Peter Scott is Professor of International Business History at the University of Reading's Henley Business School. He has written extensively on the history of consumer durables' industries, household consumption, retailing, consumer marketing, and housing, during the first half of the twentieth century. His previous books include The Making of the Modern British Home: The Suburban Semi and Family Life between the Wars; Triumph of the South: A Regional Economic History of Britain During the Early Twentieth Century (awarded the 2007 Wadsworth Prize for the best book in British business history), and The Property Masters: A History of the British Commercial Property Sector.

The book is expertly researched, comprehensively sourced and written in a style that is engaging and accessible. The breadth and depth of topics covered enhance the importance of the book and make it essential reading in business and management studies (eg economics, marketing, retailing, supply/value chains) and history (eg business, cultural, urban and social history).

• 1: Introduction 2: The economic and social background to the consumer durables revolution 3: Furniture - Britain's first mass-marketed consumer durable 4: A home of one's own - marketing owner-occupation 5: America's route to a mass market in radio 6: Britain's inter-war radio industry 7: British radio marketing, distribution, and retailing 8: Bringing power to the people - marketing electric and gas labour-saving appliances 9: The hard sell - marketing vacuum cleaners in the United States 10: `Pushing' vacuum cleaners in interwar Britain 11: Failure to accelerate: Britain's stalled mass market for cars 12: Failure to connect: the slow diffusion of the telephone 13: Conclusions Bibliography Index

Peter Scott is Professor of International Business History at the University of Reading's Henley Business School. He has written extensively on the history of consumer durables' industries, household consumption, retailing, consumer marketing, and housing, during the first half of the twentieth century. His previous books include The Making of the Modern British Home: The Suburban Semi and Family Life between the Wars; Triumph of the South: A Regional Economic History of Britain During the Early Twentieth Century (awarded the 2007 Wadsworth Prize for the best book in British business history), and The Property Masters: A History of the British Commercial Property Sector.

The book is expertly researched, comprehensively sourced and written in a style that is engaging and accessible. The breadth and depth of topics covered enhance the importance of the book and make it essential reading in business and management studies (eg economics, marketing, retailing, supply/value chains) and history (eg business, cultural, urban and social history).

• 1: Introduction 2: The economic and social background to the consumer durables revolution 3: Furniture - Britain's first mass-marketed consumer durable 4: A home of one's own - marketing owner-occupation 5: America's route to a mass market in radio 6: Britain's inter-war radio industry 7: British radio marketing, distribution, and retailing 8: Bringing power to the people - marketing electric and gas labour-saving appliances 9: The hard sell - marketing vacuum cleaners in the United States 10: `Pushing' vacuum cleaners in interwar Britain 11: Failure to accelerate: Britain's stalled mass market for cars 12: Failure to connect: the slow diffusion of the telephone 13: Conclusions Bibliography Index

Peter Scott is Professor of International Business History at the University of Reading's Henley Business School. He has written extensively on the history of consumer durables' industries, household consumption, retailing, consumer marketing, and housing, during the first half of the twentieth century. His previous books include The Making of the Modern British Home: The Suburban Semi and Family Life between the Wars; Triumph of the South: A Regional Economic History of Britain During the Early Twentieth Century (awarded the 2007 Wadsworth Prize for the best book in British business history), and The Property Masters: A History of the British Commercial Property Sector.

The book is expertly researched, comprehensively sourced and written in a style that is engaging and accessible. The breadth and depth of topics covered enhance the importance of the book and make it essential reading in business and management studies (eg economics, marketing, retailing, supply/value chains) and history (eg business, cultural, urban and social history).

• 1: Introduction 2: The economic and social background to the consumer durables revolution 3: Furniture - Britain's first mass-marketed consumer durable 4: A home of one's own - marketing owner-occupation 5: America's route to a mass market in radio 6: Britain's inter-war radio industry 7: British radio marketing, distribution, and retailing 8: Bringing power to the people - marketing electric and gas labour-saving appliances 9: The hard sell - marketing vacuum cleaners in the United States 10: `Pushing' vacuum cleaners in interwar Britain 11: Failure to accelerate: Britain's stalled mass market for cars 12: Failure to connect: the slow diffusion of the telephone 13: Conclusions Bibliography Index