In April, 91Èȱ¬ Audiobooks launches Eyewitness, a landmark series in which the events of the 20th century are described by those who saw them happen.
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A wealth of 91Èȱ¬ archive recordings - some never previously broadcast - is interwoven with Joanna Bourke's illuminating commentary. Published in ten volumes, Eyewitness examines the role and the life of the British people in each decade of the century.
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The first CD, covering the period 1900-1909, focuses on how the century began - with British troops at war in South Africa, and soldiers of all ranks graphically recalling their part in the action. At home the death of Queen Victoria came at a time of uncertainty and imperial disillusionment and caused a genuine outpouring of grief. Edward VII restored a sense of optimism and gaiety to the nation and for some life was lived on a lavish scale. But there was poverty as well as affluence and the decade ended on a note of violence with greater suffragette militancy and political upheaval.
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Compelling first-hand accounts offer insights into all aspects of the decade - manners and fashion, discipline and religion, alcohol, work and sport, the contrasts between urband and rural life. Voices of ordinary people mix with those whose names still resonate today: Lord Baden-Powell, Ben Travers, Marconi, Sylvia Pankhurst, Violet Bonham-Carter and H.H. Asquith. Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past, speaking to the present.
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The series is presented by Tim Pigott-Smith.
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