As someone as intrigued by people as I am, it has been fascinating to find out more about Mass Observation. The beginning of the twentieth century had seen social anthropologists travelling far and wide to study the habits of ‘the natives’, but in 1937 three young men decided to study everyday behaviour in Britain, creating a ’science of ourselves.’ The study lasted until 1950 and thousands of volunteer writers and observers committed to keeping a record of their daily lives and charting a period of great change in British history. Simon Garfield’s book ‘Our Hidden Lives’ takes extracts from these diaries in the period immediately following the war and gives a precious insight into the daily trials and experiences of ordinary people. A new Mass Observation started in 1981 and they are currently recruiting for male writers aged 16 to 44 living in the North to take part. Your everyday could provide intriguing texture for tomorrow.Link to Mass Observation site