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direct from YouCaxton £11.99 (+ £2.50 postage) Number of copies: Available in UK on Amazon Worldwide on Book Depository |
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Blackpool's Holiday Heyday Images of resort’s golden era Celebrated and sneered at, praised and patronised in equal measure, Blackpool remains Britain’s biggest, brashest and most vibrant holiday resort, drawing 18 million annual visits – despite the rival attractions of the Mediterranean sun. But many of these are day trips and short breaks rather than the traditional week by the sea. In this lavishly produced pictorial history of the resort’s golden era, former Blackpool Gazette journalist Barry McLoughlin chronicles the six decades up to the mid-1960s when the town was queen of the seaside holiday and overseas stays were only just starting to take off. The book includes chapters on the Pleasure Beach, Tower, Golden Mile, three piers, theatres, dancehalls, accommodation, railways, the famous tramway and football. 130 illustrations in colour and black-and-white, ranging from rare postcards to high-quality photojournalism and memorabilia, highlight the people and places that gave Blackpool its unique character. Although the book presents a nostalgic view of Blackpool’s heyday, it also highlights the contradictions of the resort’s identity as the UK’s tourism capital, contrasting the neon glitz of the Golden Mile with pockets of severe social deprivation today. It examines the dilemmas created by the town’s dual identity over the years. Should it be a genteel middleclass ‘watering place’ or a proletarian playground? Should it be a ‘family resort’ or a party town for nightclubbers? Should the interests of residents or tourism take priority? It is not intended as a definitive history of Blackpool, more of an impressionistic snapshot – literally – of an extraordinary era. |
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Reviews of Blackpool.. The Journalist, magazine of the National Union of Journalists (TUC Best Union Journal of the Year) Life member Barry McLoughlin's book recalls the glory years of working-class tourism. In this pictorial history, the former Blackpool Gazette chief reporter chronicles the halcyon days of the world's first proletarian playground in the six decades up to the 1960s. More than 130 illustrations in black-and-white and colour. Smoking Red
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and worldwide on Book Depository |
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Smoking Red by Wyndham Ward The Red Arrows and more - a life on the wing A life-long lover of aeroplanes, Wyndham Ward spent fifty-eight years in aviation: twenty-three years in the RAF and thirty-five years in civil flying. From Boy Mechanic he progressed to fighter pilot on the famous Hawker Hunter, flew low-level high-speed Buccaneers with the RAF, and with the Fleet Air Arm from HMS Ark Royal he was selected for the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team of 1979, a team that was unique in flying the last of the Gnats and the first Hawks. This involved an extended tour of duty with the team displaying the Hawk internationally and mixing with celebrities of many types. After a wonderful five years with the Red Arrows, Wyndham took to civilian aviation and joined Cathay Pacific, flying the Pacific Rim on B747’s and long range Airbus A340’s out of Hong Kong airport. An invitation to join Oman Royal Flight followed and as a Royal Flight Captain he flew the Sultan, VVIP’s and Heads of State in his B747 SP’s. Casting aside the glitz of royalty, he took up an appointment with Airbus Toulouse training pilots and this led to training business-jet pilots with CAE a world-wide Canadian training company and manufacturer of the latest synthetic flight simulators. Now retired from UK CAA and US FAA qualified posts, he lives in rural Mid-Wales and taken to writing to encourage young men and women to fly whatever their circumstances and to enjoy aviation as much as he has. Front cover photograph by Claire Hartley |
Natalie and Nassima
Judy Arliss
At forty, Natalie’s life seems to be a mess. Her teenage daughter, her ex, her horrible ex-mother-in-law, none of it is much fun. But when she heads to France backed up by her wonderful friends, everything changes - love to a Frenchman beckons and life starts to get better and better. The ex settles down with another woman, which is no bad thing but her daughter has tough times ahead...
