Social and cultural history Books

Book SynopsisMy Life's Battles is one of the first true working-class autobiographies, the story of Will Thorne, who helped to make a better world for ordinary people. Thorne's life story is a journey from tenements and factories to the corridors of power and the barricades of the Russian Revolution. Thorne began his working life as a six-year-old child labourer. His politics were shaped by his adventures with the tramping navvies, and forged among the roaring furnaces of the Beckton Gasworks in East London. As a semi-skilled industrial labourer, he founded the Gasworkers' Union, campaigned on behalf of the unemployed and fighting for the Eight Hour Day. Eleanor Marx helped him learn to read and write. He eventually became the General Secretary of the General and Municipal Workers union, and was an East London MP for forty years. Along the way, Thorne experienced the street fights and bitter strikes that represented the struggles of British Socialism and that gave rise to the Labour Movement. He oversaw the development of these battles into the creation of the Welfare State. Thorne's is a story of success, and one for celebration, but it is most importantly about one individual's achievements for the many, rather than for his own worldly gain. Sometimes fact is more fantastical - and liberating - than fiction.Table of ContentsContents Foreword: 125 Fighting Years, Paul Kenny Introduction, John Callow Work and Play Strikes, Riots and Work Old London Days The Birth of My Union The Big Dock Strike Union Building and the 'South Met' Friendship and Fights My First Congress Across the Atlantic Odd Experiences I go to Russia Parliament and the Prince The Future

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Book SynopsisThis account shows the full range of Hugh Miller's interests - the lyrical description of the scenery and accounts of beautiful fossils show a deep affection for the Scottish landscape, while his role as a serious religious journalist and social crusader is highlighted in his discussions on the Disruption and the Highland Clearances.Trade Review'I warmly recommend this marvellously rambling book which is full of sensitivity and poetry, to anyone who loves Scotland or is a humanist, a sociologist, an ethnologist, a geologist, a palaeontologist or just a fossil fan.' Nature, November 2003Table of ContentsAcknowledgements / Forword / Notes of Maps / Map of Scotland / Map of the Inner Hebrides / Introduction / Following in the footsteps of Hugh Miller Today / References and Further Reading / Map of Inner Moray first / Map of Orkney and Caithness; The Cruise of the Betsey -; A Summer Ramble among the Hebrides; Rambles of a Geologist

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Book Synopsis The book explores the rich material contained within a collection of oral history recordings with Peeblesshire textile mill workers, made by Ian MacDougall between 1996 and 2004. Their testimonies chart a period of immense change across all aspects of textile manufacturing, an industry which was always in a state of flux with innovations in processes and fibres. The recordings encompass the experience of a generation of workers affected by two World Wars – their fathers having been in the First and themselves in the Second. They also reflects on the role of women in the workplace, and community life and how this has changed in correlation to the rise and decline of the textile industry. Published by NMS Enterprises Limited – Publishing in association with The Scottish Working People's History Trust and the European Ethnological Research Centre.

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Book SynopsisWe heard it was shutting on the first day that it got occupied when we saw all the police and the commotion. We used to come down and support the people who were occupying it. It was an excellent feeling. You felt like you were at home, you felt wanted and loved. United We Will Swim commemorates the centenary of Govanhill Baths and tells its fascinating story – past, present and future. Made up of newly commissioned essays, these explore the architecture of the building, the Baths’ role as a community health and wellbeing provision and its evolving relationship with the changing community of Govanhill. The essays go on to give an account of the community occupation and the campaign to save the pool from closure, reflections on the Baths’ engagement with the arts, details of the newly established community archive, as well as laying out the dynamic plans for the future of the building. The essays are interspersed with personal memories from users of the Baths and a wealth of photographs of the building, the people and items from the archive. United We Will Swim documents the rich, diverse and inspiring story of Govanhill Baths and the community it serves.Trade Review.

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Book SynopsisWhy are there so many Italian hairdressers and Chinese restaurants in Glasgow? Who's more Glaswegian: an Irishman, a Highlander or a Pole? Who's city is this anyway? For the past 200 years, immigrants to Glasgow have found prosperity and poverty in its streets and closes. Mary Edward investigates their history, and the contribution they have brought to the city. With clear-sighted social analysis and an impressive assembly of historical evidence, Edward weaves a vivid tapestry of the many peoples and cultures that have created contemporary Glasgow. The staggering diversity of languages, religions and ethnicities is no new phenomenon in this city on the Clyde. Today's Glasweigans are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of yesterday's incomers, all of whom have chosen this great Scottish melting pot as their own. This book will be an education and a delight to generations of Glasweigans - and all those proud to belong to Glasgow.Trade ReviewAfter all, when we are asked the question 'who belongs to Glasgow?' the answer is... 'the world belongs to Glasgow'. - LIZ CAMERON, FORMER LORD PROVOST OF GLASGOWTable of ContentsPreface Foreword AcknowledgementsIntroduction Chapter 1: Glasgow and Slavery Chapter 2: The Glasgow Highlanders Chapter 3: The Irish in Glasgow Chapter 4: Glasgow Jewry Chapter 5: The Glasgow Italians Chapter 6: The Glasgow Polish Community Chapter 7: The Chinese in Glasgow Chapter 8: The Asian Community Chapter 9: Asylum Seekers Chapter 10: The Changing Scene BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisDr Hulbert’s researches into City Status in the UK gave him a unique insight into the situation in Scotland and especially in Perth. As Provost of Perth & Kinross, and leader of Perth’s campaign, he is the ideal person to tell the inside story of the tactics deployed to achieve the restoration of Perth’s City Status, the most important event in Perth’s history in nearly 200 years.Trade ReviewWe have John Hulbert to thank for getting us here through his diligent leadership of this campaign. - From the Foreword by Pete Wishart MP Rich with local and national history, and with chapters looking forward to the future of Perth, the book, complete with colour photographs, will appeal to historians, visitors and locals alike. - The CourierTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 8 Preface 9 Chapter One IntroductionChapter Two Ancient Capital of Scotland Chapter Three History of City Status in the United Kingdom Chapter Four Developing the Strategy Chapter Five The first application and the Westminster dinner Chapter Six 2010 – The year of Perth800: Civic Events Chapter Seven Building the momentum for City Status Chapter Eight The second application Chapter Nine Unexpected Government ‘U’ Turn Chapter Ten The Final Push Chapter Eleven City Status Achieved: The Announcement, The Celebrations and The Award Chapter Twelve Unfinished Business – the Lord Provostship Chapter Thirteen The Legacy Chapter Fourteen Beyond City Status Index

