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The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century Free FREE THE CLASSIC SLUM: SALFORD LIFE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE CENTURY PDF Robert Roberts | 288 pages | 07 Dec 1990 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780140136241 | English | London, United Kingdom The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century by Robert Roberts Today's Date: October 14, Pages: 1 2. Although essentially, the nature of slum life was quite dismal, especially by modern standards, it should be remembered that there also some less grim aspects, particularly after the First World War. It is certainly not a romanticized portrait of slum life in Edwardian England, but it does present a deeper understanding of the causes as well as outcomes of many of the problems which included extreme poverty, lack of employment, illiteracy, ill health, and other social maladies. The nature of life in a slum such as that of Salford was harsh and constantly changing. One usually was not sure whether or not there would be enough money left for food from day to day. The employment situation was grim and while some could find work that might last for an extended period, they could expect to be terminated and unable to find employment elsewhere at some point. Since the cost of living, which included mostly food, was so high, families often did not have many luxuries and many homes were almost bare since there was not money for anything except sustenance. They made do with boxes and slept in their clothes and in what other garments they could beg or filch. Of such people there were millions. It is striking to realize that there were literally millions of people in such a category and at one point, Roberts figures that 50 percent of the population in industrial cities were this class of destitute unskilled workers Aside from general employment and financial problems, the health of people living in Salford was terrible and before the Great War, there was the widespread practice of selling rotting The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century for cheaper prices and thinning out beer with water or worse, formaldehyde. For infants and children, life in slums was especially rough. The mortality rate for newborns was dismal and sometimes this would be an opportunity for relief as opposed to sorrow since parents often could not afford to feed yet another child. Furthermore, children were often not supervised and died in accidents or had deformed legs from rickets. These children were often poorly clothed and suffered from lice and other diseases as a result of poor hygiene and unsanitary living conditions. Some houses sparkled" In summary, while many of those in slums lived in abject poverty and squalor, one must not think that they did not care about how they were perceived. One particularly memorable example is his statement about class mobility in the slums. They were only too concerned to maintain position The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century their own stratum. Inside the working class as a whole there existed… a stratified form of society whose implications and consequences have hardly yet been fully explored" While this theory will be explored in following paragraphs, it is useful to think about at this point as we move forward to examine the underclass relationship to imperialism and the upper classes. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Search. Advanced search All these words. Date to. Author Exact author. Send to Friend Share. More Info. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. ResoluteReader: Robert Roberts - The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. A study which combines personal reminiscences with careful historical research, the myth of the 'good old days' is summarily dispensed with; Robert Roberts describes the period of his childhood, when the main affect of poverty in Edwardian Salford was degredation, and, despite great resources of human courage, few could escape such a prison. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published July 26th by Penguin first published September 30th More Details Original Title. Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Classic Slumplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Apr 25, Jan-Maat added it Shelves: 20th-centuryautobiography-memoirbritish-isles. The author's memoir of growing up around the time of WWI in a slum neighbourhood of Salford where his parents had a simple shop. Customers preferred to be served by his mother because she sliced meat so finely that it looked like more on the plate. Contains reflections on politics, culture, and the role of pawn shops. The principal theme is the story how the author became himself through the medium of The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century - he recalls, during WWI loosing the family sugar ration one week on account of the thre The author's memoir of growing up around the time of WWI in a slum neighbourhood of Salford where his parents had a simple shop. The principal theme is the story how the author became himself through the medium of reading - he recalls, during WWI loosing the family sugar ration one week on account of the three musketeersthough a kind woman helps him scoop up the mass of damp sugar off the street and into an improvised bag, however even once dry it remains resolutely grey - they still sell it though. Eventually the family breaks up, the mother can't stand the work while the father is obsessed and sees the shop as a gold mine. The flip side of this book is an insight into why the poor remain poor, ie it is a distinctly expensive way of life. Few people are prepared to provide goods and services because so much credit has to be extended to families who don't have ready cash, those who do take that risk are keen to squeeze every farthing out of their customers. Roberts' family were sole traders and do not even buy wholesale, but for the most part are buying and reselling plus their own profit margin to those with no access to other shops. Jan 08, Paul rated it it was amazing Shelves: history. The author Robert Roberts wrote this book, born in wrote this in the latter part of his life, and it is a recollection of his first 25 years in Salford. But like their neighbours, poverty was the wolf at the door that could strike them at any time it wished. During the Salford slum clearances of the s and 60s, he watched as his personal history was being removed from the face of the earth. Many of those who had left, especially the young held no regrets about its removal. Engels had referred to Salford as the classic slum with a mixture of the ship canal, mills and engineering surrounding them. Pre-First World War class divisions were of the greatest consequences, and many looked upon social and economic inequality as the law of nature. Roberts himself noted that in the latter part of the twentieth century a number of middle-class writers, historians and sociologists tended to sentimentalise the working class, often depicting them as cruder and caricaturing the whole class. Roberts paints a life for the slum dweller that was far more nuanced, and that before and after the Russian Revolution, had little to do with the Marxist speakers and agitators as the problems had little to with them, but more to do with the middle-class worries and interests. They had accepted a steady decline in living standards but wished for nothing more than to be respectful The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century respected. For them being working-class was more like being part of a caste structure where movement was frowned upon. What Roberts does in his book is shine a light into what were the dark areas of the city, a place many avoided unless necessary. While Great Britain had an Empire and many people made lots of money, that money had not reached into the slums. Roberts describes the life in detail in the early years of the twentieth century and the reader engages with him, with the urge to make sure that these slums are gone forever. This is one of the most important books on the history of the working-class and poverty in northern England at the beginning of The Classic Slum: Salford Life in the First Quarter of the Century twentieth century. Roberts born three years before my own Grandmother, and a couple miles apart, but had similar experiences of their earlier years in the slums. Some may prefer to talk about the more decadent part of society of this time, but you should never forget there is more than one story to tell. I can highly recommend this book. Sep 19, Peter rated it it was amazing. The Classic Slum by Robert Roberts is a unique and fascinating book. It is also a book that presents a story that needs to be read if for no other reason than to become puzzled by the Goodreads general summary.
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