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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
'A sensual feast of a novel, written with elegance, beauty, charm
and skill in a voice that is both lyrical and unique. The Language
of Food is an intriguing story with characters that leap off the
page and live, but what sets it apart from it's contemporaries is
Abbs' outstanding prose' Santa Montefiore Eliza Acton, despite
having never before boiled an egg, became one of the world's most
successful cookery writers, revolutionizing cooking and cookbooks
around the world. Her story is fascinating, uplifting and truly
inspiring. Told in alternate voices by the award-winning author of
The Joyce Girl, and with recipes that leap to life from the page,
The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs is the most thought-provoking
and page-turning historical novel you'll read this year, exploring
the enduring struggle for female freedom, the power of female
friendship, the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry
of food, all while bringing Eliza Action out of the archives and
back into the public eye. 'I love Abbs's writing and the
extraordinary, hidden stories she unearths. Eliza Acton is her best
discovery yet' Clare Pooley 'A feast for the senses, rich with the
flavours of Victorian England, I prepared every dish with Eliza and
Ann and devoured every page. A literary - and culinary - triumph!'
Hazel Gaynor 'Exhilarating to read - thoughtful, heart-warming and
poignant, with a quiet intelligence and elegance that does its
heroine proud' Bridget Collins 'A sumptuous banquet of a book that
nourished me and satisfied me just as Eliza Acton's meals would
have... I adored it' Polly Crosby 'An effervescent novel, bursting
with delectable language and elegant details about cookbook writer,
Eliza Acton. Don't miss this intimate glimpse into the early
English kitchens and snapshot of food history' Sara Dahmen
'Wonderful... Abbs is such a good story teller. She catches period
atmosphere and character so well' Vanessa Nicolson 'Two of my
favourite topics in one elegantly written novel - women's lives and
food history. I absolutely loved it' Polly Russell 'A story of
courage, unlikely friendship and an exceptional character, told in
vibrant and immersive prose' Caroline Scott 'Richly imagined and
emotionally tender' Pen Vogler 'Characters that leap off the page,
a fascinating story and so much atmosphere, you feel you're in the
kitchen with Eliza - I loved it.' Frances Quinn 'I was inspired by
Eliza's passion, her independence, her bravery and ambition. Like a
cook's pantry, The Language of Food is full of wonderful
ingredients, exciting possibilities and secrets. Full of warmth and
as comforting as sitting by the kitchen range, I loved it' Jo
Thomas 'A delightful read' Nina Pottell 'Clever, unsentimental,
beautifully detailed and quietly riveting' Elizabeth Buchan, author
of Two Women in Rome 'A wonderful read' John Torode England 1835.
Eliza Acton is a poet who dreams of seeing her words in print. But
when she takes her new manuscript to a publisher, she's told that
'poetry is not the business of a lady'. Instead, they want her to
write a cookery book. That's what readers really want from women.
England is awash with exciting new ingredients, from spices to
exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them Eliza leaves the
offices appalled. But when her father is forced to flee the country
for bankruptcy, she has no choice but to consider the proposal.
Never having cooked before, she is determined to learn and to
discover, if she can, the poetry in recipe writing. To assist her,
she hires seventeen-year-old Ann Kirby, the impoverished daughter
of a war-crippled father and a mother with dementia. Over the
course of ten years, Eliza and Ann developed an unusual friendship
- one that crossed social classes and divides - and, together, they
broke the mould of traditional cookbooks and changed the course of
cookery writing forever.
I felt like we had failed, said director of grid operations Jim
Detmers in a pained voice. In my mind, I pictured people stranded
in elevators. I pictured people stranded in stores and checkout
lines. All I could think of was the Inconvenience, and I'm sitting
here thinking...thinking, what rock did we not look under to maybe
prevent this? As the focal point of an unprecedented power crisis
that has tarnished the Golden State, the California Independent
System Operator (California ISO) carries the mixed burden of being
a disaster survivor. Established to maintain electrical system
reliability for the world's fifth-largest economy, California ISO
has been both praised and vilified for its efforts amidst the chaos
of blackouts, price volatility, political backlash, and market
manipulations by Enron and other ruthless competitors. This book
chronicles how the California ISO came to be and what happened
during its first five years. More importantly, though, this is the
story of the people who make up California ISO and give it an
identifiable character and culture--its soul. regulatory record or
media accounts of California's unparalleled power emergency.