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Book SynopsisThe culture of all nations is rooted in past experience, individual and communal. In Scotland’s Future History McHardy looked at the misrepresentation of so much of Scotland’s political and social history. In this new volume he takes a wider look at aspects of Scotland’s culture that have been at the heart of how we have developed into who we are in today’s world. Topics include literature, religion, history and story, the Radical 1790s, the remarkable Douglas Young and an introduction to Geomythography, a new way of melding prehistory and history to present a new and refreshing way seeing our past. Understanding our past is vital to the process of building a new Scotland in the years ahead. As Scotland moves towards reclaiming her status among the nations of the world it is important that we understand just how culturally distinctive we are. Being Scottish is no better than having any other nationality, but is is certainly no worse, and as this work hopefully shows, it is something worth celebrating.Trade Review.

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Book SynopsisThe Republic of Ireland has changed much in the last few decades. It has become much more socially liberal, urban, secular and wealthy. It has also experienced large-scale immigration during a period when other Anglophone and many other European countries mainstream political parties have witnessed the exploitation of anti-immigrant nativism by some political mainstream parties as well as by the far right. Diverse Republic examines, as part of a wider focus on how immigration has changed Irish society, the emergence of antiimmigrant far-right groups through a focus on some key figures within these. It also considers the response of mainstream politics to immigration and examines efforts to encourage the integration of newcomers. The first part of the book examines how Irish society and identity has changed since the foundation of the state. This is relevant to the second part, which examines how and to what extent far right anti-immigration politics are likely to flourish or not in the Irish case. The second part of the book examines the appeal of far-right political responses to immigration in a context where some Irish citizens no longer appear to be represented by the political mainstream and where nativist populists lay claim to the symbols and heroes of the Republic. Diverse Republic makes the case for proactive measures to promote immigrant integration and social cohesion through citizenship, social policy and community development. It engages with shifting nationalist understandings of Irishness and makes the case for taking these seriously even if anti-immigrant nativist nationalism has found only fringe support in Irish politics to date. The symbols and history of what has become a diverse Republic should not become the property of those who would exclude some of its citizens.Trade Review'Alan Shatter, the man behind the citizenship ceremony, on why Bryan Fanning's book about the importance of integration deserves to be widely read' - Irish Independent, May 2021. 'Professor Bryan Fanning's new book, Diverse Republic, is a timely discourse that challenges us to look closely at our behaviours and attitudes towards immigrants in today's Ireland' - UCD Today, April 2021 'Waters cuts a lonely figure in the Irish media landscape but equivalent views to his have driven the narratives of politically successful nativist populists in other English-speaking and European democratic countries.' - Bryan Fanning, writing in the Dublin Review of Books, May 2021'Nativist politics have not played a big role in recent Irish elections. Might that change?' - Bryan Fanning, Irish Times, May 2021Table of ContentsAcknowledgements v Introduction Irish-Ireland Making Ireland Modern Immigration Nation Buying into Nativism White Irish Nationalisms Irish Far-Right Perspectives Immigration and Politics The Umbrella of Citizenship Inclusive Communities and Social Cohesion Diverse Republic Notes Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisApproximately 150,000 Irish officers and men joined the British Army during the First World War. What happened to them when they returned home? What determining role (if any) did they play? Most importantly, did they fall victims of selective revolutionary violence and face the wrath of the IRA for having fought for the British Crown in 1914-1918? As steamers anchored in Dublin Bay and men disembarked, they began to follow different paths according to their expectations, political beliefs, and often according to the possibilities their mother-land would consent to offer them. Transfers of loyalty and transfers of military skills characterised the demobilisation of those Great War veterans. Hundreds pledged allegiance to the Irish Republican Army while thousands joined the ranks of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the British Army. After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, ex-servicemen consolidated the institutions of the new Irish Free State whereas a minority remained loyal to the idea of an Irish Republic. Those who refrained from taking an active part in the transformation of Ireland found themselves in a society plagued by unemployment and ongoing unrest. Largely forgotten in history, their stories beg to be heard. The centenary of the War of Independence and the Civil War represents an unexpected yet welcome moment to challenge traditional narratives and shed light on the contribution of Great War veterans to the Irish Revolution. What happened in Ireland was far from being an isolated case in European history. Re-mobilisations and re-engagements of Great War veterans characterised the internal dynamics within other European countries and states undergoing post-war transformations, revolutions or civil conflicts. Drawing on archives in in England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and on hitherto unsolicited testimonies, Emmanuel Destenay tracks the trajectories of these shadows from the trenches, unveiling their hopes, expectations and uncertainties.Table of ContentsList of illustrations and maps Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIrish Women's Speeches (Vol. II): A Rich Chorus of Voices follows on from the ground-breaking, best-selling Voices that Rocked the System. Related to arts, culture and heritage this compilation of Irish women's speeches, includes those of authors, journalists, actors, artists and women who have influenced arts and culture more broadly. The speeches chosen identify how women have shaped and continue to shape Irish culture, language, literature, theatre and art at home and abroad. Related topics include Sarah Purser's founding of a stained-glass cooperative, An Tur Gloine which ensured that churches and formidable buildings in Ireland and further afield now house Irish produced stained glass. Edna O'Brien's speech showcases how one female author persisted despite her condemnation by the Catholic Church and suppression by the Irish censorship board to have her literary classics The Country Girls trilogy named One Dublin One Book in 2019. A number of speeches chosen highlight the array of social and political reforms led by creative women and writers abroad including Margaret Cousins, who helped found the Irish National Theatre and later moved to India where she was arrested for supporting Gandhi's call for a Civil Disobedience Movement. While journalist Norah Dacre Fox became a key member of a militant suffragette organisation in England and was imprisoned for the cause. Other speeches showcase well-remembered figures such as Hollywood icon Maureen O'Hara and investigative reporter Veronica Guerin. While less well known figures include Charlotte Stoker who is credited with greatly impacting on the literature of her son Bram. The wide range of topics identify the impressive contributions that Irish women have made to the development of Irish society and culture as well as internationally. A must have alongside its sister volume.Trade Review'It is an inspired format, the author turning compere and raising the curtain to allow her subjects stand in the spotlight centre stage.' - Clodagh Finn, Irish Examiner, December 2022.; 'Tiernan's astute curatorial decisions create a fascinating record of both causes and voices.' - Henrietta McKervey, The Sunday Business Post, January 2023.; 'The book is full to the brim of impactful women and is a great way to learn about Irish women's history this winter.' - GCN Mag, December 2022.; 'When you're done reading it, pass it on to your daughter. Or, maybe more importantly, to your son.' - Anne Cunningham, Meath Chronicle, January 2023.; ‘The book’s subtitle is “a rich chorus of voices”, and diversity of theme and tone certainly apples as painters, actors, journalists, writers, human-rights activists and others feature.’ - Brian Maye, Irish Times, August 2023.

