Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Jobs for the Girls

A brilliant and accessible new history of women’s lives in the workplace by the Sunday Times bestselling author of British Summer Time Begins. Using interviews with women from a variety of industries across the UK, Ysenda Maxtone Graham paints a vivid portrait of young women setting out into their working lives in Britain from the 1950s up to the first ping of emails in the early 1990s.

Jobs for the Girls is an important piece of social history which brings the British workplace in the second half of the twentieth century to life.

This event will include an audience Q&A. After the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by the author.

Part of The History Books: Step back in time for a series of fascinating conversations at the beautiful Layer Marney Tower. Boasting the UK’s tallest Tudor Gatehouse and stunning grounds, no wonder it was one of Henry VIII’s favourite Tudor Palaces. Visit The History Books page for more details.

Sunday 30 June, 12.00 Midday

Venue: Layer Marney Tower, Near Colchester, CO5 9US
Tickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower)
Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

Event ticket include free entry to Layer Marney Tower and Gardens.

Make a day of it! The History Books Ticket Deal: All three events for £36. Discount will be automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:
12.00pm – Ysenda Maxtone Graham
2.00pm – Estelle Paranque
4.00pm – Simon Heffer

Jobs for the Girls: How we set out to work in the typewriter age by Ysenda Maxtone Graham

Published 21 September 2023 (Little Brown Book Group)

Order a copy of Jobs for the Girls at bookshop.org

A brilliant and accessible new history of women’s lives in the workplace by the Sunday Times bestselling author of British Summer Time Begins.

Using interviews with women from a variety of industries across the UK, Ysenda Maxtone Graham paints a vivid portrait of young women setting out into their working lives in Britain from the 1950s up to the first ping of emails in the early 1990s.

Covering themes such as the joys of workplace gossip, the daily struggle of knowing how to spend lunch hours, office crushes and romances, the feeling of that first job and the terrifying job interview, Jobs for the Girls is an important piece of social history which brings the British workplace in the second half of the twentieth century to life.

About the Author

Ysenda Maxtone Graham was born in 1962 and educated at The King’s School, Canterburyand Girton College, Cambridge. She has written for many newspapers and magazines and is the author of six books: The Church Hesitant: A Portrait of the Church of England Today; The Real Mrs Miniver, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography of the Year Award; Mr Tibbits’s Catholic School; An Insomniac’s Guide to the Small Hours; Terms & Conditions: Life in Girls’ Boarding Schools, 1939-1979; British Summer Time Begins: The School SummerHolidays, 1930-1980, which was a Sunday Times bestseller. She lives in London with her husband and three sons.

Photo of Ysenda Maxtone Graham © Joseph Sevier