The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century

I was raised to be an anglophile, and revere all things British. I still do, but I'm wiser about it now. Mr Roberts, who worked as a reading instructor in British prisons, gives an honest and not unaffectionate account of a seriously-mismanaged society. It's also very much a personal memoir of the author's parents and the world he lived in. It is here that we learn how England became what it is today, and that both the welfare state and communism had legitimate roots. Salford was not a pleasant place to live back then: in many respects, it was terrifying. Be sure to read the two extra sections at the end. One is a sobering account of the life of a man who did the same job in the same machine shop for decades--yet it is a true celebration of work and life.

This book looks back to Edwardian English society. The author happens to have grown up during this time and gives a vivid account of the "Working Class" society in which he lived. A must read for someone who is interested in British history.