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Book SynopsisThe defeat of the Scots in the Battle of Flodden in 1513 left many of the leaders of Scottish society, including King James IV, lying dead on the battlefield. The long and complex minority of King James V which followed is explored in detail in this book, bringing understanding to the evolving relationships among the Scots, English and French against the background of the wider European context of the early sixteenth century. The competing interests of England and France were personified in two of the Scottish Regents: Queen Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, and John, Duke of Albany, James V’s nearest male heir, who had been brought up in France and represented the French connection as much as the Scots. The interests of leading Scots’ families, the Hamiltons and the Douglases, were also at the heart of the power struggle. The book offers a rare insight into a turbulent period of Scottish politics.Trade Review'Emond has written an excellent account of James V’s minority, wonderfully researched and persuasive in its analysis' * Royal Studies Journal *

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Book SynopsisSince the middle ages, Orkney has proved remarkable for the volume and the quality of its literary output. From the skalds and sagamen of the Viking age, through to the colourful folklorists, polemicists and translators of the Victorian era, and the internationally acclaimed poets and novelists of the twentieth century, Orkney has continually and self-consciously developed a unique literary culture of its own. This clearly defined artistic territory resembles a sub-nation at times, and is characterised not by insularity, but by what might be termed a positive ‘insularism’ – defining, reinventing and presenting itself to the world. The History of Orkney Literature is the first full survey of literary writing from and about the Orkney Islands. The book presents readings of uncomplicatedly Orcadian writers such as Walter Traill Dennison, Edwin Muir, Eric Linklater, Robert Rendall and George Mackay Brown. It also considers major texts written by ‘outside’ authors which are nevertheless demonstrably Orcadian in terms of their setting, style and influence. The History of Orkney Literature charts the development of this distinctly Orcadian strand within Scottish Literature, and shows how the archipelago, rather than the nation, can indeed be the defining locus of a compact and vibrant literary tradition.

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Book SynopsisIn this ground-breaking study of the medieval parliament, Roland Tanner gives the Scottish Parliament a human face by examining the actions and motives of those who attended. In the past, the Scottish Parliament was seen as a weak and ineffective institution – damned because of its failure to be more like its English counterpart. But Roland Tanner shows that the old picture of weakness is far from accurate. In its very different way, the Scottish Parliament was every bit as powerful as the English institution. The ‘Three Estates’ (the clergy, nobility and burgh representatives who attended Parliament) were able to wield a surprising degree of control over the Crown during the fifteenth century. For instance, they threatened to lock James I’s taxation in a box to which he, the king, would have no access, made James II swear not to alter acts of Parliament, and prevented him from using his own lands and wealth as patronage for his supporters, and forbade James III to leave the country. Roland Tanner has avoided a dry constitutional approach. Instead he has sought to bring Parliament to life through the people who attended, the reasons why they attended, and the complex interactions which occurred when all the most wealthy, powerful and ambitious people in the kingdom gathered in one place.

