- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Profile Books (24 May 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1861978367
- ISBN-13: 978-1861978363
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 317,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Queuing for Beginners
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Product Description
Review
Sunday Express - 'Perfect summer reading'bookbag.co.uk - 'One of those rare books written with academic rigour which has mass market appeal. As a snapshot of how life used to be and what it has become this book can't be beaten.' 'Queuing for Beginners is a splendidly entertaining book. Joe Moran take a simple but wonderfully imaginative idea, following an ordinary working day from breakfast to bedtime, and uncovers the twentieth-century history of the mundane rituals through which we structure our lives. Nothing escapes his gaze, from cereal packets to chain pubs, and the result is a deft, clever and endlessly fascinating example of social history at its best.'- Dominic Sandbrook 'A thoroughly novel and refreshing way of looking at our recent history. This is "mundane" as a good thing. It is a daybreak to bedtime story told further from "them", and nearer to "us". Almost every page has its "yes!...I'd forgotten" moment. I loved it enormously.'- Andrew Marr 'An original idea that's well-executed and of interest to anyone who's enjoyed a fry-up, stood by a water-cooler and slept under a duvet. By interrogating the history of everyday objects and routines, Moran reveals the contingent, often extraordinary, nature of daily life in Britain, and the material culture that dominates it in the early 21st century. I thoroughly enjoyed it.' - Richard Weight Juliet Gardiner - 'A wonderfully insightful probe into the habits and rituals that have made up daily life in Britain since the Second World War. Almost nothing escapes Joe Moran's penetrating gaze; an inspired anthropologist of the ordinary, and often very funny, he turns his readers into informed observers, and gives an enhanced understanding of what we do every day without a second thought and why we do it. You'll never eat a slice of toast, join a queue or send an e mail in the same way again.'Daily Telegraph - 'Fascinating stuff, and Moran delivers it in a relaxed and often hilarious style.'Sam West, Independent: "I've just read Queuing for Beginners by Joe Moran, an affectionate tribute to British life that's very funny and bang up to date with chapters on email etiquette and the seven-minute lunch break. It made me want to take the author to the pub, where I'd ask him why we drink beer in pints."
Juliet Gardiner
`A wonderfully insightful probe into the habits and rituals that
have made up daily life in Britain since the Second World War. Almost
nothing escapes Joe Moran's penetrating gaze; an inspired anthropologist of
the ordinary, and often very funny, he turns his readers into informed
observers, and gives an enhanced understanding of what we do every day
without a second thought and why we do it. You'll never eat a slice of
toast, join a queue or send an e mail in the same way again.'
have made up daily life in Britain since the Second World War. Almost
nothing escapes Joe Moran's penetrating gaze; an inspired anthropologist of
the ordinary, and often very funny, he turns his readers into informed
observers, and gives an enhanced understanding of what we do every day
without a second thought and why we do it. You'll never eat a slice of
toast, join a queue or send an e mail in the same way again.'
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An original book. Contents organised around people's typical days, but I find the chapters are great fun to dip into - and are the right length for that. They are in effect essays. I've learnt plenty of stuff from this book in terms of social history, sociology - but that makes it sound dry and academic, which it isn't. It's a whimsical, diverting, read.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I really enjoyed this book. It literally had me laughing out loud on the tube. It's insightful and well written. It's also an easy read and great for dipping in and out of.
I'm buying a copy for my dad as I know he'd like it. I'd say it's an ideal book for people interested in history, sociology or just British culture. It's also an easy read and not at all academic or dry.
I'm buying a copy for my dad as I know he'd like it. I'd say it's an ideal book for people interested in history, sociology or just British culture. It's also an easy read and not at all academic or dry.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This wonderful book should be compulsory reading for all UK citizens and those wishing to become one - or indeed those visiting and wondering why we are like we are.
Well written, well researched - a gem.
Rob Sawyer
Well written, well researched - a gem.
Rob Sawyer
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
it's all about being british
Curious social history , very readable ,things we take for granted explained . Did you know M & S made the first pre-pact sandwiches ? revolutionized our lunch breaks . Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. S. Sample
Rather lightweight
I read this after reading the Author's "On Roads" which takes a single mundane subject and, by subjecting it to intense scrutiny, makes it rather interesting. Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Wyper
jsd review
Queuing for Beginners
First thing - I will never look at Andrew Marr with quite the same degree of awe following his remarks on the front cover. Read more
First thing - I will never look at Andrew Marr with quite the same degree of awe following his remarks on the front cover. Read more
Published 20 months ago by jsdeans
revealing the perfectly obvious
how often do we stop to consider the mundane routines and rituals of everyday life??? that is the premise of this work, which takes us through a day in the life of the average... Read more
Published 23 months ago by tortoise girl
Answers questions you hadn't even thought of asking!
`Queuing for Beginners' deals with the minutiae of everyday life: from sending emails to the history of packaged sandwiches; from the impact of IKEA stores opening and bed buying... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by Sarah Durston
It's good, but not THAT good
The aim of this book is to record the everyday life of someone commuting to an office, simply recording some of their experiences and reflecting on how these have become part of... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by Andrew Walker
interesting
I saw this in a book shop and the title totally pulled me in so i bought it on Amazon; it makes it sound like queueing is a skill to be learned! Read more
Published on 6 April 2009 by Dr. A. DEWITT
Funny and interesting
It's a great book, very interesting, funny read. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and it's full of useless information, which is always great!
Published on 23 Feb 2009 by M. Mustafa-holzapfel
The everyday will never seem everyday again!
I love quirky books like this, that take simple and relatable ideas and open the reader's eyes to their history and complexity in an accessible and amusing way. Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2008 by Miss E. Potten
An eye for the extraordinary in the ordinary
Joe Moran's book is a masterpiece of brilliant observation. "Queuing for Beginners" is a history of everyday life in Britian since the 1940s and looks at the imperceptible changes... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2008 by Secret Spi
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