Classified : The Secret History of the Personal Column
Language: English
Published by Penguin Random House, 2009
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United KingdomBetter World Books Ltd
AbeBooks seller since October 13, 2008
Condition: Used - Good
£ 4.85
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Seller Inventory # 40086781-20
- Title
- Classified : The Secret History of the Personal Column
- Author
- Cocks, H. G.
- Publisher
- Penguin Random House
- Publication year
- 2009
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1847945007
- ISBN 13
- 9781847945006
- Item weight
- 0.822 pounds
- Dimensions
- N/A
'Bohemian girl (London, S.W.) 24, in digs, interested most things, educated, lonely, desires man pal, London or abroad.'
On 1 September 1920 the Metropolitan police received a tip-off that a certain magazine, the Link, was running extremely dubious personal ads. An investigation and court case followed, and the editor of the Link, Alfred Barrett, found himself in the dock accused of promoting, among many other things, loose living, homosexuality, prostitution and white slavery. As he struggled to defend himself, the full weight of official disapproval and media outrage was brought to bear on him.
So begins Classified, a fascinating sideways look at the history of relationships - and attitudes to relationships - in twentieth-century Britain, explored through the medium of the personal ad. From First World War soldiers hoping for lady friends who would send them food packages, to lonely clerks and typists desperate for love in the cities of 1920s England, through to the swingers of the 1960s and 1970s and the internet junkies of today, it shows how the personal ad has mirrored and encouraged seismic shifts in society and popular attitudes to relationships. At the same time, it also unearths the stories of the heroes and villains of the personal ad - the former deb Heather Jenner who in 1939 set up a marriage bureau for Tatler-reading aristocrats, the shadowy Cyril Benbow whose cryptic 'Gentleman has books for sale' masked a burgeoning pornography empire, and the tragic figure of Irene Wilkins, strangled and bludgeoned to death in Bournemouth in 1921 by a man who scoured the personal ads in his search for victims. Together the tales of such individuals reveal the many-faceted nature of love and desire in the Britain of the past hundred years.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Better World Books Ltd
Dunfermline, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since October 13, 2008
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 11 to 28 business days | 11 to 28 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 5.00 | £ 5.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
Better World Books is the world’s leading socially conscious online bookseller and has sold over 100 million books. Each sale generates funds for global literacy. We offer low prices, fast shipping, and have a 100% money back guarantee.
Seller's business information
Better World Books LTD.
THIRD FLOOR, ONE LONDON SQUARE, CROSS LANES
GUILDFORD, United Kingdom GU1 1UN
Terms of sale
Better World Books (BWB) values your satisfaction and offers you returns within thirty (30) days after the estimated delivery date on most items. All returned items must be in the original condition; used items should include the SKU sticker located on the spine or back of the product.
If you have an incomplete, incorrect, or damaged shipment, please contact our Customer Care team via Abebooks contact seller options before proceeding with the return.Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs, DVDs, figurines, or access codes are not included.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please allow 1-2 business days for order fulfillment.