The 1948 Olympics were the first of the post-war era. Britain was still suffering the after effects of the war: rationing still in operation, bomb sites remained throughout London and other major cities. Yet London took on the Games and staged them very successfully. There was no election of London as the chosen venue - the IOC decided on London without any vote. This book tells how the Games were managed, and their economic, political and social significance, including first-hand recollections of many of the competitors and of the press correspondents.