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the penguin decades
Read more about the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work in storytelling.
The 1950s was the decade of post-war glamour, Barbie dolls, Pop Art and the Cold War. Britain celebrated the coronation of Elizabeth II and welcomed the Angry Young Men. The teenager was invented, rayguns were the toy of the moment, and Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley changed the face of modern culture forever.
From Russia with Love
(1957) 9780141046723
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Cover artwork by Peter Blake
Peter Blake was born in Dartford, Kent, in 1932. During the late 1950s he became one of the leading figures in the British Pop Art movement, using elements of popular culture and collage in his work, which includes the album cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. He was knighted in 2002.
The 1960s was the decade of social revolution, anti-war protests, liberal reforms, civil rights and psychedelia. Skirts got shorter and hair got longer, London swung, the Berlin Wall went up, a man walked on the moon, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones reigned and England even won the world cup.
A Clockwork Orange
(1962) 9780141192369
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Cover artwork by Allen Jones
Born in 1937, Allen Jones is one of Britain's most distinguished artists from the pioneering Pop Movement. He exhibits regularly in Europe, the USA, China and Japan and his paintings, sculptures, prints and watercolours are in important collections worldwide. He lives and works in London and Oxfordshire.
The 1970s was a decade of anger and discontent. Britain endured power cuts and strikes. America pulled out of Vietnam and saw its President resign from office. Feminism and face lifts vied for women’s hearts (and minds). And for many, prog rock, punk and disco weren’t just music but ways of life.
Don’t Look Now
(1971) 9780141191133
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Cover artwork by Zandra Rhodes
Zandra Rhodes was born in Kent in 1940. She studied at the Royal College of Art, specializing in printed textile design. Her creative fabrics and punk clothes helped put London at the forefront of the 1970s fashion scene.
The 1980s was the decade when Thatcher reigned and money talked. It was a time of boom and bust, yuppies, New Romantics, riots, miners’ strikes, Live Aid and the Falklands, ending with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Communism and the triumph of shopping.
An Ice—Cream War
(1982) 9780141041988
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Cover artwork by John Squire
John Squire was born in Manchester in 1962. Originally a member of The Stone Roses and later a solo musician, he gave up his music career to concentrate on his painting. He has since been exhibited widely, and his works have featured on major album covers.
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