Front Page, nonfiction

Virtual Women
Dr Anne Beaumont

Anne_Beaumont_Cover Why do some people reject the sexed bodies they were born into and transform themselves into women? Are the brains of men and women different? Is gender identity fixed at birth, is it learned behaviour or is it socially constructed? In Virtual Women, social anthropologist Anne Beaumont shows us that the answers to these prickly questions lie as much in the sphere of cultural difference as in that of science, and she constructs a new framework for gendering the body – one that centres solely on the individual. Virtual Women takes us from England to Thailand, to the twilight zone of the bars where genders blend into a human hybrid - the Ladyboys (Kathoey) of Thailand who live betwixt and between in sex. Drawing on extensive empirical research and on interviews with Kathoey and with British transsexual women and with the surgeons and psychiatrists involved, Virtual Women brings a new understanding of the transgender phenomenon:
Published:1st Sept 2014
Paperback:198 pages
Price:£11.99
ISBN:9-781909-644236

 Available from Amazon
Pay with PayPal
£11.99 (+ £2 postage)
‘… no matter what the outer appearances, I never felt like a man…’
‘… in my heart I am a woman. One hundred per cent, I am a woman…’
‘…wearing male clothing made me feel physically sick…’
‘… No! We are not men, we are not women; we are Ladyboys, that’s what we are!’
‘… my papa told me, “you can do what you want with your body,
but you can’t change your heart. You have a good heart. Nothing can change that…”’

Reviews...

Jennifer Nicholson-Morton
fascinating insight into the curious and often misunderstood world of the transgender ‘ladyboy’. Thoroughly researched by a knowledgeable and sympathetic academic ... we are led along the transitional journey of gender migration ... An interesting book which enlarges understanding of the human condition.
 
history, nonfiction, travel

Pounds and Pinfolds
Nigel Mills

cover Ask most people about pounds and pinfolds and they look blank. They may not have noticed the small, round or rectangular building that likely stands at the edge of their village. And yet these modest structures, now often reduced to piles of stones, were once an essential part of rural life in what is now Cumbria. They were where stray stock, and any animal found grazing on land for which its owner had no proper grazing rights, were once confined - until the owner paid a fine imposed by the local court. For hill-farmers and others, pounds or pinfolds were indispensable for ensuring community harmony. In this scholarly and well-researched account, Nigel Mills provides us with a comprehensive and unique insight into a little-considered aspect of our rural heritage and into the way of life of the men and women who farmed our hills in days gone by. It will be of great interest to local historians and to all who take an interest in the social history of Cumbria.
Published:28th Nov 2014
Paperback:94 pages
Price:£12.99
ISBN:978-123456-44444

 Available from Amazon
£12.99 (+ £2 postage)
EVENTS

books

Hard-Rock Mining

TOAHRM_Cover

Publication of Martin Stoakes’s Travels of a Hard-Rock Mining Engineer is due shortly. The book is a chronicle of the travels and experiences of one of Britain’s most successful mining engineers during the last half of the Twentieth Century. It gives a vivid and an instructive insight into the generally little known subject of hard-rock mining (the excavation of hard materials such as gold, nickel or lead and a source of conflict in some countries), often in remote locations. Various mining projects are described in detail and provide a fascinating insight into the complexities of mine design and evaluation.

Martin Stoakes worked on 125 mining projects in thirty-seven different countries over a forty-four year period. His graphic account of the sometimes nerve-racking conditions and locales that he experienced includes encounters with Shining Path guerrilla fighters in Peru, MNLF Islamic fundamentalists in the Philippines and the RPF guerrillas in Rwanda/Uganda. Hard rock mining was never for the faint-hearted.

Uncategorized

YouCaxton Charity Ball

ball2016
YouCaxton Charity Ball

For the benefit of
the Severn Hospice

With the superb
Footloose Dance Orchestra
Everyone welcome.
If you’re not a dancer, you will not have to sit idly on the sidelines listening to the, admittdly gorgeous, music. Everyone can get up and join in, in whatever manner they choose, during the Latin dances when there is no circulation around the room.
The venue could hardly be better. The Topaz Ballroom is the first proper ballroom to be opened in Shrewsbury since Isadora Duncan tripped the light fantastic – and that was a long time ago.

One Ticket (£16)



Two Tickets (£24)


or send a cheque to
YouCaxton Publications,
23 High Street,
Bishop’s Castle,
SY9 5BE


Footloose Dance Orchestra
Leader / Musical Director Andy Bate
Orchestra Manager Jan Mentha
Contact details info@fdo.org.uk

 
 

nonfiction

Those were the days
David Corbett

TWTDcover1-212x300 Those were the Days
by David Corbett
For nearly half a century from the dark days of World War II until the last decade of the Twentieth Century, BBC Radio featured programmes of old-time dance music. Those Were the Days with Harry Davidson and His Orchestra was first on the air in 1943, Sydney Thompson followed with Take Your Partners in 1948, and, in 1957, Sidney Bowman was engaged to play in a series soon titled Time for Old Time. When Harry Davidson retired in 1966, he had completed some 2,000 'live' broadcasts. Sidney Davey took on his mantle, and continued until 1976, the year that our final old-time maestro, Bryan Smith, stepped up to the conductor's rostrum with Sequence Time.
Published:28th Nov 2014
Hardback:160 pages
Price:£39.99
ISBN:9-781909-644120