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Book SynopsisThe creation of large new tracts of forest, together with the development of a modern wood processing sector, was the single biggest transformation to occur in the Scottish countryside during the twentieth century. While the environmental and landscape impacts of this change have been much commented upon, its impact on Scottish culture and society has attracted comparatively little attention. This book tells the fascinating story of the human side of forestry, drawing heavily on the thoughts, experiences and reflections of a wide range of individuals from all levels and all sectors of the industry as it has developed in Scotland over the last 100 years. The book also analyses the evolution of forestry policy and the changing roles of both the state-run Forestry Commission and the private sector. However, at its core are the stories of the men, women and children who have lived and worked in the many communities where old and new forests have loomed large - communities where, especially in the middle decades of the twentieth century, forestry was often the largest source of employment and income, and without which many of these places would have struggled to survive.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Saltire Society Scottish History Book of the Year Award Badenoch today is a landscape of empty glens and ruined settlements, but it was not always so. This book examines the transformative events that shaped the region’s destiny: climate and market forces, hunger and relief measures, sheep farms and sporting estates, agricultural improvement and proprietorial greed, and the evolution of clanship. Although this is an intensely localised study, the dramatic nature of change is explored against the wider context of events not just across the Highlands, but also within the British state and its global empire. Badenoch’s journey moves from the relative prosperity of the Napoleonic Wars into the terrible post-war destitution that devastated peasant, tacksman and Duke of Gordon alike. Estate reform and ‘improvement’ gradually brought a degree of economic and social stability, but inevitably resulted in depopulation as people were forced off the land to seek refuge in the impoverished ‘planned villages’ or to abandon their Gaelic homeland for life in the Lowlands. For those with the means, however, emigration provided lucrative opportunities unimaginable at home. Through extensive use of documentary evidence, much of it previously unseen, David Taylor paints an intimate portrait of the historically neglected region of Badenoch – one that provides a compelling new perspective on Highland history.Trade Review'A splendid account of the transformation of Badenoch in the first half of the 19th Century... paints an intimate portrait of the historically neglected region' * Strathspey and Badenoch Herald *'This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to know what life was like in Badenoch at this time, and why so many emigrated... Meticulous research both locally and overseas' -- John Barton * Creag Dhubh Magazine *'A vigorous and comprehensive history of Badenoch... Taylor impresses by encapsulating a robust history of its agricultural and economic industries' * Scottish Field *'This is a strikingly successful volume. It is rigorously researched in an exceptionally broad range of sources, clearly written and sensibly structured' -- Prof. Ewen Cameron * West Highland Notes and Queries *'This study takes the reader through a beautifully written exploration of the region of Badenoch in the 19th century. A readable and important account of how the local translates into the global' * The Saltire Society (Winner of Scottish History Book of the Year) *

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Book SynopsisCinema Memories brings together and analyses the memories of almost a thousand people of going to the cinema in Britain during the 1960s. It offers a fresh perspective on the social, cultural and film history of what has come to be seen as an iconic decade, with the release of films such as A Taste of Honey, The Sound of Music, Darling, Blow-Up, Alfie, The Graduate, and Bonnie and Clyde. Drawing on first-hand accounts, authors Melvyn Stokes, Matthew Jones and Emma Pett explore how cinema-goers constructed meanings from the films they watched - through a complex process of negotiation between the films concerned, their own social and cultural identities, and their awareness of changes in British society. Their analysis helps the reader see what light the cultural memory of 1960s cinema-going sheds on how the Sixties in Britain is remembered and interpreted. Positioning their study within debates about memory, 1960s cinema, and the seemingly transformative nature of this decade of British history, the authors reflect on the methodologies deployed, the use of memories as historical sources, and the various ways in which cinema and cinema-going came to mean something to their audiences.Trade ReviewThis research is an excellent reminder of the importance of the cinema experience in that culturally significant decade … and it also serves to point out just how much has changed over the last fifty years … [The book] may provoke nostalgia in some older readers, whilst for younger readers it’s a fascinating window into an almost lost world. * Cinema Retro Magazine *Cinema Memories paints a fascinating portrait of the place of cinema in the lives and imaginations of its British audiences in the 1960s. Based on an extensive collection of interviews and questionnaires, it makes a vivid contribution both to the social history of the period and to the rapidly developing field of memory studies. -- Richard Maltby, Flinders University, AustraliaCinema Memories maps exciting and accessible new routes through the spaces and places of 1960s cinema and social history in Britain. It deftly connects New Cinema History’s methodological emphasis on empirical contexts of cinema-going and film reception with intellectual traditions grounded in British Cultural Studies and People’s History. -- Jeffrey Klenotic, University of New Hampshire, USATable of ContentsIntroduction 1. ‘This is where we came in’: cinema-going in the sixties 2. Sex and the Cinema 3. ‘The times they are a-changin’?: American Sixties Films 4. Reflecting ‘what life was like’?: British films of the 1960s 5. 'New Waves' from Europe 6. Postcolonial Audiences 7. Conclusion

