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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.
To be a Farmer’s Boy
Author(s): George Noakes
Published: 1977
This tells of George Noakes's childhood and early adult working life before he married Daisy, author of The Town Beehive and The Faded Rainbow, in 1934. George reminisces about his childhood farm memories and forays to the local shops and surrounding areas; for example, when he visited the local bakers, he always knew that a sugar bun would be given to him. When he was old enough to be trusted outside, he ventured everywhere. In short, he had an idyllic childhood, in an era where children had much more freedom to roam "without today's safety worries" and he progressed from a boy into a happy adolescent and adult.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.Our Small Corner
Author(s): Sid Manville
Published: 1994(reprinted 1994)
This autobiography is the sequel to Sid Manville's Everything Seems Smaller. It recalls memories of friends, neighbours and relatives who made up the 'small corner' of Sid's neighbourhood in Bear Road in Brighton in the Twenties and Thirties. Sid writes with much affection and humour, although he doesn't forget that this era was also a time of great hardship for working class people. His own mother and father struggled to bring up a large family at a time when it was considered fortunate to have any kind of job, no matter how poorly paid. Although times have changed, lack of employment is still a feature of many people's lives in the twenty-first century.Backyard Brighton - Electronic version with new photographs
Author(s): Various
Published: 1988
Backyard Brighton, originally published in 1988, was a seminal book; produced in association with the Lewis Cohen Urban Studies Centre. The collection of photographs and reminiscences was based on material gathered by Brighton Borough Council with the intention of creating a record of houses that were scheduled for demolition during the 1930s. This electronic edition contains a new selection of photographs.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.Boxing Day Baby
Author(s): Barbara Chapman
Published: 1994
Barbara Chapman was born in Brighton on a snowy Boxing Day in 1927 and in this autobiography, she reminisces about her early childhood; focusing on her memories of home and school, and the effects of the Second World War on herself, her family, and the community. Barbara shares her experiences of working life in the Brighton area; telling stories of her jobs, including her work as a waitress and a telephonist at the Old Ship Hotel. She recollects vividly a bygone era, narrating her life history with honesty, humour and charm and invoking for the reader a very personal impression of the city during the early 1930s and 1940s.On the Writing Trail - Short stories by QueenSpark writers
Author(s): Leila Abrahams, Ethel Akhurst, Margory Batchelor, Shirley Beckett, Sylvia Calvert, Valerie Croft, Stevie English, Valerie Goble, Margaret Howell, Keith Kennedy, Susie Mehmed, Robert J Miles, Nick Osmond, Violet Pumphrey, Sam Royce, Claire Shelton-Jones, John Tatum, Arthur Thickett, P B Thomas
Published: 1999
This diverse anthology of short stories is a rare excursion for QueenSpark into publishing fiction. The stories explore childhood themes from an adult perspective, often in a quirky and original style. The content is entertaining, with a clear sense of humour evident throughout. The book recognises that writing fiction is part of a personal, subjective process and the stories in this collection reflect the individual experiences, ideas and inspirations of each of the writers. Through the writing process, it has allowed people who might not otherwise have classified themselves as authors to see their creativity find an outlet through the publication of this work.Rare book
The Lone Rangers - Single Parents' Writing Project
Author(s): Karen Clark, Dawn Evans, Liz Ezra, Miranda Frost, Sharon Halsall, Lorna Jones, Sophie March, Shirley May
Published: 1995
Seven single parents share their personal hopes, fears, struggles and achievements on their respective journeys through parenthood. The book focuses on the challenges they face, particularly when taking on the role of both mother and father in their children's lives. It acknowledges the effort and energy required of them, as they make important life choices about their children's schooling and welfare. The book is especially interesting because it documents what it means to live in an era where, unfortunately, discrimination can still exist. This is a must for every single parent in our community!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"Memories of Rottingdean - 1920 - 1945
Author(s): Margaret Ward
Published: 1993
This book is a sequel to One Camp Chair in the Living Room, written by Margaret Ward and published by QueenSpark in 1988. Margaret was born and brought up in Rottingdean and lived there all her life. Unfortunately in 1989 she suffered a major stroke and at the suggestion of her rehabilitation nurses, started (as therapy) to write again. As she began to describe the stroke itself and her hard, painful struggle towards recovery she discovered fresh memories of her childhood, teenage years and early married life - they came crowding in and these more recent recollections are incorporated in this narrative.