Spend, Spend, Spend!: A History of Shopping

In 1961, Viv Nicholson, a Yorkshire housewife, won £152,319 on the Pools. Asked what she would do with the money, her answer was simple: 'I'm going to spend, spend, spend!' The speed with which she got through the money - buying sports cars, furs and jewellery, and getting through five husbands - before spiralling downwards through alcoholism and bankruptcy, is often seen as a modern parable about the evils of consumerism. Yet what is it that makes us a nation of shoppers? How did the high street originate? What and where was the very first shop? What is the role of the supermarket and how has it affected the way we buy?

All these questions and more are answered in Jon Stobart's fascinating new book on the history of shopping, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Delving into the history of Britons as shoppers, Spend, Spend, Spend is a must-read for all self-confessed shopaholics.