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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.The Other Side of the Counter - The Life of a Shop Girl 1925-1945
Author(s): Marjorie Gardiner
Published: 1985
This autobiography looks at the working life of milliner, Marjorie Gardiner, from 1925 to 1945, including an account of her working life during the Second World War. Marjorie's story is told in a lively and evocative manner, and describes her experiences as a shop assistant working in a Brighton hat shop, where she met all manner of elite customers. Those were the days when women were particularly fashion-conscious and there was a huge variety of different types of hat styles available. This first-hand account provides a fascinating insight into shop life during the first part of the twentieth century.A Far Cry from a White Apron - The story of a Brighton Bevin Boy
Author(s): Michael and Leslie Wilson
Published: 2000
This book is about a young boy's experiences during the Second World War. The content is frank and occasionally disturbing and harrowing, even more so because Leslie Wilson was only eighteen years' old when he made the harsh transition from working as a shop assistant to working in a Welsh coal mine. This is a fascinating biography, co-authored by the protagonist, and describes with poignancy, stories of lost youth and a harsh life spent during a turbulent historical period.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.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.Shops Book - Shopkeepers and Street Traders in East Brighton 1900-1930
Author(s): Neil Griffiths
Published: 1978
Shopping plays a major part in all our lives: we are all affected by rising prices and the changes that have taken place to shops in our local areas. This book is about shopkeepers and street traders – drawing together their various experiences in East Brighton. Shops have certainly changed greatly in the last hundred years - as large firms, supermarkets and superstores have replaced the small-scale local producers and craftsmen. The reader is better able to understand these changes through reading of first-hand experiences, in this comprehensive study of a bygone era.A Pen for all Seasons
Author(s): Ethel Akhurst, Marjory Batchelor, Sylvia Calvert, Stevie English, Valerie Goble, Dave Higgins, Susie Mehmed, Bob Miles
Published: 1997
Published in 1997, this interesting and diverse anthology is the outcome of work that was produced by members of the Hove Writers Club. It will appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds, who should enjoy this inspiring work, which reflects the creativity and freedom of expression that has emerged from the pens of its authors. Including poetry and prose, it focuses on the details of everyday life through the medium of creative writing. The enthusiasm and energy of the writers comes across vividly, and this should appeal to readers of all levels; from the academic to the pleasure seeker, as well as to audiences who are new to poetry.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.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!Daring Hearts - Lesbian and Gay Lives of 50's and 60's Brighton
Author(s): Peter Dennis, Beccie Mannall, Linda Pointings
Published: 1992
This is a collection of life stories of people who are members of the gay and lesbian community in the Brighton area. The book is based on taped interviews with forty lesbian and gay men who spoke openly about their lives in and around Brighton. In the fifties and sixties the town enjoyed a national reputation as a haven for gay people and it was viewed as a relatively tolerant place for people to visit and live. Lesbians and gay men came from all over Britain for holidays and to settle down. Brighton was considered a type of ‘Eldorado', a promised land, and this tradition remains today, where its thriving gay community is one of the largest in the country, outside London.