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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.
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!Pullman Attendant
Author(s): Bert Hollick
Published: 1991
In 1935, fifteen year old Bert Hollick signed on at Brighton Station for his first shift on a Pullman Train. Working on the midnight shift from Victoria to Brighton, he learnt to ladle soup from a tureen at seventy-five miles per hour and serve a three-course lunch in a speedy fifty-eight minutes. A man of few words, Bert's life story is told in a succinct and concise style that nonetheless manages to convey wonderfully the atmosphere of the Pullman Cars, as well as providing interesting factual details of railway life. He worked at a time when a twelve to fourteen hour day was commonplace, and wages were a meagre two pounds a week, despite providing a luxury service to everyday travellers. This book is a must for all train and railway enthusiasts.ZAP - Twenty-five years of Innovation
Author(s): Jonathan M Woodham, Neil Butler, Roger Ely, Liz Agiss, Ian Smith, Simon Fanshawe, Sian Thomas, Richard Paul-Jones, Paul Kemp, Mark Waugh, Polly Marshall, Gavin Henderson, Paul Collard, Jane McMorrow, Dave Reeves, Rebecca Ball, Karen Poley
Published: 2007
Although not strictly speaking a QueenSpark book, this wild ride across the diverse cultural terrain of live entertainment in Brighton and Hove was produced in collaboration with QueenSpark. It tells the story of one of the UK's most cutting edge, creative producers. Over the last two and a half decades Zap Art has gone from establishing the iconic Zap nightclub, which transformed night life on the Brighton seafront to taking over the streets in most major cities and towns across the UK with large scale outdoor events.The Crowd Roars - Tales from the life of a professional stuntman
Author(s): Ron Cunningham (The Great Omani)
Published: 1998
In these reminiscences, Ron Cunningham, alias "the Great Omani", presents tales and adventures from the life of a professional stuntman. Ron's inspiration was the renowned escapologist, Houdini and in describing the exploits that he undertook as part of his unusual career, echoes of Houdini's famous tricks can be spotted. For example, Ron once had to travel from Hastings to Piccadilly in London encased in a concrete coffin, and another time, he jumped off the West Pier bound in chains. His stunts ranged from the bizarre to the spectacular and dangerous. Warning - not to be tried at home!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.Missing the Nile - Experiences of Sudanese people in Brighton
Author(s): Sudanese people in Brighton
Published: 2005
Published in January 2005, this fascinating book examines the customs and culture of the Sudanese community in the Brighton and Hove area. The British and Sudanese cultures are very different to one another and the narrative includes comparisons of the two cultures, as well as giving first-hand descriptions of festivals, celebrations including weddings and funerals, and food. The text is written in both English and Arabic, making it accessible to the widest possible audience and will be especially enjoyed by the second generation of the Sudanese community, living in the Brighton and Hove area. It also fulfils the function of recording a culture's history for future generations.Blighty Brighton - Photographs and memories of Brighton in the First World War
Author(s): Various
Published: 1991
Sadly out of print, this book (produced in collaboration with the Lewis Cohen Urban Studies Centre), is all about memories of Brighton during the First World War. Through an examination of ephemera such as posters, photographs, pictures, songs and personal recollections, it portrays a collective memory of the city. Photographs are central to this work; for example Brighton Museum, Preston Manor and Brighton Reference Library are all featured pictorially. This book provides a valuable and important source of local history - a must for all those passionate about the city and its historical roots!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.Remember the First Time? - A Collection of Childhood Memories
Author(s): Martha Buckley, Rachael Collins, Tony Gates, Margaret Heal, Keith Jago, River Jones, Karen McMahon, Karen Monaghan, Celine West
Published: 2002
These diverse images of childhood recapture a world that was much bigger and full of the unknown than today; a place where so many territories still lay undiscovered. In brief autobiographies, eight writers share reminiscences of their childhood years of happiness and indulgence. The authors take us on a journey back to times and places where imagination was allowed to run wild and unfettered. Readers can gain insight into those bygone times of fun, fantasy and frolics, but it wasn't only halcyon days that are remembered. There were times when childhood memories invoke fear and bewilderment, and a wide spectrum of emotions is explored in the stories contained in this collection. It provides a legacy of childhood that can be enjoyed by children as well as adults, who will no doubt find echoes of their own childhood days.Back Street Brighton - Photographs and Memories: a sequel to Backyard Brighton
Author(s): Various
Published: 1989(reprinted Nov-07)
Originally produced in collaboration with the Lewis Cohen Urban Studies Centre, this is a sequel to Backyard Brighton incorporating photographs taken by the Environmental Health Department in the late forties and early fifties of houses in Brighton that were scheduled for demolition in the fifties and sixties. Each photograph is accompanied by reminiscences of families who lived in the houses which, unlike the narratives in Backyard Brighton, are generally positive - with many people expressing fond memories of the era and viewing the demolitions as a beneficial experience for the area. The book provides an interesting historical account of "slum" clearance for residents of Brighton and any other readers who might be interested in the architectural and social history of the city.