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Book Synopsis**Shortlisted for the International Book Award 2023** Based on deeply personal testimonies and factual research, Out on An Island presents a rich and diverse portrayal of Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ history. Shining a light on stories of struggle and truth shared through recorded oral histories, this is a book which unearths a public history and cultural heritage hidden for over a century. In a collaborative effort among LGBTQ+ Island residents, Out on An Island signifies the first ever project dedicated to local LGBTQ+ oral history on the Isle of Wight. Created in remarkable circumstances, it celebrates a close-knit community surviving together in the face of exclusion, prejudice and misrepresentation. The result is an inspiring collection of interviews from LGBTQ+ people concerning their lives on the Island. The oral histories are shared in a matter-of-fact style, with accounts of disturbing homophobia, rejection and exclusion peppered with moments of joy and celebration. From beginning to end are stories of courage and despair which stand as powerful testaments of human endeavour. While some of the LGBTQ+ community were proud to call the Isle of Wight their home, others feared discrimination, and were desperate to escape. Read about the fierce, enigmatic lesbian Joe Carstairs, and the adventures of the all-female Ferguson's Gang in Newtown in the 1920s. Delving into the Island's 1980s gay scene, hear accounts of a community thriving in the face of negative local press and the grim shadow of Section 28. Onwards to the 1990s, experience the moment the Island welcomed its first ever local Gay Guide; and in the not-so-distant past, learn about a lingering culture of homophobia exposed by the Island's first Pride in 2017, and the resignations of reputable local journalist Charlotte Hofton, and the Island's Conservative MP Andrew Turner. A testament to the history, lives, social and political contribution of the Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ community for future generations, Out On An Island restores a shared and vibrant past. Instigating a broader dialogue on what can be complex and sensitive topics, readers are provided with a better understanding of the importance of equality, inclusion and the hurdles individuals must overcome to be their authentic selves.

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Book Synopsis‘There is an old Scottish saying: Some are born cool, some achieve coolness, and some have coolness thrust upon them. At least I think it’s Scottish. It doesn’t matter.’ What do Kenny Dalglish and Robert Louis Stevenson have in common? Or Annie Lennox and Mary Barbour? Or Joseph Knight and Sean Connery? They are but a few examples of the Scots that have shaped the cool nation we see today. In this whacky toon-fest of character sketches, Greg Moodie presents 42 key figures in Scotland’s rich and varied history. Spanning the living and the dead, the portraits range from potentially paranoid politicians and health-and-safety-loving Formula One drivers to Jacobite heroines and promiscuous poets. Basically, you get the best of the best. Accompanying each brief biography – peppered with quirky anecdotes, hilarious quips and mostly accurate facts – is a psychedelic portrait that blends past and present. Ever seen Muriel Sparks sport a studded choker or James Clerk Maxwell boast two sleeves of tattoos? You will now. For once including those cool Scottish women so often ignored in history books, Moodie presents his collection ‘in an order deliberately designed to jolt your little minds out of their preconceived ideas of time’. You’ll leap between modern day musicians and 18th century science writers at the turn of each delightfully glossy page. Lavishly illustrated throughout, Moodie celebrates Scotland’s achievements, revels in its victories and occasionally blends fact and fiction.Trade Review.

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Book Synopsis`From time to time in the history of humanity, extraordinary individualities appear, carrying with them great tasks which are difficult to assess. Through this lens, the events around Kaspar Hauser (1812-1833) can be seen as signposts to one of the most important mysteries of modern times, which will radiate far into the future. Kaspar’s appearance and the essence of his being are deeply connected with the question of the identity of the human being itself.’ – From the Foreword. This book offers a unique, creative approach to the mystery of Kaspar Hauser – the teenage boy who was found abandoned on the streets of Nuremberg, barely able to walk, speak or write. Introducing the subject with a historical overview, Eckart Böhmer goes on to offer multiple artistic approaches to comprehending the enigma of Kaspar Hauser’s brief and tragic life. He presents poems from his cycle I not human, I Kaspar, a short story entitled `Crossing the Border’, and a play about Hauser’s mentor, `Feuerbach or an Example of a Crime Against the Human Consciousness Soul’. These are followed by transcripts of two lectures held during the Kaspar Hauser Festival in New York, which reflect on esoteric research carried out in the last twenty years. The volume concludes with short meditations followed by an interview with the author on his biographical connections to the theme. Inspired by the Kaspar Hauser Festival in Ansbach and the Kaspar Hauser Research Circle, this valuable book offers many imaginative gems for deeper contemplation.Table of ContentsForeword – Kaspar Hauser, Child of Europe, An Essay – Nine Poems – Crossing the Border, A Short Story – 'Feuerbach, or An Example of a Crime Against the Human Consciousness Soul' – An Introduction to the Play – The Play – The Unfulfilled Mission of the Hereditary Prince, Lecture I – The Fulfilled Mission of Kaspar Hauser, Lecture II – Four Meditative Verses – Guarding the Guardian, An Interview

