Public relations and the making of modern Britain

Scott Anthony is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge

• 1. After the Great War: The origin of public relations2. Beginnings: The Empire Marketing Board, 1926–333. 'The projection of England' and documentary cinema4. A triumph of public relations: The GPO, 1933–355. The limits of public relations: The BBC and The Ministry of Information6. Rebuilding the nation: The Festival of Britain and the formation of the Institute of Public Relations7. ConclusionNotesAppendix: 'The projection of England' by Sir Stephen TallentsBibliographyIndex

An engaging and thoroughly researched contribution to the debate about an often misunderstood industry'Alastair Campbell, Journalist and Broadcaster'You may not expect the story of a civil servant who went on to become the first President of the Institute for Public Relations to be either fascinating or revealing of a whole sweep of national history. Scott Anthony’s prismatic and lucidly written study of Sir Stephen Tallents and his career as a maverick and highly creative “public sector entrepreneur” is surely the book that will change your mind. Truly an excellent piece of work, which adds a new dimension to our understanding of the British twentieth century...'Professor Patrick Wright'This book restores Stephen Tallents to his rightful place as one of the most important of the strangely radical benevolent bureaucrats of the interwar years… A fascinating book, especially relevant as a reminder of possibility to an era whose public sphere has been devalued and eviscerated.'Owen Hatherley, Writer and Journalist‘Scott Anthony has illuminated a character and a movement in British media unknown to almost everyone – and rescued public relations from the easy scorn of journalists, by showing that it had its roots, at least in the UK, in a progressive agenda of informing people of what was being done in their name’John Lloyd, Director of Journalism Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism"Stephen Tallents was a pioneer in the field of public relations. Scott Anthony's account of his life and work is a significant contribution to our understanding of how the modern disciplines of PR and communications developed and the history of public relations in the UK. Students and practitioners alike will enjoy and benefit from reading about one of the leading figures in the evolution of our profession"Sally Sykes FCIPR - President Chartered Institute of Public Relations 2012‘Well-researched, readable and consistently absorbing’Professor Jeffrey Richards'Anthony’s study is an original and important contribution'Michael Saler, Twentieth Century British History, December 3, 2012This book is a very welcome addition to the scholarship of public relations history, especially for those researching its development in nations of the former British Empire.