Come Home at Once

Oct 19, 2024 6:31 AM

Author:Guy Atkins

Come Home at Once

For more than a decade, Guy Atkins has collected postcards sent by the Edwardians. In this incredible treasury of 100 cards, he shares the very best from his collection. From the tantalising, to the hilarious, to the downright shocking, this compendium shines a light on an extraordinary phenomenon of communication.

At half the price of sending a letter, and with same-day delivery in urban areas, Britain became obsessed with the postcard between 1902 and 1914. By the outbreak of the First World War, the Post Office was delivering close to a billion cards a year. In fact, the speedy delivery meant Edwardian postcards were the text messages of their day!

Come Home at Once presents an intriguing piece of social history. In it, Guy explains just what made the postcard such an Edwardian sensation, what it really meant to tilt your stamp and how same-day delivery made Edwardian postcards completely different from the postcards we know today.

Reviews

Worth it simply for her anecdote about Gore Vidal

—— Nicky Haslam , Spectator

Inspirational

—— Herald Scotland

A joyous celebration of booze.

—— Tom Bruce-Gardyne , Herald

Cleo and her book make you feel happy drunk before you've even had a sip.

—— Keith Lemon

Drink hilariously and without hangover. Soak up this life-changing handbook of glee. It's magnificent.

—— Derren Brown

A thoroughly enjoyable ramble through a diverse selection of topics which range from dogs of war and dog fighting to presidential pets and choosing the right name... In turn serious, funny, sad and light-hearted; it's a perfect mixture which is just right for the bedside table

—— Karen Bush , Your Dog

Stourton is a genuinely warm and engaging writer who clearly loves his canine companion, despite his (relatively few) faults, and this little book is a tasty treat for dog owners and dog lovers

—— Bookgeeks.co.uk

Delightful… Juxtaposes the lives of two figures who most shaped [Volk’s] views of what a woman could and should be. Both women were opinionated, secretive, imposing, hot-tempered, charismatic and crazy about clothes… Ms. Volk is thoroughly likeable, warm and generous, with a well-tuned ear and a vivid sense of humour.’

—— Washington Post

Pure joy... A diptych portrayal of Patricia Volk's gorgeous and infuriating mother and the great fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, this is an irresistible tour de force that puts on display Volk's intelligence, wit and sparkling prose.

—— Louis Begley

Previous Article：The Imaginary World of Next Article：The Wit and Wisdom of the North

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.