Year Published
Categories
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.
International Service
Author(s): Kathleen Wilson
Published: 2002
With wartime Brighton as a backdrop, International Service tells the tale of Kathleen Wilson's naive teenage years, when her domineering father chose the jobs that she took and discouraged her passion for writing. It covers the time she spent working in family-run shops, through to her years at the International Stores in Preston Road and brings to life the atmosphere of the grocery trade in the period up to the 1950s. With her light-hearted and often humorous style, International Service enabled Kathleen to share her life story with the reader, who can follow her progression towards independence.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.At the Pawnbrokers
Author(s): Lillie Morgan
Published: 1991
This is the moving story of Lillie Morgan's life as a pawnbroker during World War One, in which she paints a vivid picture of the abject poverty that could be found in Brighton at that time. Food was scarce and people often had to go to desperate lengths to find the price of a loaf of bread - simply to feed their family! Within this life history, there are many amusing anecdotes that attest to the resilience of the human spirit. Lillie told her story to her granddaughter, Jane Russell, who transcribed it, using her grandmother's own words - as much as possible.Flying Sparks
Author(s): Tim Wren
Published: 1998
This autobiography depicts the trials and tribulations experienced by a hard-working apprentice electrician, as well as documenting times of laughter and fun. Tim Wren was fourteen when he left school and started work in wartime Brighton. In time, the opportunity arose to become a full apprentice and 'go out on the tools'. Tim's work took him to many different places, including the Royal Pavilion, when it was converted into an army hospital for Indian soldiers and an Italian prisoner of war camp in Billingshurst, West Sussex. However, if the truth be told, Tim seemed to spend most of his working hours with his colleagues, frequenting the teashops of Brighton!Who was Harry Cowley?
Author(s): QueenSpark writers
Published: 2003(reprinted Jun-03)
This is a reprint of the revised second edition published in 2003. It is included here (out of sequence in the QueenSpark chronology) because it was created to be a limited edition of the 1984 book that enabled a new generation of readers to become acquainted with Harry Cowley, a Brighton chimney sweep who became a legend. When he died in 1971, his body was laid in state at St Peter"s Church. More than 500 people attended his funeral to pay tribute to the man they called "the Gov"nor". Since then, Harry has not been forgotten. In 1999 Brighton and Hove Bus Company acknowledged his contribution to the City by giving a bus his name and in 2003 The Cowley Club, named in tribute to Harry and his grassroots action, opened its doors to the public.Paper on the Wind
Author(s): QueenSpark women writers
Published: 1984
This anthology contains poetry and prose from a QueenSpark Women's group. This was a group of women aged between 20 and 64 years, who met regularly to write and partake in group discussions and workshops. There is a strong feminist influence to the issues that are covered, encompassing the empowerment of women, particularly in today's world, when women have to balance multiple tasks in their daily lives. Paper on the Wind is relevant to all people regardless of age, disability, gender, religion and sexual orientation. It offers a forum for people to explore and experiment with their own creative writing processes and to take the necessary steps that will enable people to start writing for themselves, as well as providing encouragement to all those budding writers out there!Always a Layman
Author(s): John Langley
Published: 1976
This is the autobiography of John Langley, an active church-goer, who was born in 1905. It tells the moving and impassioned story of his life: incorporating his childhood, his journey to adulthood, his working life and association with the Workers' Union along with his commitment and affiliation to the Labour Party. It also describes the progression of his career as a railway carriage painter and is very readable, telling us about the good and bad times of Brighton family life. His reminiscences are as sharp and accurate as if they all took place yesterday, let alone one hundred years' ago. John started from humble beginnings, in an era when a job for life really did mean just that.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.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.Out of the Blue and blues
Author(s): Katherine J Browne
Published: 1975
This book, which consists of both poetry and prose, features the reminiscences of Katherine Browne. Katherine's story, which encompasses the entire spectrum of the human psyche, tells of the many pitfalls she encountered on her life's journey. It also shows that anybody can write, if they are sufficiently determined and given encouragement. Of particular interest in Katherine's narrative is her account of her war work as a Billeting Officer in Liverpool, in which she provides vivid descriptions of people's homes and lives during those turbulent and poverty-stricken times.