Picturing England between the Wars: Word and Image 1918-1940

A richly illustrated study of the interplay of word and image in representations of the English countryside, built environment, and domestic space during the interwar period.

During the 1920s and 30s, words and pictures in print were the main way in which people received ideas and entertainment, the two working together in a great variety of forms. Many books of the twenties argued against the loss of the countryside because of suburban building. But the demand for post-war building was great and, following the lead of a government report, many books appeared that showed house designs, allowing readers to design or imagine their ownership. Book designs became attractive, helped by colourful dust jackets and internal pictures. Magazines developed individual talents and special interests for both men and women. And, at the periods close, word and image were combined to publicise the growing RAF and give advice about protecting houses from bombing. In all these, words and images worked together as a complex form of art, communication, and entertainment.

Stuart Sillars, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Bergen

Stuart Sillars read English and Music at the University of Exeter and after working in a series of further and higher education, including the Open University and the faculty of English at Cambridge, he was appointed Professor of English at Bergen where he teaches across a range of topics and levels. His MA degree was concerned with music and poetry and this developed his interest in relations between the arts. His most recent volume reflects an earlier and continuing interest in the social, intellectual, and cultural forms of the years between the two world wars.