A wonderfully written and entertaining book which places Britain under the microscope and asks who we are today and how we've changed as a nation. In 1841 there were 734 female midwives working in Britain, along with 9 artificial eye makers, 20 peg makers, 6 stamp makers and 1 bee dealer. Fast forward nearly two centuries and there are over 31,000 midwives working in the UK and not an eye maker in sight! For the past two centuries, through the Census and national surveys, the Office for National Statistics and its predecessors have charted the lives of the British: our jobs, home lives and strange cultural habits. With questions on occupation, housing, religion, travel and family, the Census findings have informed the economy, politics, and every other national matter. Its collected data forms the single most valuable ongoing historical resource of modern times. Now, for the first time ever, The Official History of Britain collects these findings into a wonderfully written and entertaining book by Boris Starling and assisted by the ONS' statistical advisor, David Bradbury. Delving deep into statistics surrounding our occupations, our working lives, relationships; our quirks, habits, weird interests and cultural beliefs, and, of course, the latest findings on the Covid-19 pandemic, The Official History of Britain places Britain under the microscope and asks who we are and how we've changed as a nation. Gold title * The first book of its kind that collects the findings of 200 years of the Census, dating back to its first in 1801.

* Fully supported and authorised by the Office for National Statistics which runs the UK-wide Census * Packed full of long-form essays on population changes, occupational developments and the quirks of the British public * Published in the run up to the Census in 2021 * Brilliantly written by Boris Starling with support and research by historian and the ONS' statistical advisor, David Bradbury Competition: Watching the English;How England Made the English;How to Be A Brit;An Utterly Impartial History of Britain;Very British Problems;The English;Factfulness;Schott's Original Miscellany. By Kate Fox;Harry Mount;George Mikes;John O'Farrell;Rob Temple;James Felton;Jeremy Paxman;Hans Rosling;Ben Schott.