In twentieth-century Britain, consumerism increasingly defined and redefined individual and social identities. New types of consumers emerged: the idealized working-class consumer, the African consumer and the teenager challenged the prominent position of the middle and upper-class female shopper. "This is an outstanding collection of essays ... that should be required reading for both academics and students, for the sheer consistency of its scholarship and ambition across no fewer than fifteen chapters ... [It] is a fascinating and thought-provoking collection that will undoubtedly be read widely for years to come. - The English Historical Review A historical approach to culture and consumerism is a necessary ingredient to understanding contemporary life in a modern Western society like Britain, and anthropologists interested in capitalism, consumption, and modern lifestyles can benefit greatly from this country-specific investigation of politics, gender, pleasure, and the more or less intentional construction of an enduring modern subjectivity. - Anthropology Review Database The best essays in this collection explore... and collectively illustrate the imaginative work that can still be undertaken in the study of consumer culture in modern Britain. - Journal of Modern History"