Available
on Amazon
Published:
Jan 2023
Paperback:
134 pages
Price:
£7.50
ISBN:
9781914424731
Natalie and Nassima
by Judy Arliss
Mia is Lost
Jessica Keane
Mia is a curious, cheeky kitten looking for adventure. Tempted by the mysterious forest behind her back garden she ventures in. Soon she is lost. Night falls, a thunderstorm strikes and hungry foxes prowl. Will Mia’s friends find the scared kitten before it is too late? The neighbourhood cats ask a wise owl to lead the search. Bats with superpowers, two kind deer, a forgetful squirrel and a nosy hedgehog all play their part in this big-hearted animal adventure story that will keep children and adults hooked.
Graeme Whiting’s childhood was spent in poverty. He faced hardship and later, tragedy, but came through these challenges with the courage and enthusiasm to develop a remarkable career in education based on his passion for nurturing the individual abilities and unique potential of each student. Graeme was initially a physical training instructor in the army and then taught in public schools where a key mentor helped him adapt and refine his degree-level training skills to teach children.
A move to the Steiner system opened his eyes to a profoundly different approach to education, which along with Graeme's rich life experience – including his love of fishing, gymnastics, water sports and all manner of fun and adventure – became the foundation for his distinctively wholesome way of educating young people. In 1991 Graeme was able to fulfil a lifelong vision of how schooling with heart and kindness can help children flourish. Together with his wife, Sarah, he took a leap of faith and created his own school – The Acorn School – now a highly original cutting-edge independent school in the Cotswolds. After thirty years of Acorn, Graeme has written this book as an encouragement to us all to follow our hearts and take the path less travelled, no matter how humble our background.
As a teenager, Dave Russell discovered the joy of listening to rock music and watching live bands, an escape from his working class roots and strict upbringing. While pounding the streets of London as a telegram boy, he had the ambition to make music, but he could never have foreseen rubbing shoulders with real-life heroes or appearing on television and national radio as the singer in a band of complete unknowns. From performing in front of axe-wielding maniacs to interrupting a couple in flagrante delicto, this book is a journey of discovery – the real life of an aspiring musician, including redundancy, eviction, relationship break-ups and too many goodbyes. Such a musician does not have the luxury of this book being reviewed by the national press or book clubs, but here are some comments by real people: “Not bad for an ex-scaffolder,” my mate Glenn. “You never told me you was in a band,” my milkman. “Is that your shed on the front cover?” my neighbour Clive.
The story of how one particular piano recital changed the course of the author’s life and inspired her to overcome her fear of flying and to travel to more than twenty European countries over a period of twenty-three years to listen to one very special pianist. It describes not only the fascinating places she visited, the people she met, the friendships she cultivated, the comical and at times far less amusing things that happened to her, the kindnesses and the catastrophes, but also her impressions of the performances she attended, the diversity of venues in which those performances took place and the vagaries of audience behaviour. It’s the story of someone approaching late middle age whose life suddenly turned into an amazing adventure, told with candour and humour. Barbara Truman lives in Birmingham, the city of her birth, although she has lived in other parts of the country and for a while in Australia. In recent years her leisure time has been largely devoted to travelling around Europe and listening to music. In March 2020 at the start of the pandemic she retired from a sixty-year secretarial career during which she worked in the fields of commerce, accountancy and the law. With time on her hands she decided it was the ideal moment to start writing this book.
‘I scrambled from the table and ran outside to the old orange tree. Flinging my arms round the trunk I burst into tears and began banging my head against the bark...’ A novel that looks at the challenges African teenagers and young adults face, especially in the poorer and more remote areas: forced marriages, families below the poverty line, inadequate schools, harsh discipline and bullying. All for discussion in school, this book will help young people realise their identity and their innate ability to create a better world for themselves and for others. At the age of three, Winstone Wamalwa’s father died and his mother ran away to avoid being forcibly married to unmarried uncles who tormented him, and he had to live with unloving grandparents.
He had no shoes to wear when he went to school. The school had no water or electricity and only an earthen floor on which pupils sat. Discipline was harsh – a friend collapsed from malnutrition when ordered to run round the playground for failing his exams. But Winstone had talent. He gained a place in a prestigious school in Nairobi – only to be bullied for his poverty and from tribal rivalry by pupils from well-off families. In desperation he attacked a perpetrator and was only saved from expulsion by a Maasai pupil with strong principles who stood up for him. In an astonishing twist, his art teacher then claimed him as her son but, believing his mother was dead, he fled in horror and was unable to return to school until an unknown benefactor paid his fees. It was then that Winstone at last saw a light at the end of a dark tunnel which led to an entirely different lifestyle. Born in Cambridge, Roger spent many years working with children in a voluntary capacity in Kenya, Nepal and the UK. He is married to a Norwegian and has four daughters. He gives many talks and lectures on East Africa and Kenya in particular, to children and adults alike, with a view to helping them understand the hardships so many suffer from in third-world countries.