"Having written about New Mexico history for more than forty
years," explains the author, "it was perhaps inevitable that in
time I should publish a few articles on Billy the Kid. After all,
he is the one figure from this state's past whose name is known
around the world. The Kid's career, although astonishingly short,
nonetheless, left an indelible mark in the annals of the Old West.
And his name, William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid, seems locked
forever into the consciousness of the starry-eyed public. "Upon
request," the author continues, "I was able to assemble a
collection of my varied writings pertaining to some of Billy's real
or imagined deeds. Each section opens a small window on an aspect
of his tumultuous life, or casts light upon others whose fortunes
intersected with his. In this book, I have stalked Billy in an
erratic rather than a systematic way, taking pleasure merely in
adding a few new and unusual fragments to his biography. I trust
that readers who have a fascination with the history and legend of
Billy the Kid will find in these pages something of interest and
value. As Eugene Cunningham wrote more than seventy years ago, 'in
our imagination the Kid still lives--the Kid still rides.'" Marc
Simmons is a professional author and historian who has published
more than forty books on New Mexico and the American Southwest. His
popular "Trail Dust" column is syndicated in several regional
newspapers. In 1993, King Juan Carlos of Spain admitted him to the
knightly Order of Isabel la Catolica for his contributions to
Spanish colonial history.
Originally published over 100 years ago, LIFE AMONG THE APACHES is
John Cremony's absorbing eyewitness description of pre-reservation
Apache life and culture. Through his years in the military Cremony
fought in the war with Mexico and participated in many Indian
campaigns in the southwest deserts. In 1848 he served as Spanish
interpreter for the U. S. ? Mexico Boundary Commission where he
learned to speak Apache and subsequently wrote a glossary and
grammar of the language. Although he wrote this book with the
intent to encourage more effective military suppression of the
intimidating Apaches, this historical document has all of the
fast-paced action and excitement of a Wild West novel.
History at the intersection of healthcare, labor, and civil rights.
The union of hospital workers usually referred to as the 1199 sits
at the intersection of three of the most important topics in US
history: organized labor, health care, and civil rights. John
Hennen's book explores the union's history in Appalachia, a region
that is generally associated with extractive industries but has
seen health care grow as a share of the overall economy. With a
multiracial, largely female, and notably militant membership, 1199
was at labor's vanguard in the 1970s, and Hennen traces its efforts
in hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare centers in West
Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and Appalachian Ohio. He places these
stories of mainly low-wage women workers within the framework of
shake-ups in the late industrial and early postindustrial United
States, relying in part on the words of Local 1199 workers and
organizers themselves. Both a sophisticated account of an
overlooked aspect of Appalachia's labor history and a key piece of
context for Americans' current concern with the status of
"essential workers," Hennen's book is a timely contribution to the
fields of history and Appalachian studies and to the study of
social movements.
'An incredible testament to one man's determination' - The Sunday
Herald Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of Raasay
since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very
tip of his little archipelago, until semi-automation in 1967
reduced his responsibilities. 'So what he decided to do', says his
last neighbour, Donald MacLeod, 'was to build a road out of Arnish
in his months off. With a road he hoped new generations of people
would return to Arnish and all the north end of Raasay'. And so, at
the age of 56, Calum MacLeod, the last man left in northern Raasay,
set about single-handedly constructing the 'impossible' road. It
would become a romantic, quixotic venture, a kind of sculpture; an
obsessive work of art so perfect in every gradient, culvert and
supporting wall that its creation occupied almost twenty years of
his life. In Calum's Road Roger Hutchinson recounts the
extraordinary story of this remarkable man's devotion to his
visionary project.
A unique six-year compilation of British rural news, interspersed
with the author's own observations on birds, mammals, fish, and
aspects of Britain's countryside today. Most rural subjects are
covered in a comprehensive snapshot of country life at the start of
the new Millenium. From December 1999 to February 2006, scores of
different issues are compressed into hundreds of bite-sized, easily
digested articles. From angling to animal rights campaigns,
foxhunting to farming, game shooting to wildlife conservation, a
diverse collection of views, comment and advice is presented. The
batty and the bizarre also get a look-in, as do the controversial
and the downright crazy. With its packed pages, A Country Pillow
Book could become a bedside companion for the rural researcher or a
useful tool for the country-loving insomniac.
