Thousands of prices just dropped across Thryft
Our price drop is now live! Find lowered prices on thousands of one-of-a-kind finds across Thryft
Free delivery on all orders above $30
Get 10% off all year round! Join Thryft Club
Get 10% off all year round and $10 off your next order! Join Thryft Club

Your cart

Your cart is empty

Check out these collections!

Bestselling Fiction
Bestselling Nonfiction
Bestselling Books for Children
Vintage and Rare Books
Vinyl Records
Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing

Find more of what you love

Get thoughtful picks from Thryft’s ever-changing collection of pre-loved books, vinyl and CDs—plus occasional sales and events.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Thryft. You can unsubscribe at any time.

This item is sold out

Get an email when a matching copy is available again.

Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else

James Meek

Which copies would you like?
Condition and budgetAny condition · No price limit

Excludes delivery. This filters future availability alerts; it is not a price-drop alert.

We check inventory once a day. We’ll email you once when we find a matching copy. Copies aren’t reserved. This does not sign you up for marketing emails.
Sale

Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else

by James Meek
Save up to 54%
Compare to estimated retail price: S$40.45  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else - Thryft
Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else - Thryft

Exposing the privatization of Britain's public assets.

"Private Island" offers a thought-provoking look into how the shift from public to private ownership has fundamentally changed the British landscape. If you're intrigued by the interplay of economics, politics, and social consequences, you'll find this book enthralling. It's not just informative; it tells a compelling story of a nation transformed and is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the real-life impacts of privatization.

  • Orwell Prize (2015)
  • Bread and Roses Award Nominee for Shortlist (2015)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else

by James Meek
Save up to 54%
Compare to estimated retail price: S$40.45  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

ISBN: 9781784782061
Author: James Meek
Publisher: Verso Books
Date of Publication: 2015-06-02
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Sociology, Creative Nonfiction, Politics, History, Business, Economics
Related Topics: Sociology, Social Issues, Politics, Society, Essays, History, Economics
Goodreads rating: 3.94
(rated by 417 readers)

Description

In a little over a generation, the bones and sinews of the British economy have been sold to remote, unaccountable private owners, often from overseas. James Meek explores the human stories behind the incremental privatization of the nation over the last three decades, revealing the impact on ordinary citizens and the shift of the greatest burden of taxes to the poorest. This book is an urgent and passionate anatomy of what has been lost and the cost of losing it - the rent we must pay to exist on this private island.
 

Exposing the privatization of Britain's public assets.

"Private Island" offers a thought-provoking look into how the shift from public to private ownership has fundamentally changed the British landscape. If you're intrigued by the interplay of economics, politics, and social consequences, you'll find this book enthralling. It's not just informative; it tells a compelling story of a nation transformed and is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the real-life impacts of privatization.

  • Orwell Prize (2015)
  • Bread and Roses Award Nominee for Shortlist (2015)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Sociology Books

Shop all
The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing
Sonia Faleiro | Bloomsbury Publishing

The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing

In one line

True crime explores misogyny, shame, and violence.

Goodreads 3.76

Condition: Well Read

$8.90 $5.90 34% off

63% off est. retail
The Serious Social Impact on Non-Violent Extremism in Indonesia
A'An Suryana | Iseas - Yusof Ishak Institute

The Serious Social Impact on Non-Violent Extremism in Indonesia

In one line

A timely study of extremism beyond physical violence

Goodreads 0.0

Condition: Like New

$13.90

The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love
Rachel Feder | Quirk Books

The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love

In one line

Examining Darcy's monstrous influence on romance.

Goodreads 3.14

Condition: Like New

$15.90 $10.90 31% off

Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring: Witness poems and essays from Burma/Myanmar - Thryft
ko ko thett, Brian Haman | Ethos Books

Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring: Witness poems and essays from Burma/Myanmar

In one line

Poetic defiance capturing Myanmar's turbulent spring.

Goodreads 4.61

Condition: Well Read

$5.90 $3.90 34% off

83% off est. retail
To Gather Your Leaving: Asian Diaspora Poetry from America, Australia, UK & Europe
Arin Alycia Fong, Justin Chia, Boey Kim Cheng | Ethos Books

To Gather Your Leaving: Asian Diaspora Poetry from America, Australia, UK & Europe

In one line

Poetic navigation of belonging and global mobility.

