This edition combines both volumes of "Austerity Britain" for the first time.

"This is a classic work; buy at least three copies – one for yourself and two to give to friends and family" – Guardian.

The first volume of the innovative series narrating the history of Britain from Victory in 1945 to Margaret Thatcher’s rise in 1979, like never before.

Throughout "Austerity Britain," there is an astonishing variety of voices – lively, immediate, and unsuspecting of the future. A housewife from Chingford endures the trials of racist policies; a retired teacher observes during a royal visit how well-fed the Queen appears; a meticulous public servant in Bristol is indifferent to the suffering of others. A series of working-class witnesses describes what life was like in post-war Britain, without regard for liberal sensitivities or the feelings of their "subordinates."

Many of these voices will stay in the reader’s mind and appear in the subsequent volumes, coexisting with well-known personalities such as John Arlott (here making his first radio broadcast, still dressed in police uniform), Glenda Jackson (taking her 11+ exam), and Doris Lessing, who had just arrived from Africa, impressed by the widespread poverty in post-war Britain.

David Kynaston weaves a refined narrative of how the victorious Labour government of 1945 shaped the political, economic, and social landscape for the next three decades. Deeply researched, often entertaining, and always especially engaging and readable, the first volume of David Kynaston’s ambitious history offers a completely new perspective on Britain during these six significant years.