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Book SynopsisVery little is known of the first workhouse in Birmingham, which was located in Lichfield Street. Even the assumed date of its building, given as 1733 by William Hutton, Birmingham’s first historian, is wrong. This book is the first attempt to write a history of the workhouse and the ancillary welfare provision for Birmingham, frequently referred to as the `Old Poor Law’. The first workhouse remained in operation until 1852 when a new building with its infamous `arch of tears’ was constructed in Winson Green and the original building’s history has been overlooked as a result of the association of the word `workhouse’ with Nassau Senior and Edwin Chadwick’s `New’ Poor Law, implemented in 1834. This study of welfare in Birmingham in the century before the Poor Law Amendment Act reveals some surprising facts which fly in the face of the scholarly consensus that the old system was incompetently administered and inadequately organised. A workhouse infirmary opened in the 1740s, long before the General Infirmary in Summer Lane. The Overseers of the Poor built a well organised `Asylum for the Infant Poor’ before the end of the eighteenth century. Work was found for the able-bodied. The insane were housed separately in specialist facilities. Food, although dreary, was certainly adequate. The records of the Overseers and the Poor Law Guardians reveal a complex balancing act between maintaining standards of care and controlling spending. Although there was mismanagement, most famously in 1818 when George Edmonds exposed embezzlement by workhouse officials, the picture which emerges will be familiar to our age when welfare services struggle to meet public needs with limited budgets.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The Birmingham Poor Law 2 `The Residence of a Gentleman’: The Birmingham Workhouse 3 A Day in the Life 4 Putting Names to the Nameless Poor 5 The Ghost of a Workhouse 6 Managing the Poor: The Overseers and Guardians 7 Thirty Acres and a Cow: The Use of Birmingham’s Parish Land 8 Managing the Poor: Masters, Matrons and Clerks 9 Birmingham’s First Hospital: The Workhouse Infirmary 10 The Doings of Death 11 The Asylum for the Infant Poor 12 `Bitter, unbroken lamentation’?: The treatment of the mentally ill pauper 13 Putting the Poor to Work Afterword – Ian Cawood

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Book SynopsisThe fifty years from the last decade of the eighteenth century saw great changes in Britain. Significant technological and economic change, not to mention wars, affected great swathes of the population and profoundly changed many aspects of life. In this book Fabian Hiscock considers this dramatic upheaval as it played out in western Hertfordshire, focusing in particular on just one of the many innovations of the time: the Grand Junction Canal, created to connect the Midlands with London. Having described the complex process of creating the Canal itself, the author turns to how western Hertfordshire experienced, and responded to, the new trade route that now traversed its fields and settlements. In the area’s towns and villages - particularly Rickmansworth, Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring - the Canal made an impact, but to what extent did it live up to the promises made by its promoters? And what were the impacts on trade and transport, on work and home life? Did it create jobs and wealth for local people? Or did it simply pass through, leaving those living on either side relatively unaffected? Whether and in what way western Hertfordshire changed as a result of the Grand Junction Canal is the focus of this work. 1841 is the chosen end date for the study period because of the coincidence of the Census undertaken that year, which sheds some light on the industrial make-up of the area, the tithe awards made between 1838 and 1844, allowing study of the Canal’s effect on land ownership and usage across the area, and the start of the London and Birmingham Railway’s real economic effect. In combining canal history with a detailed social and economic study of a part of the county that is not much written about, Fabian Hiscock has written a superbly researched and wide-reaching book that will be of interest to a broad range of readers.

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Book SynopsisLetchworth Settlement, an independent adult education centre, is one of the treasures of the world’s first garden city. Starting life in 1920 as Letchworth Adult Education Settlement, it soon became part of the wider Educational Settlement Association, following the example of Toynbee Hall in London, and is now one of few such institutions still in existence in 2020. In its early days, the Settlement embodied the ideals of the young garden city with its ethos of self-help. There was a strong belief that everyone was entitled to an education and to fulfil their potential; the unemployed in the town were regularly helped with free classes and meals. In 1925 the Settlement moved to the former premises of the Skittles Inn in Nevells Road, which it still calls home. Despite a lack of funds, the number of classes grew steadily and associated societies were formed, including the Settlement Players and the camera club (both still in existence) as well as a choir and orchestra and rambling and camping clubs. The building was listed grade II in 1979; in 1995 the then Letchworth Corporation bought the building and leased it back to the Settlement, ensuring a more secure future for an institution seen as an integral part of life in Letchworth. In this lively history, former Hertfordshire County Archivist Kate Thompson looks at the wider context in which the organisation flourished, as well as notable members of staff and key events in its century of sharing knowledge.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction to the settlement movement Chapter 2 The early years, 1920 - 1925 Chapter 3 Growth and diversification, 1926 - 1970 Chapter 4 Village work Chapter 5 Consolidation Chapter 6 What was taught? Chapter 7 Key figures Chapter 8 Local groups and organisations

