Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge

If you like the show, I think you will like this book. This book is a history of Harry Selfridge and his eponymous department store, but it is also a history of shopping, fashion, Britain, the rise of the middle class, and the dramatic economic and political changes that occurred in Britain during the first third of the twentieth century. I absolutely loved it. There are some huge differences between the book and the show, so definitely do not go into the book with expectations of reading about some of the characters in the show. Rose Selfridge (Harry's wife) actually plays a very small role in the book, as compared to her big role in the show. Similarly, some of the other characters in the show are really amalgamations of many people. However, the overall themes of the show absolutely ring true. Selfridge really was an unfailingly positive man with an eye for detail and huge dreams, though he suffered from a crippling gambling addiction and was a compulsive philanderer. And Selfridge did revolutionize shopping. The book is very fast and enthralling read, combining information about macro global changes (like the changing role of women in society, the decline of the British aristocracy, World War I, etc) with details about Selfridge's personal and professional lives. I thought the author was also unbiased. She presented Selfridge as a man with incredible business sense who at the same time could not manage his own personal finances and had a weakness for gold-digging women. It's one of the best non-fiction books I have read in awhile, and I highly, highly recommend it.

Selfridge lead an interesting life and this book tells you about most of it. It doesn't go into great details about his personal life but it does share enough info that you can fill in the blanks. Overall I found this book very interesting and would recommend it to anyone interested in retail history.

I really didn't think that I would like the book after watching the series. I was wrong. The book is a wonderful read and a compelling story of a very unusual man. Selfridge changed so much about the shopping "experience"; many of the things we take for granted today were innovations in his time. The story about how the perfume counter was moved to the front of the store is a great example. Selfridge had it moved close to the door to counter the street smells - remember, horses were still pulling carriages and the streets were a mess of mud and manure. Enter any department store now, and, the perfume is still the first thing you run into. Hopefully I won't be spoiling the book for anyone if I make reference to the end of Selfridges life by saying how very sad. Seems like the company used him up and booted him out. All in all, I recommend this if you are interested in those little pieces of history that you never hear about in school but still make a big difference in our lives today.

Harry Gordon Selfridge was truly a "Larger then Life" character. As fanciful as the video series may have seemed, his real life was even more extreme and interesting. Although he was an expansive personality, addicted to wine, women, and gambling, he also was a very kind man who truly cared about his employees. The video, as entertaining as it was, does not do full justice to how he revolutionized retailing in London over a 30 yar period. Lindy Woodhead has done a masterful job of research of the many innovations he created for the store (e.g. an ice skating rink on the roof, a shooting gallery, a rooftop garden, medical and dental care for the staff, etc.). The video series ran for 4 seasons, but after reading the book, there is enough material that the show could have gone on for 10 seasons. What's also interesting about the book is that it not only covers his life but also the societal changes that were occurring over that thirty year period. You come away with an impression that fashion is inextricably linked to the culture of a particular time. Selfridge was a genius at appreciating that.

Very well written, sticks to the facts and is as much about social history, fashion and politics as it is about retail. It dealt very thoroughly with the American connections of Selfridge, right through to his rather sad final years. Anyone who is familiar with the store on Oxford Street would get a lot from this book. (The book is much superior to the recent BBC series, soon to be shown on PBS). My only small negative is that the paperback version is a little flimsy so dont expect it to last long.

Interesting - especially for readers from Chicago and familiar with Marshal Fields & Company. I thought it had too much detail. I didn't really need to know tha entire guest list for numerous parties. It was interesting to learn the story of Harry Selfridge, a self-made millionaire, but I could have used less of the intricate details of every transation.

My experience has been that the movies/series based on a book is never as good as the book. Thus, while I love "Mr.Selfridge". I was wary about reading the book since the series is SO fabulous that I thought the book couldn't hold a candle to it. However, I was delightfully surprised - in truth, once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The book is not only excellently researched but it is eminently readable....almost akin to a historical novel but much more in keeping with the facts.

This book is a truly fascinating read! I never knew what went on in creating the first real department store. I was brought up in the Boston area and shopped in Boston's old department stores namely Jordan Marsh and the ever-famous Filene's Basement. This book is reminiscent of Filene's Basement, where you could get the best bargains in town! My mother remembers Gilchrist's, Raymond's, for hats, and the Marble Spa where fashionable ladies sat and ate delicate sandwiches, sipped tea or coffee, and smoked. It was an era that will be forever engrained in my mind. This book brings it all back, and tells the story of how these famous department stores came about. It is an excellent read - and the television series is the best since the original Upstairs Downstairs series. If you like fashion, shopping, and history of the Edwardian period, this book is for you. It is an easy, fascinating read. I highly recommend it.

Thanks. Wife loved it.

The TV show led me to this book. And it did not disappoint.

An excellent and informative history, a memorable and touching look into the early part of the 20 th century .

Harry Gordon Selfridge is responsible for how the world shops and for the holidays he generated that still are celebrated today.. Fascinating story of his journey and whims that made him a true King of Industry...Although his later life was taken from him literally... and he was left penniless... he is a person I am thrilled to have a peek into... and to learn so many of the customs and ideas that launched the shopping industry into a real pastime..To see his series on Netflix , twice in fact..changed me into realizing that there is a science and a psycology to what we long for...Im sad about his demise.. but seeing his life story on Netflix made me cry on the last episode.... He was a true contributor to our world and lifestyles. Yes get this book .. its a great keepsake.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only because it made us realise what a huge impact Harry Selfridge had on retail shopping but because it brought back so many happy memories of window shopping in the West End as children and later shopping in most of the big stores mentioned in the book. It was so interesting to read of the names we all knew and associated with high class shops actually came from the people who had owned them. It was a pleasure to be reminded of shops in our local shopping areas that no longer exist under their original names. Most of all it was fascinating to realise that Mr Selfridge actually did all the things in the store every day that the programme shows him doing. There is a lot of detail and information about his plans for the future of Selfridges that haven't been covered in this series, certainly the way he anticipated what would happen in war time and how he prepared for it, his love of architects plans and how he would have different people drawing up plans for the same project. If you are in your seventies or older and shopped in Selfridges when younger this book will take you back to those years in a way I have never experienced before, the memories just came tumbling out from both of us. Although Mr Selfridge had his flaws he was brilliant at inspiring people and making the most of their abilities and having great vision and ability to look into the future and bring his ideas to fruition, a really great man who, unfortunately, gambled, however it gave him the nerve to try something new and innovative all the time. He extended Selfridges under many of the roads surrounding it as he acquired more properties and eventually even got his tower that he had always wanted only to have it damaged in the bombing shortly after it was finished. There is so much information in this book about American as well as British Stores and their owners even younger readers should be intrigued. A great read.