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QueenSpark Books Archive - Free Full Text Books
A unique searchable archive of the books published by QueenSpark Books up until 2010. Free to view and full text this collection features voices that tell the story of Brighton and Hove, across the 20th Century, in their own words. The majority of these titles are now out-of-print.
You can buy those still in-print, and newer titles, with this link.
Snapshots - Childhood memories of Southampton Street 1942 ??" 55
Author(s): Janis Ravenett
Published: 1996
In this autobiography, Janis Ravenett recalls her memories of Southampton Street, situated in the Hanover area of Brighton, during the years between 1942 and 1955. Janis includes many vignettes of family life, recalling a childhood that was happy and full of fun, and recounts the inevitable good and bad times that she experienced, especially in the transition from childhood to adulthood. The stories reveal a child's vivid perception of the love, excitement and disappointments that are all part of the growing up process. These memories cannot fail to touch the child in all of us. They are presented as self-contained snapshots of Janis's life, woven together to form an overall picture that represents her life's experiences.We’re Not All Rothschilds! - The extraordinary lives of some ordinary Jews
Author(s): Leila Abrahams
Published: 1994
This explores the interesting and unusual lives of some of Brighton's Jews in the twentieth century. Through a series of interviews with a cross-section of the Jewish community and two local Rabbis, Leila Abrahams shows that Jews are just as "ordinary" as any other section of society. A strong sense of their capacity to survive adversity in often extreme circumstances, is a theme that can be found throughout the book. On the part of some of the older Jews, there is nostalgia for the past, for a closely-knit family life and the comfort of familiar religious rituals and customs. As for the younger members of the community, they reflect the changing values of society over time in their search for a Jewish identity that involves integration without assimilation.From Circle to Spiral - A writers' handbook and anthology
Author(s): AB, Sarah Griffiths, Lorna Jones, Kate Mackrell, Jane Malone, Maria Ragusa, Pippa Scott
Published: 1995
From Circle to Spiral is about the enjoyment of the writing process and the personal satisfaction that can be gained from it. It reveals the insights that creative writing can bring and also provides a useful, practical guide to a method of working that may be helpful to budding writers. The reader is taken on an exciting journey of self-discovery, examining themes that are grouped in terms of paired dichotomies, such as "hedonism and abstinence", "excitement and serenity", "independence and intimacy" and "shame and pride". The product of a QueenSpark writing group consisting of seven women who spent two hours per week exchanging ideas and writing together in a mutually supportive environment, it can be viewed as a testament to the positive benefits that can be gained through the medium of creative writing.Alt Future
Author(s): Josie Darling, Charli Gunn, Tony Spiers, Sharon Zink, Tim Lay, Michael Tait, Pat Bowen, S. Lewis Silverswood, Amy Riley, Robbie Smith
Published: 2006
A companion work to Alt-History, this book is the result of a competition held to encourage people of all ages to think creatively about the city's future. The entries were judged and edited before publication, and include a vision of text-messaging in 2045, a description of how "Zero Tolerance" might operate on the city's streets in the not-too-distant future, through to a sci-fi "DownsLand Experience"Hard Work and No Consideration - 51 Years as a Carpenter-Joiner 1917-1968
Author(s): Albert Paul
Published: 1981
This is the sequel to Poverty, Hardship but Happiness. Brightonian, Albert Paul, left school at the tender age of fourteen and began work as a carpenter, rising from the position of apprentice to that of master craftsman. Albert remained in his job throughout his life, in an era when people usually continued to work for one employer throughout their working lives. This second book vividly describes how he supported his family during his working life as a carpenter/joiner in Brighton from 1917 to 1968. His hard work and commitment throughout his career, which lasted fifty-one years, is an example to us all. This book was written in 1975, one year before the author died.Catching Stories - Voices from the Brighton Fishing Community
Author(s): Fishermen
Published: 1996
This comprehensive account of the fishing industry documents how it has changed since the beginning of the century. At that time, fishing boats landed on the beach and the fish market was actually on the seafront. On a more personal level, Catching Stories is a living record, told in their own words, of the individuals who made up Brighton's fishing community. Their past is remembered with humour and honesty, as are the bygone traditions and lifestyles of their families. This unique and valuable document of social and oral history reveals the details of a traditional profession in an informative and enjoyable way. Listen to "hidden voices" that clamour to be heard!The Faith Project
Author(s): Sudanese Coptic, Muslim and Progressive Jewish communities
Published: 2006
The Faith Project used oral history and video work to help members of the Sudanese Coptic, Muslim and Progressive Jewish communities to collate a history of how and why the followers of these faiths arrived in Brighton and the traditions and customs that they brought with them. Project extracts are featured in this book which focuses on the positive contribution that the faiths have made to the common heritage of Brighton and Hove.Pullman Craftsmen - Life in the Pullman Car Company's Preston Park Works Brighton 1947-1963 - A View from the Shop Floor
Author(s): Don Carter, Joe Kent, Geoff Hart
Published: 1992
This work records the reminiscences of three craftsmen who were employed in the Preston Park Works of the Pullman Car Company during the fifties and sixties. As well as giving the reader a flavour of life in the engineering industry in those times, it also provides a fascinating post-war history of the automobile. The authors record the rise and fall of the company, from its heyday in 1948 to its decline and ultimate bankruptcy in 1963. In its day, it was a successful and valued company in the Brighton area, and it supported the local economy to a great extent. This knowledgeable account provides a testimony to a craftsmanship of a bygone era!Take Him Away
Author(s): Ron Piper
Published: 1995
This adventure begins with Ron Piper, as a boy of seven, clambering around bombsites looking for shrapnel and ends with his appearance in the dock at The Old Bailey, as a notorious career criminal. It is a powerful wartime record of the author's steady progress towards a life of crime in war-torn East London. Ron's unique style and humour convey to the reader the tribulations of his life, as well as describing the deep camaraderie, friendship and mischief that he shared with his companions and fellow felons. Full of vivid memories and colourful characters, it's a compelling account of one man's life history, which also conveys a vivid picture of the social history of the time.Always a Layman
Author(s): John Langley
Published: 1976
This is the autobiography of John Langley, an active church-goer, who was born in 1905. It tells the moving and impassioned story of his life: incorporating his childhood, his journey to adulthood, his working life and association with the Workers' Union along with his commitment and affiliation to the Labour Party. It also describes the progression of his career as a railway carriage painter and is very readable, telling us about the good and bad times of Brighton family life. His reminiscences are as sharp and accurate as if they all took place yesterday, let alone one hundred years' ago. John started from humble beginnings, in an era when a job for life really did mean just that.