters.

[Dawnmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and interesting to read, I couldn’t put it down.

[Alch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, easy to read, informative account of rationing. I was particularly interested to learn the origin of the "Wot no' pictures/grafitti which we were still drawing at secondary school in the 1980s.