Deep Into the Sixties

'The most entertaining historian alive' SPECTATOR
'Addictively readable' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES

A definitive portrait of Britain in the heady throes of the Swinging Sixties, from legendary historian David Kynaston.

It’s the heart of the Sixties in Britain – the Beatles are enjoying unprecedented success in the charts, England wins the World Cup at Wembley and optimism and patriotism percolate through the streets. But this is not the full story of mid-Sixties Britain. Disaffection on the political left loomed in conjunction with increased support for peace movements. The catastrophic collapse of the spoil tip in Aberfan killed over 100 people.

This is a time of looking both backwards and forwards – sweeping reforms to secondary education, the burgeoning contemporary popular culture and the invention of the teenager underpin the advent of a new generation. And yet the everyday life for many, especially beyond the thriving metropoles, bore striking resemblance to decades earlier.

Covering the period from February 1965 to England's World Cup victory in July 1966, David Kynaston uses a plethora of contemporary sources, including diaries of ordinary people, to paint a rich and nuanced picture of a Britain on the brink of change. Deep Into the Sixties continues to revolutionise our conceptions of post-war Britain.