Title Not like home : American visitors to Britain in the 1950s / Michael John Law

Published Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019

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Description 1 online resource Series McGill-Queen's transatlantic studies ; 1 McGill-Queen's transatlantic studies ; 1. Contents Front Matter -- Contents -- Tables and Figures -- Abbreviations -- Introduction: Americans and Britons -- Archetypes and Representations -- Demographics of American Visitors -- Selling Britain's Heritage and History -- Crossing the Atlantic -- Destinations and Travelling in Britain -- Accommodating American Visitors -- Ecountering the British -- USAF Families -- Encountering the British -- Trip Reporters -- Asymmetry and Ambiguity -- Appendices -- Appendix 1 -- Appendix 2 -- Appendix 3 -- Appendix 4 -- Appendix 5 -- Appendix 6 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index Summary "In the decade of economic expansion following the Second World War, many ordinary Americans travelled abroad for the first time. Those who visited Britain were surprised to find that the people they encountered were not the aristocrats or working-class ciphers they knew from Hollywood movies. Britons' views of Americans were likewise informed by films and by encounters with the American military during the war. Based on over thirty personal accounts of Americans travelling to Britain in the 1950s, Not Like Home examines how direct contact influenced the relationships between these two groups and their attitudes towards each other. Michael John Law explains that prejudice on both sides was replaced by the realities of direct encounters. Painting an evocative portrait of Britain in the 1950s as seen through the eyes of outsiders, Law depicts the characteristics and practices of these American visitors and compares them to their caricatures in British newspapers and magazines. Going to Britain was a transformative experience for most American visitors, providing a link to a shared history and culture. In turn, their arrival influenced British life by providing a reality check on Hollywood's portrayal of American life and through their demands for higher standards in Britain's hotels, restaurants and trains. Through an engaging narrative incorporating unpublished and obscure reports of American visits to Britain, Not Like Home describes the exciting and sometimes confounding mid-century encounters between two very different cultures."-- Provided by publisher Analysis 20th century Great Britain History International relations Public opinion Public opinion, American Public opinion, British Tourism Tourists Travelers United States Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 02, 2019) Subject Public opinion -- United States Public opinion -- Great Britain Travelers -- Great Britain -- 20th century Tourists -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century Tourism -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century HISTORY -- United States -- 20th Century. International relations Public opinion Public opinion, American Public opinion, British Tourism Tourists Travelers SUBJECT United States -- Relations -- Great Britain Great Britain -- Relations -- United States Great Britain -- Foreign public opinion, American -- History -- 20th century United States -- Foreign public opinion, British -- History -- 20th century Subject Great Britain United States Genre/Form Electronic books History Form Electronic book LC no. 2020416026 ISBN 9780773559561 0773559558 0773559566 9780773559554 0773558837 9780773558830 0773558845 9780773558847

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