Goodreads 3.9

Condition: Very Good

$6.90 $3.90 43% off

Clean: The New Science of Skin
James Hamblin | Riverhead Books

Clean: The New Science of Skin

In one line

Reshaping perceptions of skin health and hygiene.

Goodreads 3.89

Condition: Like New

$13.90 $9.90 29% off

We-Think
Charles Leadbeater | Profile Books

We-Think

In one line

Collaborative innovation reshaping society's dynamics.

Goodreads 3.65

Condition: Very Good

$16.90 $12.90 24% off

Why We Kneel, How We Rise
Usain Bolt, Michael Holding, Ed Hawkins | Simon & Schuster Uk

Why We Kneel, How We Rise

In one line

Confronts racism in sports; advocates positive change.

Goodreads 4.47

Condition: Very Good

$11.90 $7.90 34% off

68% off est. retail
Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life
Gail Sheehy | Bantam

Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life

In one line

Navigating life's transitions with insightful guidance.

Goodreads 3.88

Condition: Well Read

$18.90 $7.90 58% off

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi | Thorndike Striving Reader

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

In one line

Engaging narrative dismantles racism's complex history.

Goodreads 4.47

Condition: Well Read

$17.90 $11.90 34% off

Creative Nonfiction

Shop all
The Works of Anne Bradstreet
Jeannine Hensley, Adrienne Rich, Anne Bradstreet | Belknap Press

The Works of Anne Bradstreet

In one line

Seventeenth-century feminism through poetry and prose.

Goodreads 3.69

Condition: Very Good

$36.90 $19.90 46% off

A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto
Just Arrived
China Miéville | Head Of Zeus

A Spectre, Haunting: On the Communist Manifesto

In one line

The Manifesto’s ghosts still haunt our world

Goodreads 3.98

Condition: Very Good

$11.90

To Gather Your Leaving: Asian Diaspora Poetry from America, Australia, UK & Europe
Arin Alycia Fong, Justin Chia, Boey Kim Cheng | Ethos Books

To Gather Your Leaving: Asian Diaspora Poetry from America, Australia, UK & Europe

In one line

Poetic navigation of belonging and global mobility.

Goodreads 3.9

Condition: Very Good

$6.90 $3.90 43% off

Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring: Witness poems and essays from Burma/Myanmar - Thryft
ko ko thett, Brian Haman | Ethos Books

Picking off new shoots will not stop the spring: Witness poems and essays from Burma/Myanmar

In one line

Poetic defiance capturing Myanmar's turbulent spring.

Goodreads 4.61

Condition: Well Read

$5.90 $3.90 34% off

83% off est. retail
The Secret to Happy
Vicky Pattison | Sphere

The Secret to Happy

In one line

Navigating life's challenges with Geordie humor.

Goodreads 4.03

Condition: Very Good

$9.90 $7.90 20% off

50% off est. retail
Nobody's Perfect : Writings from the New Yorker - Thryft
Anthony Lane | Picador

Nobody's Perfect : Writings from the New Yorker

Condition: Very Good

$12.90 $5.90 54% off

Sea of Strangers
Sea of Strangers
Lang Leav | Andrews Mcmeel Publishing

Sea of Strangers

Condition: Very Good

$9.90 $7.90 20% off

68% off est. retail
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? : (And other concerns) - Thryft
Mindy Kaling | Random House

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? : (And other concerns)

Condition: Well Read

$9.90 $4.90 51% off

Where to Begin: A Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World
Just Arrived
Cleo Wade | Atria Books

Where to Begin: A Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World

In one line

Small words for world-changing beginnings

Goodreads 4.29

Condition: Very Good

$11.90

Brief Answers to the Big Questions : the final book from Stephen Hawking
Just Arrived
Stephen Hawking | John Murray

Brief Answers to the Big Questions : the final book from Stephen Hawking

Condition: Very Good

$11.70

You might enjoy this if…

View book details