The Edwardians

Although people see the Edwardian era as a golden age of peace, prosperity and tranquillity, it was also one of hope and of new ideas - Einstein's Theory of Relativity was conceived in 1903 - of inventions such as the radio and the aeroplance, and a ferment of activity in politics, social controversy and the arts. J B Priestley examines the personality of the engaging monarch after whom the era is named, analyses the legacy of the Victorian age and the contrast between High Society and what were called the Lower Orders. Part two covers the years 1906-1910 ranging from politics and the arts to the delights of the music hall. In the final part the author brilliantly evokes the closing years of a society that was drifting into dissolution.