Available from
Amazon
Published:
Jan 2023
Paperback:
132 pages
Price:
£6.99
ISBN:
9781914424847
Mia is Lost
by Jessica Keane
A Mia the Kitten Adventure
Mia is Lost is Book 1 in the Mia the Kitten Adventure Series. This delightful animal adventure series about a feisty kitten and her forest friends is ideal for kids who love animals, nature and adventure. The illustrated chapter books are aimed at children above the age of six who are ready to step up from picture books to more complex stories with multiple characters. They work well as read together books for young families but can be read alone by competent young readers. I recommend reading the books in order although they work as standalone books as well.
Facts about nature and forest animals are woven into the plot that follows kitten Mia as she makes friends and keeps getting into trouble in the woods behind her house. All the books in the series focus on the value of friendship, kindness and the benefits of collaboration.
Reviews of Mia Is Lost...
Jo Leddington - 5 out of 5 stars A delightful story
This is a delightful story about a little black kitten who young readers will fall in love with.
Mia’s adventures will keep them turning the pages and discovering the beautiful illustrations.
The writing is evocative and conjures the atmosphere of the forest.
The author weaves facts about the forest animals into an exciting tale.
This book works for both the younger child being read to and the new reader.
I loved it and so did my granddaughter .
Duncan Richards - 5 out of 5 stars A wonderful debut novel!
I thoroughly enjoyed this charming gem! As a child, I was fascinated with stories about animals, and this would have made it into my top five books along with my favourite collection of stories about a very talkative and imaginative hamster.
I would recommend this book to any child around the age of six or above, or anyone with an interest in stories about nature and adventure.
The plot was gripping throughout and the illustrations were delightful. I can't wait to read the next instalment!
Erin Britton - 5 out of 5 stars Great for reading to younger children or early readers to read
Our daughter (4 years old) avidly listens and loves asking questions about Mia and what she is going to do.
An enjoyable read, highly recommend.
From Little Acorns – An Autobiography by Graeme Whiting
Graeme Whiting
Available from Amazon
Published:
Dec 2022
Paperback:
252 pages
Price:
£12.00
ISBN:
9781914424694
From Little Acorns:
A Story of Courage and Inspiration
An Autobiography by Graeme Whiting
The main thing about Graeme is this: his energy. More specifically, it’s a special kind of energy that acts as a catalyst on others. We all have great potential within us, but the difficult thing is activating it. Some people have the gift of providing the necessary spark to others – and this is at the heart of education, as something quite distinct from imparting information, and ultimately more important. Graeme is one of the rare people with that special gift.
Jeremy Wade (ex-pupil, angler, biologist, TV presenter)
The Ghosts of April – The life and times of the ugliest man in rock
Dave Russell
Available from Amazon
Published:
Jan 2023
Paperback:
272 pages
Price:
£9.99
ISBN:
9781914424830
The Ghosts of April
The life and times of the ugliest man in rock
living the dream isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be
by Dave Russell
Where Will I Be? – In Search of Sokolov
Barbara Truman
Available from Amazon
Published:
Jan 2023
Paperback:
314 pages
Price:
£12.99
ISBN:
9781914424809
Where Will I Be? - In Search of Sokolov
by Barbara Truman
Bantu Boy – Growing up in Kenya
Roger Stoakley
Available from Amazon
Published:
Feb 2023
Paperback:
248 pages
Price:
£12.00
ISBN:
9781914424687
and Good Bookshops
Target age range: 13-18 years
Bantu Boy - Growing up in Kenya
by Roger Stoakley
Other Books by Roger Stoakley...
Kenya, Land of Contradiction
Publishing Support for Writers and Artists