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Book SynopsisStudies of child labour have examined the experiences of child workers in agriculture, mining and textile mills, yet surprisingly little research has focused on child labour in manufacturing towns. This book investigates the extent and nature of child labour in Birmingham and the West Midlands, from the mid-eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century. It considers the economic contributions of child workers under the age of 14 and the impact of early work on their health and education. Child labour in the region was not a short-lived stage of the early Industrial Revolution but an integral part of industry throughout the nineteenth century. Parents regarded their children as potentially valuable contributors to the family economy, encouraging families to migrate from rural areas so that their children could work from an early age in the manufacture of pins, nails, buttons, glass, locks and guns as well as tin-plating, carpet-weaving, brass-casting and other industries. The demand for young workers in Birmingham was greater than that for adults; in Mary Nejedly's detailed analysis the importance of children's earnings to the family economy becomes clear, as well as the role played by child workers in industrialisation itself. In view of the economic benefit of children's labour to families as well as employers, both children's education and health could and did suffer. As well as working at harmful processes that produced dangerous fumes and dust or exposed them to poisonous substances, children also suffered injuries in the workplace, mainly to the head, eyes and fingers, and were often subjected to ill-treatment from adult workers. The wide gulf in economic circumstances that existed between the families of skilled workers and those of unskilled workers, unemployed workers or single-parent families also becomes evident. Attitudes towards childhood changed over the course of the period, however, with a greater emphasis being placed on the role of education for all children as a means of reducing pauperism and dependence on the poor rate. Concerns about health also gradually emerged, together with laws to limit work for children both by age and hours worked. Mary Nejedly's clear-eyed research sheds fresh light on the life of working children and increases our knowledge of an important aspect of social and economic history.Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Parish apprentices and the old Poor Law 3 Birmingham workhouse children 4 The industrious child worker 5 Child labour and the family economy 6 Education, industrialisation and child labour 7 The health and ill-health of child workers 8 Set adrift: Birmingham’s child migrants 9 Childhood redefined 10 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisSecuring the long-term survival and status of the family has always been the principal concern of the English aristocracy and gentry. Central to that ambition has been the successful management of their landed estates, whilst failure in this regard could spell ruination for an entire family. In the sixteenth century, the task became more difficult as price inflation reduced the value of rents; improved management skills were called for. In Norfolk, estates began to change hands rapidly as the unaware or simply incompetent failed to grasp the issues, while the more astute and enterprising landowners capitalised on their neighbours’ misfortunes. When Sir Hamon Le Strange inherited his family’s ancient estate at Hunstanton in 1604 it was much depleted and heavily encumbered. The outlook was bleak: such circumstances often led to the disappearance of families as landowners. However, within a generation, he and his remarkable wife Alice had modernised the estate and secured the family’s future. After 700 years, the Le Stranges still survive and prosper on their estate at Hunstanton, making them the longest surviving gentry family in Norfolk. The first part of this book presents new research into the secret of their rare success. A key aspect of their strategy was a belief in the power (and economic value) of knowledge: Hamon and Alice wanted to ensure that their improvements would endure for posterity. To this end, they curated their knowledge through meticulous record-keeping and carefully handed it down to their successors. This behaviour, instilled in the family, not only facilitated on-going reforms, but helped future generations overcome the inevitable reversals and challenges they also faced. The second part of the book collects together four related papers from Elizabeth Griffiths’ research about the Le Stranges, Hobarts and Wyndhams, republished from the Agricultural History Review and edited from two Norfolk Record Society volumes. For anyone interested in early modern rural society and agriculture and the history of Norfolk gentry estates, this volume will be essential reading, offering as it does new perspectives on the history of estate management, notably the role of women, the relationship with local communities and sustainability in agriculture.Table of ContentsChapter 1. The Le Strange family and their records Chapter 2. The medieval inheritance of the Le Strange estates Chapter 3. The Le Strange estate in 1604 Chapter 4. Winners and losers: Norfolk gentry and estate management, 1590-1625 Chapter 5. The knowledge economy of the Le Strange family Chapter 6. Using knowledge and working with people: building projects on the Le Strange estate Chapter 7. Her price is above pearls: family and farming records of Alice Le Strange, 1617-1656 Chapter 8. Draining the coastal marshes of north-west Norfolk: the contribution of the Le Stranges of Hunstanton 1605-1724 Chapter 9. William Windham’s Green Book 1673-1688: estate management in the later seventeenth century Chapter 10. Responses to adversity: the changing strategies of two Norfolk landholding families c.1665-1700 Epilogue. The Le Stranges of Hunstanton c.1700-2000

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Book SynopsisWilliam Ellis, who lived and farmed at Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire in the first half of the eighteenth century (d. 1759), is an important figure in English agricultural history. In his time the most prolific writer on agriculture in England, his many works were read not only at home but also in the American colonies and continental Europe. Ellis was essentially an agricultural journalist, then a relatively new occupation. He wrote about his own life as well as those of the ordinary people of Little Gaddesden and further afield – he travelled extensively throughout the southern half of England. Most of his copy was derived from conversations he had had with farmers, their wives and other rural folk, the sheer immediacy of his books outshining those of his rivals. Ellis’s style was discursive, particularly so in The Country Housewife’s Family Companion (1750). As well as providing a compendium of household management, cookery and medicine, Ellis delighted in relaying gossip. He included the activities of farmers, wives and maids, labourers, travellers and beggars, as well as the gentry and aristocracy, rich pickings for social historians. Ellis also used his books to advertise his business as a supplier of agricultural instruments, seeds, plants, trees and fowls, an innovative approach. The Swedish botanist Pehr Kalm visited Little Gaddesden in 1748 to inspect Ellis’s farming and the various farm implements he advertised for sale. The two men didn’t warm to each other, but Kalm’s independent observations add to what we know about Ellis. Piecing together the scant facts about Ellis’s early life, Malcolm Thick has uncovered new information on his time before he commenced farming, and unravelled some of the complexities of his two marriages. The book’s central focus is on Ellis’s agricultural writings, which provide a fascinating picture of rural life in the period and shed light on the evolution of English farming. This is the first book about Ellis for over sixty years and the first to consider him fully in the round – as a farmer, an active member of his community, an innovative salesman and a wonderfully curious mind.Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Life before Little Gaddesden and at Church Farm 3 Agriculture 4 Advertising and trading 5 Food, drink and medicine 6 Ellis the man 7 Other matters 8 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDuring the second half of the nineteenth century, Moseley, a small hamlet just south of Birmingham, developed into a flourishing middleclass suburb. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Janet Berry’s ambitious research asks why and how this particular suburb grew and who was instrumental in its development. What influenced the types of houses that were built and the styles of their gardens? How did residents experience life in the new suburb? How did they create a community? In analysing an extraordinary quantity of records, Dr Berry builds a notably nuanced portrait of a place and its people that goes beyond stereotypical images of the Victorians. The suburb was a physical, social, cultural, and psychological space where people conveyed messages about their identity; relationships, lived experiences, and responses to change are all revealed. The economics of buying or renting accommodation in Moseley are addressed, showing what was involved in setting up a single-family home, the key marker of belonging to the middle class. Aspects of this, such as how the interiors of homes were demarcated, decorated and furnished, have not previously been considered in the context of suburban studies to any extent. Additionally, this book has a particular focus on the suburban middle-class woman, her achievements and opportunities, roles and responsibilities, both inside and outside the home. By the first decades of the twentieth century Moseley had become part of the metropolis of Birmingham. This engaging account of the process from village to fully integrated suburb will be of particular interest to urban historians.Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Moseley’s suburbanisation, 1850–1900 3 Shaping the landscape: builders and buildings 4 Gardens, garden design and gardening 5 Families and households 6 Keeping up appearances: the middle classes at home 7 The Moseley middle classes in the public sphere 8 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisHow an historic market town in middle England has entertained itself over 150 years, from 1800 to 1950. Lovely black and white photographs