Available from
The Great British Bookshop
This book is the only comprehensive survey of this unique form of radio entertainment. Not only does it describe, in detail, how the music changed but it also charts the development and decline of old-time dancing which is such an important part of our heritage, being the original form of ballroom dancing. Anyone who is interested in light orchestral music or melodies in a more popular vein from the music hall to popular standards, will find here a rich reserve. Those whose passion is for dancing will discover the original old-time dances and the names of the people and dances involved in the old-time revival as well as the interaction between old-time and modern sequence dancing.

Reviews...

Sunday Times
'Those Were the Days' is wonderful - it will give me great pleasure.
PAUL DONOVAN,
Radio critic

Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph
A real work of broadcasting scholarship as well as being a useful piece of social history.
GILLIAN REYNOLDS,
Radio Critic

BILL BEBB, Producer, 'Those Were the Days' 1964
"I arrived home the other day to find a large wrapped paving slab leaning against my door. When I opened the package I couldn't believe the size and detailed contents there were within. What a magnificent undertaking, and I can't tell you how much I've already enjoyed reading about my early days at the BBC, and so many wonderful names from the past. I shall display the book with pride on my book shelves."

PETER ELSDON, Middlesbrough
What a magnus opus and labour of love

MICHAEL COLLIER, Sutton, Surrey
I knew that the book would be something special but this has surpassed all my expectations. It really is quite magnificent, and you should be very proud. It has rarely left my side this last couple of days, and I'm afraid it has also kept me from some of those post holiday chores! It has replaced my previous choice as my book to take on a desert island, and that's some achievement!"

 
fiction

The Evil Within Me
Chan Jagatia

Chan Jagiata _COVER_ v1-1 280115_ 9781909644564 You are all alone in a narrow and very dark corridor. In front of you stands a nightmarish being, the thing you fear most in the entire world. You hear it breathing. You place your hands over your mouth in order to steady your own breathing, hoping to stop the sound of your hastened breath … Be prepared for shock horror and dread! And be grateful you’re not Sam Smith. Sam has a close circle of friends but one of them has become entangled in something so awful that their web of friendship is under impossible strain. Sam has been severely tested by life but now he must undergo unimaginable obstacles - and a hellish figure of Nazrath from Ancient India emerges from the darkness.
Published:1st March 2015
Paperback:487 pages
Price:£14.99
ISBN:9-781909-644564

 Available from Amazon
and Kindle e-books


Amazon Reader Reviews...

Maya Black - Great Read, highly recommended
I started to read this book and couldn't put it down, the suspense builds up as the story moves on and it becomes quite gripping. The characters are really good and all have their individual identity and you can't help but get pulled into their world. The book is also quite emotional at times and tugged at my heart strings a few times. I found the Indian references quite interesting too. It is a brilliant read and I definitely recommend it.

Khalid Sheikh - grabs your attention from the first page and does not release you until the very last page...
This is a brilliant debut novel by Chan Jagatia as through this book he has mixed the horror genre with Indian mythology in a way which I have never seen before in any other books or medium and mixes them both in a way which is not confusing and easy to follow. The book is also full of plot twists - majority I hadn't seen coming just when you think you have it all figured out Bam! Chan switches gears and takes the book in a different direction. In addition to this the characters are likeable, the dialogue memorable (especially the humour as it is on point) and overall the book was gripping and made me want to read to the end to find out how it all pans out. If you want a book which is a page turner, has characters to root for, good setting and plot then this book is a MUST READ for you.

Coops - Enjoyable, easy read
This is a great first novel for this author. There is awesome attention to detail centred around Indian mythology and Hindu theology, which is very enjoyable. I reckon future books will be even better so I'll be keeping my eye on what he publishes next.

News

Wolverhampton Express and Star

The Heritage Lottery Fund granted nearly £60,000 in June this year for the digitisation of the Express and Star’s photographic archive. The Star was founded in 1880 as a liberal news paper and was joined with the conservative Express (founded 1874)  in 1889 under Andrew Carnegie, so the the archive contains over a hundred years of Wolverhampton’s history. Once digitised, will be of even greater value to researchers than it is already.

The Molineux Building, in which the Archives are now housed, is itself of historical interest. It was built for the Molineux family over three hundred years ago and became a hotel in the 1870s – the Oak Room was once used as changing room by the town footballers. It was derelict for thirty years from 1979 but, after an arson attack in 2003, it was bought and later restored by the City Council.

 

 

 

 

Events

Wellington Literary Festival

 

YouCaxton has a stand at the Wellington Literary Festival this Saturday, 11 October, 1914, and on Saturday 25 October. We’ll be happy to answer any questions concerning publishing and printing.