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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.
Hard Times and Easy Terms - And other tales of a Queens Park cockney
Author(s): Bert Healey
Published: 1980
This is the entertaining story of a young cockney, who was something of a 'wide boy'. Originating from London, Bert Healey's story begins with tales of his life as a wayward boy, a youth and later an adult. He also describes many aspects of his working life - from his first pay packet, when working as a taxi driver to his times of unemployment during times of illness. Bert tells of the lost acquaintances of his youth, most who have now passed away. His story is especially interesting for young readers, who may not know anything of those times. The book gives an insight into the life and times of the Twenties and Thirties, and is particularly interesting for his tales of Brighton racecourse characters. Those times are often described as 'the bad old days.' Bert wonders if they really were so bad after all?Moulsecoomb Memories - Growing up in North Moulsecoomb in the thirties and forties
Author(s): Sheila Winter
Published: 1998
This personal history features the growth of the community of North Moulsecoomb. These are the reminiscences of Sheila Winter, who was born, raised and married in the community, and who narrates the story of her life during the years between 1929 and 1950. Through her eyes, the reader learns of the pleasures of childhood, despite the hardships and restrictions brought about by the Second World War. Sheila shares with the reader her personal hopes, fears, struggles and achievements as she describes her life's progression. Above all, the resilience of the human spirit shines through this honest and reflective account of one woman's life history.The Church round the Corner - St. Anne’s, Kemp Town
Author(s): Maurice Packham
Published: 2000
This intelligently written book examines the social and religious history of St. Anne's Church, which was located in the heart of Brighton. Maurice Packman, the author, was a choirboy at St. Anne's in the 1930s and he takes a gently humorous look at the community of his fellow worshippers. The church has been demolished, but memories of the trials and tribulations of its parishioners live on through the eyes of the author.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!Just one of a Large Family - Pre-war memories of the Tenantry Down neighbourhood
Author(s): Don Carter
Published: 1992
This book is a personal account of living in the Tenantry Down neighbourhood of Brighton in the pre-war years. Don Carter, the author, describes his childhood in the Hartington Road area of Brighton, where nearly all the roads are named after places in the Isle of Wight. Don can claim to be a true Brightonian, having been born and bred in the city. His boyhood territory was the vast, almost rural, valley of the cemeteries and the allotments of Tenantry Down. Added to Don's personal memories, are recollections from family and friends, which are incorporated into this interesting tale of life in Brighton in a bygone era.Roofless - Homeless in Brighton
Author(s): Simon Brown, Chris Ellis, Mark, John Wilkins, Danny, Martin Curtis, Simon Nihill, Paul Budd, B, Richard Rowland, Jacqui Martin, Mick O, Coralee, Chris, Liz Hingley, Jo Nean, Melissa Lee, Barry P, Wendy, Dominique De-Light, John Riches
Published: 2007
Roofless is a collection of photographs, essays, stories and poems by homeless and ex-homeless people from Brighton. It is about survival, about battling poverty, rejection, ill health and loneliness. There is anger, sadness and rebellion, but also instances of hope and solidarity and writing that, whilst often raw and uncompromising, possesses a surprising generosity of spirit. Roofless attacks many commonly held prejudices and provides not just a window on the world of the homeless, but a valuable insight into the society that so often lets them down. Roofless has stimulated many readers to write to QueenSpark - often expressing why some of the stories made them cry 🙁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.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!Moulsecoomb Days - Learning and Teaching on a Brighton Council Estate 1922-1947
Author(s): Ruby Dunn
Published: 1990
The subject of Moulsecoomb Days is the establishment of a Brighton Council Estate. The book traces the creation of a community in a 'garden suburb' which didn't have a school or a church when it was originally conceived. In the social aftermath of the Great War, Lloyd George's government devised the first serious public house-building programme. Built in a beautiful downland valley, this was an early realisation of the Liberal policy of providing 'homes fit for heroes'. However, whilst it represented a great improvement for the residents, neither the vision nor the reality was as picturesque as this catchphrase suggested. Today, the estate is considered to be rather run-down and neglected - forgotten in the mists of time, as empty promises often are.Writers Reign - An anthology of poetry and prose by QueenSpark Writers
Author(s): QueenSpark women writers
Published: 1991
Writers' Reign is an anthology of creative writing that is the product of three Queenspark women's writing groups that were set up in Brighton and Hove. It is the result of an interactive process that can be seen as ongoing rather than complete and contains a multitude of thoughts and ideas that are expressed in many ways; ranging from the amazing to the farcical, from the cynical to the most tender interpretations of perceptions and emotions. It reflects, in the shape of poetry and prose, the way the writers see their worldviews and through their experiences, it provides a window into their imaginative worlds.