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling study of a founding American dynasty -the Peirces and the Princes--in an interwoven story of family heritage that extends from the earliest settlements to the mid-twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisIt is a great privilege to launch our series with A Working Life, Cruel Beyond Belief, by Alfred Temba Qabula, with a new Foreword by the original translator, BE Nzimande. Qabula was a central figure in the cultural movement among working people that emerged in and around Durban in the 1980s. It was an innovative attempt to draw on the oral poetry developed among the Nguni people over many centuries. Alfred Temba Qabula was a forklift driver in the Dunlop tyre factory in Durban at the time this book was developed. He used the art of telling stories to critique the exploitation of black workers and their oppression under apartheid.

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Book SynopsisAn insider’s tour of the magnificent seventeenthcentury castle and gardens, conceived by Le Vau, Le Brun, and Le Nôtre, that inspired the great châteaux of Europe. Vaux-le-Vicomte’s rich history began in 1641, when infamous Finance Minister Nicolas Fouquet bought the estate and enlisted architect Louis Le Vau, decorator Charles le Brun, and garden designer André Le Nôtre to transform it into a lavish residence. His extravagance piqued Louis XIV’s jealousy, and he was thrown into prison for mishandling funds. The château inspired the design of Versailles, and was later home to the great chef Vatel, who famously died for his art. This volume traces the château’s history from the seventeenth-century through the Belle Époque, World War I, and its public opening in 1968. Exclusive photography and archival documents offer unprecedented access to the château, furnishings, and gardens, and illuminate the extraordinary secrets of court life and centuries of celebrations that include the enchanting candlelit tours held today.Trade Review"By way of revealing beautiful photography, documents and rich storytelling, the heirs share the roller coaster history of this world class chateau starting in the seventeenth century . . . Housed in an elegant sleeve with family crest debossed with foil accents, the presentation of the book alludes to the richness and attention to detail captured throughout. [A Day at Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte] is a feast for the eyes and does not hold back on glorious archived details of this celebrated chateau. For the historian, architecture enthusiast or fracophile, this is a book to be savored." -FrankiDurbin.com"This must have book will enthrall readers with secrets of court life and the centuries of celebrations that have taken place within the walls of this palatial abode: from Fouquet’s final fling to the enchanting candlelit tours that still take place today. A DAY AT CH TEAU DE VAUX-LE-VICOMTE is a splendid introduction to the architecture, furnishings, interior design, and social history of one of Europe’s most famous homes."-CourtneyPrice.com"A Day at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a gorgeous photobook which has 170 color photographs, many of which highlight interesting details that you might miss on a regular visit to the château. In addition to some pretty stunning photography, the book delves into the history of the estate, from Fouquet through its modern-day managers, who actually grew up on the estate. . . Yet A Day at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte book is more than a charming photobook with history to share: it is a moving tribute to Vaux-le-Vicomte itself. At the end of the book I found myself not just knowing so much more about the château, but caring about it in a way I hadn't before."-ViveLaQueen Blog "Ensconced in its elegant slipcase, this jewel of a book explores the history and the lore behind Vaux-le-Vicomte. . . The book's text is concise yet informative, while archival anectdotes are woven throughout the book to add further interest. But it's the book's enchanting photos that are the real draw here, giving readers a glimpse of Fouquet's magnificent creation.-THE PEAK OF CHIC BLOG"Masterfully architected by Louis le Vau for Louis XIV's finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, the estate oozes history and memory, which this written confessional brings to life through mesmerizing photography and intriguing tales about one of Europe's most enduring treasures." -BASK MAGAZINE"This insider's look at the famed French 17th century chateau takes you from the beginning of its creation by finance minister Nicolas Fouquet in 1641 through la Belle Epoque, World War I and its opening to the public in 1968. The breathtaking photography shows extraordinary details from the furnishings and art to the magnificent gardens." -THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "[A Day at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte] is your own private tour and grants wonderfully exclusive access. Just be prepared to be enthralled by the secrets, power struggles, and jealousies of court life captured within its pages!"-What is James Wearing

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