Inspired by T. S. Eliot's 1948 publication "Notes towards the Definition of Culture", Williams began exploring the concept of culture. He first outlined his argument that the concept emerged with the Industrial Revolution in the essay "The Idea of Culture", which resulted in the widely successful book "Culture and Society", published in 1958. This was followed in 1961 by "The Long Revolution". Williams's writings were taken up by the New Left and received a wide readership. He was also well known as a regular book reviewer for the "Manchester Guardian" newspaper. His years in adult education were an important experience and Williams was always something of an outsider at Cambridge University. Asked to contribute to a book called "My Cambridge", he began his essay by saying: "It was not my Cambridge. That was clear from the beginning."