The Intellectuals and the Masses: Pride and Prejudice Among the Literary Intelligentsia, 1880-1939

The central thesis of this book — that the idea of the “idiot masses” is one born of a cultural intelligentsia which bore nothing but disdain and disgust for the “lower classes” — is pertinent, given that idea’s continued employment in our own time.

That being said, the book can get repetitious.

Who would have thought I could read this book with my jaw dropping in shock and then watch Grimsby the movie and have an epiphany - It's all true still today and we all know it ( well those of us in the know anyway including Nobby Butcher!) John Carey manages to compare Hitler with some of literatures biggest names with the only difference being Hitler took action with the rest just spouting words - what a strange reaction to have - utterly shocking and unputdownable.

I learned what a lot of bigotted prejudiced dickheads [influential:] intellectuals can be. Read this to see the little toe rags argue for eugenics of weaker specimens and prepare to rage!

That famous intellectuals can have the the most crazy irrational and downright inhuman ideas, you see this in people such as Mary Warnock and Rousseau who abandoned his children.

The review of the Daily Mail says it all, "Intellectual Baiting at its best", caused quite a stir when published in 1992.