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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.
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.One Camp Chair in the Living Room - A Woman’s Life in Rottingdean
Author(s): Margaret Ward
Published: 1988
Born in 1916, Margaret Ward describes her life as a 'winding lane' because of the many twists and turns it has taken. Her autobiography describes her childhood in Rottingdean, growing up amongst a loving family in the picturesque Sussex seaside village. For Margaret, 'nowhere in the world is there such a lovely place' to grow up. Her story moves from childhood, through adolescence and working life to her eventual retirement. She recounts the inevitable good and bad times that she experienced, in her story of family life in a close-knit community of a trusting bygone age, when villagers knew and trusted their neighbours, and could leave their doors open or let their children roam freely outdoors.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.Deckhand, West Pier
Author(s): Arthur Thickett
Published: 1993(reprinted 1999)
This is a fresh and often humorous look at a young man who came to Brighton in the summer of 1970, full of hope and optimism – his goal was to find adventure and ultimately love. Written in a witty prose style, we learn that on his first day he found digs, on his second day, he walked into a job, but cupid's arrow was to prove more elusive! Haunted by memories of the Second World War, Arthur Thickett tried to reconcile himself to his past and find friendship and laughter. He describes a town that behind the bright and lively holiday facade was full of lonely people. Note that the cover shown is from the second edition produced in 1999. The original book looked more like Margaret Ward"s Memories of Rottingdean.Her story - The Life of Phoebe Hessel
Author(s): Ruth Moorhouse, Chris Randall
Published: 1994
Phoebe Hessel (1713-1821) was a woman who spent part of her life dressed as a man, and fought as a soldier for many years with the British Army. In the 18th century, women had very little power or choice in their lives and there was therefore much to be gained in "becoming a man" in such a patriarchal society. In writing this book for children, QueenSpark hoped to encourage them to explore and question gender roles and have some insight into the changing values and expectations of contemporary society.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.Take Him Away
Author(s): Ron Piper
Published: 1995
This adventure begins with Ron Piper, as a boy of seven, clambering around bombsites looking for shrapnel and ends with his appearance in the dock at The Old Bailey, as a notorious career criminal. It is a powerful wartime record of the author's steady progress towards a life of crime in war-torn East London. Ron's unique style and humour convey to the reader the tribulations of his life, as well as describing the deep camaraderie, friendship and mischief that he shared with his companions and fellow felons. Full of vivid memories and colourful characters, it's a compelling account of one man's life history, which also conveys a vivid picture of the social history of the time.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.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.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.