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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.
Alt-History - New Writing from Brighton
Author(s): Michael Acton, Emily Atkinson-Dalton, Ed Bell, John Bourne, Bryony Cleary, Joanne Dearden, Rachel Grant, Jane Hansford, Grace Judge, Andrew Kearsley, Barnaby O'Rorke, Neil Palmer, Rob Paraman, J T Sellers, Stephen Silverwood, Mark Wilkinson, Joe Young, Kjell Yri
Published: 2005
This diverse collection consists of fifteen stories by new writers, including five pieces of work by young authors under the age of twelve. The aim of the publication is to allow people the opportunity to write their own versions of ‘histories' of Brighton and Hove and the material includes fictional accounts of real places and events from Brighton and Hove's past, both distant and more recent. The tales include the humorous, the poignant and the surreal and provide a glimpse into an alternative world, highlighting the eccentric and heroic people from the Brighton area. It is hoped that they will be enjoyed by both a local and a wider audience.Everything Seems Smaller - A Brighton Boyhood between the Wars
Author(s): Sid Manville
Published: 1989
Sid Manville reminisces about his Brighton boyhood between the Wars. This first-person account of growing up in Bear Road, which was effectively his playground, describes scenes where he and his friends rolled their hoops and played with their spinning tops. Sid's interesting life story will appeal to his family, his contemporaries and the wider audience. It tells of many happy childhood memories, vividly recalling people and events of earlier days. In returning to the scenes of his childhood, we gain insight into a child's world viewed with the benefit of hindsight and seen through the lens of an adult perspective.A Life behind Bars
Author(s): Marjory Batchelor
Published: 1999
Born in 1908 at the Marquess of Exeter public house, which was run by her parents, Marjory Batchelor spent her working life as a barmaid and pub landlady in and around the Brighton area. Marjory recalls her experiences of the licensed trade through two World Wars up to the present day. From the days of spit ‘n' sawdust and horse-drawn drays, to the arrival of fruit machines and ‘pub grub' – Marjory remembers it all with humour and affection. Her account documents the many changes that have taken place in pub life in Marjory's lifetime, and provides an interesting social history of the industry, through first-hand experience.Live and Learn - A life and struggle for progress
Author(s): Les Moss
Published: 1979
In this book, Les Moss tells of his lifelong struggle in search of progress, and his personal triumph over adversity. Also documented is the eventful daily and working lives of both himself and his family. Examples of the struggles experienced by Les's family are shown in the tale of how his grandfather's Northampton shoe manufacturing company was driven out of business by the advent of mass production and how his father, who played the flute in the Camden Music Halls in London, could no longer work when mass entertainment became prevalent. In turn, Les's own craft as a centre-lathe turner became largely displaced during his lifetime. This fascinating life history also describes one man's involvement in trade unionism and provides a picture of political activism in London and Brighton from the 1920s onward.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.Refuge - Stories of Survival & Escape
Author(s): The Migrant English Project at The Cowley Club
Published: 2007
The Migrant English Project at The Cowley Club offered language classes to newly arrived migrants to Brighton and Hove. This book is the result of a series of workshops where participants had the opportunity to tell their stories.A Far Cry from a White Apron - The story of a Brighton Bevin Boy
Author(s): Michael and Leslie Wilson
Published: 2000
This book is about a young boy's experiences during the Second World War. The content is frank and occasionally disturbing and harrowing, even more so because Leslie Wilson was only eighteen years' old when he made the harsh transition from working as a shop assistant to working in a Welsh coal mine. This is a fascinating biography, co-authored by the protagonist, and describes with poignancy, stories of lost youth and a harsh life spent during a turbulent historical period.The Town Beehive - A young girls lot in Brighton 1910 - 1934
Author(s): Daisy Noakes
Published: 1975(reprinted 1980)
This was first published in 1975 and was so popular that it quickly sold out. Brightonian, Daisy Noakes, tells her story from the age of fourteen, when she went into service. She gives us an insight into the life of a woman born and brought up in Brighton. Daisy documents – with humour - her inevitable trials and tribulations in the often physically demanding world that she inhabited during her working life. The autobiography covers her childhood, as one of a family of ten, living in Prince's Road and Vere Road, and her working days in service in different parts of the town. This is a special insight into Daisy's world and is a shining example of true grit and fortitude!Jobs for Life
Author(s): Joan Parsons
Published: 1995
Spirited Joan Parsons writes with enthusiasm about her working life in Brighton. She gives a light-hearted view of her employment for many years as a toilet attendant – which may not have been the most glamorous of jobs, but certainly provided Joan with plenty of material for her autobiography. She worked in many different areas of Brighton, including The Steine, Princes Place and the Aquarium, and during the course of her working day she would do many little things over and above the call of duty, such as keeping talcum powder for mothers and babies. Her fascinating story recalls many interesting incidents, including encounters with homeless drunks who had nowhere else to sleep! Overall, it is a book about a hard life, but Joan is a survivor. At the age of seventy, she was still working and still enjoying a good laugh!Poverty: Hardship but Happiness - Those were the days 1903-1917
Author(s): Albert Paul
Published: 1974(reprinted 1975)
This book is the first that was published by QueenSpark. It tells the story of a working class boy's life in the years between 1903 and 1917, from his childhood through to adolescence. It looks at the hardships of life before and during the First World War and examines the ways that children's lives changed as a result of the Great War. Albert Paul was a retired carpenter who lived all his life in Brighton, and he describes in vivid detail the life of a boy brought up in poverty and his struggle against adversity.