Shortlisted for the 2021 Lakeland Book of the Year Firths and
estuaries are liminal places, where land meets sea and tides meet
freshwater. Their unique ecosystems support a huge range of marine
and other wildlife: human activity too is profoundly influenced by
their waters and shores. The Solway Firth - the crooked finger of
water that both unites and divides Scotland and England - is a
beautiful yet unpredictable place and one of the
least-industrialised natural large estuaries in Europe. Its
history, geology and turbulent character have long affected the way
its inhabitants, both human and non-human, have learnt to live
along and within its ever-changing margins.
In 1830, the little Hebridean island of Lismore was one of the
granaries of the West Highlands, with every possible scrap of land
producing bere barley or oats. The population had reached its peak
of 1500, but by 1910, numbers had dwindled to 400 and were still
falling. The agricultural economy had been almost completely
transformed to support sheep and cattle, with ploughland replaced
by the now familiar green grassy landscape. With reference to
documentary sources, including Poor Law reports, the report of the
Napier Commission into the condition crofters in the Highlands and
Islands, as well as local documents and letters, this book
documents a century of emigration, migration and clearance and
paints an intimate portrait of the island community during a period
of profound change. At the same time, it also celebrates the
achievements of the many tenants who grasped the opportunities
involved in agricultural improvement.
Discover hidden gems around Birmingham with 20 walking routes.
Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known
circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided
walking instructions and written by local experts, A-Z Birmingham
Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light.
Small enough to fit in a bag or pocket, this handy guidebook is
ideal for tourists or locals looking to discover more about the
city. Each route varies in length from 1 to 6 miles (1.6 to 9.6
km), and is clearly outlined on detailed A-Z street mapping. * 20
walking routes with instructions and maps * Full-colour photographs
of hidden gems and city attractions * Key sights and locations
clearly marked on map * Information such as start/finish points,
nearest postcodes, distance and terrain included More from the A-Z
Hidden Walks series: A-Z Birmingham Hidden Walks A-Z Bristol &
Bath Hidden Walks A-Z Edinburgh Hidden Walks A-Z London Hidden
Walks A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks A-Z York Hidden Walks A-Z Brighton
Hidden Walks A-Z Cambridge Hidden Walks A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks
A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks
Lochmaben is situated in the 'debatable lands' on the main route
into Scotland north from Carlisle. The area has historic
connections to the family of Robert the Bruce. This close-knit
community has lost several of its basic amenities in recent years
but the recent community buyout of the Castle Loch has been a great
success with many volunteers coming together. 'Lochmaben Voices', a
project to collect the memories of the town's residents by
recording interviews with them, was set up in 2011. The eldest
interviewee was born in the 1920s and the youngest in 2000s and the
transcriptions reflect the various accents heard in the region. For
this book, three broad categories were identified: Lochmaben, both
as a physical place and a community; personal recollections of
living in the town; memories of the town during the Second World
War, including military connections.
Do you remember Pathe News? Taking the train to the seaside? The
purple stains of iodine on the knees of boys in short trousers?
Knitted bathing costumes? Then the chances are you were born in or
around 1950. To the young people of today, the 1950s seem like
another age. But for those born around then, this era of childhood
feels like yesterday. This delightful collection of photographic
memories will appeal to all who grew up in this post-war decade;
they include pictures of children enjoying life out on the streets
and bombsites, at home and at school, on holiday and at events.
These wonderful period pictures and descriptive captions will bring
back this decade of childhood, and jog memories about all aspects
of life as it was in post-war Britain. Paul Feeney is the author of
several bestselling nostalgia books including A 1950s Childhood and
A 1960s Childhood (The History Press). He has also written the
bestselling From Ration Book to Ebook (The History Press), which
takes a nostalgic look back over the life and times of the post-war
baby boomer generation.
Golden Mummies of Egypt presents new insights and a rich
perspective on beliefs about the afterlife during an era when Egypt
was part of the Greek and Roman worlds (c. 300 BCE-200 CE). This
beautifully illustrated book, featuring photography by Julia
Thorne, accompanies Manchester Museum's first-ever international
touring exhibition. Golden Mummies of Egypt is a visually
spectacular exhibition that offers visitors unparalleled access to
the museum's outstanding collection of Egyptian and Sudanese
objects - one of the largest in the UK. -- .
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