A classic collection of nine stories highlighting the grimness of post-war Britain, portraying the isolation, criminality, morality, and rebellion of the working class. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner: Seventeen year old Smith, inmate of a juvenile detention centre, is given light duties by the warders as he shows promise of winning the national long-distance running contest – but to win will vindicate the society and the system that locked him up. Uncle Ernest: A middle-aged, lonely furniture upholsterer is practically a ghost:  his wife has left him and his brothers have moved away. But when he finds light-hearted companionship with two young girls, his morals  are viewed with suspicion by the local authorities. Mr Raynor The Schoolteacher: A voyeuristic teacher fantasises constantly about the women who work in a draper’s shop across the street. And he doesn’t want his lustful daydreams interrupted…The Fishing Boat Picture: Harry the postman has weathered the Great Depression and World War II. All he wants is a quiet life and marriage. But his wife Kate wants more – much more. Noah’s Ark: Ten-year-old Colin and his cousin Bert visit the Goose Fair with only four pence between them. The resourceful Bert uses dishonest tricks to get more spending money. Their evening ends on the ‘Noah’s Ark’, a carousel of different animals where they attempt to evade the attendant for a free ride.   On Saturday Afternoon:  A young lad watches as a neighbour tries to hang himself and fails – and who then asks for help in his suicide attempt. The Match: A football match proves to be the catalyst for the destruction of a marriage. The Disgrace Of Jim Scarfedale: In order to prove he is no ‘mama’s boy’, Jim marries and divorces in haste, returns to Mama – and lives a double life. The Decline And Fall of Frankie Buller: Frankie, a warrior, leads the street gang and is worshipped by the younger lads – and a chance encounter after war has separated the gang shows how very differently their lives turned out.