David Kynaston is a professional historian and author. He has written a four-volume history of the City of London as well as a history of the Bank of England. His continuing history of post-war Britain, 'Tales of a New Jerusalem', has so far comprised Austerity Britain, Family Britain, Modernity Britain and On the Cusp. His most recent three books have been Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket (with Stephen Fay); Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem (with Francis Green); and Shots in the Dark: A Diary of Saturday Dreams and Strange Times.
As in the earlier volumes of this vivid history of postwar Britain, Kynaston’s primary aim is to document “a ceaseless pageant as, in all its daily variousness, it moves through time”. This he achieves with a breathtaking array of treasures: diaries, provincial newspapers, political speeches, films and novels are woven together to provide a kaleidoscope of contrasting perspectives, defying any attempt to create a neat story of progress or nationhood . . . This is a richly evocative, thought-provoking and, above all, compassionate study of those who lived through the much-mythologised 1960s. We can only hope that when historians write about our own times, they will extend the same generosity of spirit -- Selina Todd * TLS * Here is an intricate tapestry that conveys the essence of the time . . . A Northern Wind is not a superficial exercise in heritage history, an attempt to dress up the past . . . It analyses complexities, teases out nuances and gauges the currents of continuity and change, many of which still flow today -- Piers Brendon * Literary Review * PRAISE FOR 'Tales of a New Jerusalem' : Volumes full of treasure, serious history with a human face -- Hilary Mantel No other writer evokes Britain's past so well * New Statesman * Kynaston has created a living, breathing, talking, singing, dancing, grumbling and complaining portrait of the British . . . Groundbreaking * Literary Review * Few historians have the power to make you feel you actually inhabit the times they are writing about. Kynaston does -- Book of the Decade * Sunday Times * One of the most remarkable literary projects of this century -- Nick Hornby A living, breathing, talking, singing, dancing, grumbling and complaining portrait of the British . . . Groundbreaking * Literary Review *