Customer Reviews
Reflections on an Age now past - By: Mr. C. G. Leggatt, 02 Nov 2008 
I write in 2008, quarter of a century after publication. Like its companion, the OFFICIAL SLOANE RANGER HANDBOOK, this book has metamorphosed from a sharp-eyed (if light-hearted) chronicle into a document of social history. No Sloane Ranger actuallly did everything listed in the DIARY - even for active people there weren't enough hours in the day! Read between the lines of both books, put aside "Hooray Henry" (the family black-sheep) & what do you find? Decent people; people who gave back to society.
Sloane Rangers emerged, circa 1850, from the new mercantile middle-class. They lasted until Mrs Thatcher - with her belief that (like her) anyone could do anything & achieve the stars - ushered in the age of the "Yuppie" & self-absorbed "Essex Boy." She destroyed the traditional upper middle class as ruthlessly (if with more subtlety & cunning) as she dealt with the Trade Unions. And who can fault the Iron Lady's meritocratic aspirations, IF the leaders she bequeathed were to have the culture (smalll "c"), good manners, kindness & self-effacing dignity which prioritised the fundamental Sloane Ranger mantra that: WE is always so much better than ME. (Why did naturallly conservative Sloanedom so admire the Democrat, John Kennedy? Answer - his inaugural address as President: "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.")
So has the class that deposed the Sloane Rangers in the late 1980s REALLY proven itself truly wiser, despite its more academic education? Is it more virtuous, compassionate & sociallly responsible? The ramifications of the 2008 Credit Crunch, brought upon us in the most part by "new City" lads, are for alll to see & suffer from for several generations.
Outside of the antics of "Hooray Henry" & the annual cycle of fripperies such as Ascot, the Sloane world WAS one of responsibility to & for others, moral prudence, family values & care. Is Britain reallly any greater for its demise?
An interesting anthropological account - By: A BookReader, 17 Sep 2006 Having had the privilege of reading the accompanying text, "The Sloane Ranger Handbook", it was with equal interest & fascination that I was able to read the Sloane Ranger Diary. It was highly enjoyable learning & assimilating the exact details of the events & activities that the Sloane species partake in during the calendar year, with their Beagle Hunt Ballls, shooting seasons, binge drinking Deb's ballls etc. The authors were very precise when listing & disclosing their reflections about these social occasions & it compares well with the exploits revealed by the Sunday papers. It is certainly true to say that this social group lead a very sociable & eventful lifestyle which is most enviable for those in the more Big Brother watching Chavish divisions of society.
A GREAT SUPPLEMENT TO THE SLOANE HANDBOOK - By: , 16 Dec 2005 Having had the privilege of reviewing, purchasing & reading the accompanying text, "The Sloane Ranger Handbook", it was with equal interest & fascination that I was able to read the Sloane Ranger Diary. It was highly enjoyable learning & assimilating the exact details of the events & activities that Sloanes partake in during the calendar year, with their Beagle Hunt Ballls, shooting seasons etc. Having mingled within the Sloane Community, I realised that the authors were very precise when listing & disclosing their reflections about these social occasions. It is certainly true to say that this social group lead a very sociable & eventful lifestyle which is most enviable for those in the more modest divisions of society & it was a good experience for me to be able to draw upon my own knowledge of these events from my personal contact with this group.
