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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.
Growing up in Ditchling
Author(s): Doris Hall
Published: 1985
This is a beautifully illustrated account of life as a adolescent girl, growing up in a Sussex rural village between the First and Second World Wars. Doris Hall describes the details and events of her daily life in an environment where she was able to develop peacefully and happily, surrounded by family, friends and local traders. Such an idyllic childhood tells of a time gone by which was more trusting and safe than today's world – it was a time when one could leave one's door open or let one's children play safely in the street. A far cry from modern-day Ditchling? Maybe, although many of the pubs and shops described by Doris still exist, even if the people that ran them are long gone.Those Lost Years
Author(s): Mary Adams
Published: 1995
This absorbing book tells the story of Mary Adam's life. Born in Birmingham in 1930, she describes a wartime childhood that was spent in convent schools and documents the abuse she suffered at a "farm school" for children with learning disabilities, along with the forty-seven years that she spent at St. Mary's residential unit for women, where, after a difficult start, her life steadily became more enjoyable. From such inauspicious beginnings, she subsequently extols the gradual development of a new life and independence, until, sadly, her life was ironically and tragically cut short by her death from cancer in March 1995 - just as her story was being prepared for publication. So, this is Mary"s legacy, ensuring that she will never be forgotten as long as her special memories live on.Life After Stroke - A book by stroke survivors who have learned to live again
Author(s): QueenSpark Stroke Writing Group
Published: 1993
This is an account of stroke survivors' triumphs over adversity, as they undertake the difficult and painful process of learning how to live again. The book examines the lasting effects of degenerative trauma and documents the transition from being able-bodied to becoming disabled. Writing is viewed as part of the process of rehabilitation, as the survivors share their experiences in a mutually beneficial and supportive way. Through descriptions of their day-to-day lives, they demonstrate resilience and offer other stroke survivors an insight that cannot be gained from professionals, however skilled and caring, proving that there is indeed a life after suffering a stroke.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"Tales from the Sanctuary - An anthology of readings from a QueenSpark Performance Evening
Author(s): Shirley Beckett, Danny Birchall, John Cranfield, Sonia Ctvrtecka, Cyril Daugy, Julie Everton, Sue Long, Simon Jenner, Lorna Jones, Nick Osmond, Sam Royce, Tim Shelton-Jones, Nicola Schouten, John Sitzia, John Tatum, Arthur Thickett, Deb Thomas, Alistair Thomson
Published: 1995
This is an anthology of readings that were given at a QueenSpark performance evening. The recital took place at the Sanctuary cafe in Hove, which is a popular location for community events. For some people, this was the first time they had read aloud in public, although this was not reflected in their performances! The work, however, does reflect the diversity of QueenSpark members. It includes prose and poetry, humorous and sad contributions; some brief, others far longer. In short, there is enough material in this collection to suit every reader's taste - an impressive anthology, featuring a truly inspirational body of work.Rare book
Faded Rainbow - Our married years
Author(s): Daisy Noakes
Published: 1980
This autobiography gives a poignant insight into the life and expectations of a working class Brighton girl, who from the age of fourteen, was in service from 1910 to 1934. It describes her life as a young wife and mother, and the isolation she felt living in the countryside surrounding Gatwick Airfield. Daisy examines the early years of her marriage in 1934 to George Noakes, when she comments that there was 'no honeymoon period for us', as her employers would not allow such a luxury and it was like getting 'blood out of a stone' even to get a day off to get married. In her twilight years Daisy bravely recalls how she coped with her husband's terminal illness, when she was left alone to keep her family going.A small account of my travels through the wilderness
Author(s): James Nye
Published: 1981
This book contains original material that was written during the period between the early 1860s and 1888. It is part autobiography and part diary, and tells the story of James Nye, an extraordinary man, who lived much of his life in a nineteenth century rural village, near Lewes. His life story was discovered in latter days by a fellow-musician, Vic Gammon, who brought his words to print in 1981 and wrote the introduction to this book. The narrative describes James's diverse career, ranging from his work as a village musician, composer, instrument maker, agricultural labourer and quarry worker to his later work as a gardener in Ashcombe House, near Lewes. He was a deeply religious man, being a self-educated Calvinist and his writings reflect his spiritual journey and belief in social justice for the poor and dispossessed. Nye's poetry, which is included in the book, provides a vivid testament to a world very different to that of today, and is especially vivid in his descriptions of life in the Sussex locality.Who Stood Idly By - Poems and Cartoons
Author(s): Alf Johns
Published: 1984
Published in 1984, this is a book containing humorous and political poems and cartoons intended for an adult audience. Satirical and witty, exhibiting a wry, often black sense of humour, the subject matter centres around the politics of the government of the day, in particular the policies pursued by the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. Written by a retired hospital porter, Alf Johns highlights the failures of Thatcher's government in the 1980s and early 1990s. Alf believed in socialism, which he described as 'the language of peace and economic success' and of particular concern to him was the topic of anti-nuclear disarmament.Brighton Boy - A fifties childhood
Author(s): Andy Steer
Published: 1994
This autobiography takes as its subject matter the local areas and geography of post-war Brighton, seen through the eyes of Andy Steer. It includes descriptions of institutions in the city that were important to Andy such as Stanford Road School, the now defunct Brighton Cycle Club and the Shiverers Swimming Club at the King Alfred swimming pool in Hove! The book also brings alive those boyhood times when he and his friends played in Cherry Woods, near Withdean Stadium. Here they spent timeless hours on their endless games - lost in their own joyful, imaginary world. In short, Brighton Boy is a schoolboy's tale of Brighton in the fifties which is sure to bring back memories of forgotten times for many local people.A Working Man - A Century of Hove Memories
Author(s): Ernie Mason
Published: 1998
One winter in the 1980s, Ernie Mason was at a loose end, so he bought a notebook and began to write his autobiography. This story encapsulates a working-class man's journey through life over the course of the twentieth century, documenting the many changes that took place in the local environment and in social conditions. Born in 1906, Ernie lived all his life in Hove, except for a short period spent in the Navy during the war years. His childhood was spent in a neighbourhood that was full of market gardens, orchards and fields. Ernie recalls vivid memories of growing up, of his working life and finally of retirement after sixty years of work, having begun his working life at the tender age of eleven. The narrative not only provides a unique personal history, but also depicts a largely forgotten way of life in a bygone era.