A very readable volume that covers the culture, politics, and arts of Britain in 1914 just before the start of WW I. Some themes analyzed include the Suffragette movement and its move to violence, the importance of ocean liners and the impact of shipping disasters, poets and painters, how the various social and economic groups in Britain spent their last summer of peace and how the British Government tried to avoid the war and why they did not. The last chapters cover the road to war and the first experiences of the men who fought.

A wonderful read that has an annotated bibliography that makes it easy for the reader to follow up on a personality of issue. ( )

This book recounts in a very readable form the Britain of the eve of the First World War in all its complexity. The author shows how the stereotype of a peaceful and sunny Edwardian summer rudely shattered by War at the height of a hot summer is only one perspective, that of a small proportion at the top of society. In reality Britain was a very divided country and full of conflict and violence. Ireland was about to erupt into civil war (when The Times announced on 27 July that "there can no longer be the slightest doubt that the country is now confronted with one of the greatest crises in the history of the British race" it was not at all referring to the Balkans). The suffragettes' campaign was reaching levels of violence and meeting with levels of counter violence arguably both greater than in any social protest movement of more recent years. Industrial relations were sharply confrontational and social divisions yawned widely. The War did temporarily put a halt to many of these crises with its all embracing nature affecting the whole of society. The author does a good job of showing the fundamental nature of this watershed in the middle of the year. He did spend a little too much time on painters and the Bloomsbury set for me and I largely skimmed those chapters. A large number of interesting photographs as well, most of which I don't recall seeing in other books. Very good. ( )