In our world of global superstar footballers, it's easy to forget the grassroots of a sport where loyalty to a hometown club is often rock solid - and counts for everything. Even as local communities come under threat, football fandom still pulls us together. But why is this? What is the special magic that connects towns and teams? For many of us, the local club offers it all: passion, hope, heartache, drama. And a sense of belonging. The town where we grew up and all the places we've lived are the bedrock of our lives, and memories of seeing the local team play are inextricably intertwined with our sense of place and identity. Steve Leach spends a year visiting the twenty towns and clubs that are special to him. He celebrates the distinctiveness of these places, the fascinating differences between Lincoln and Leyton, Barrow and Birmingham, Macclesfield and Morecambe - towns and teams that may not be glamorous, but they are unique and, more importantly, they are home.

Audubon Park's journey from farmland to cityscape The study of Audubon Park's origins, maturation, and disappearance is at root the study of a rural society evolving into an urban community, an examination of the relationship between people and the land they inhabit. When John James Audubon bought fourteen acres of northern Manhattan farmland in 1841, he set in motion a chain of events that moved forward inexorably to the streetscape that emerged seven decades later. The story of how that happened makes up the pages of The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot: Audubon Park and the Families Who Shaped It. This fully illustrated history peels back the many layers of a rural society evolving into an urban community, enlivened by the people who propelled it forward: property owners, tenants, laborers, and servants. The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot tells the intricate tale of how individual choices in the face of family dysfunction, economic crises, technological developments, and the myriad daily occurrences that elicit personal reflection and change of course pushed Audubon Park forward to the cityscape that distinguishes the neighborhood today. A longtime evangelist for Manhattan's Audubon Park neighborhood, author Matthew Spady delves deep into the lives of the two families most responsible over time for the anomalous arrangement of today's streetscape: the Audubons and the Grinnells. Buoyed by his extensive research, Spady reveals the darker truth behind John James Audubon (1785-1851), a towering patriarch who consumed the lives of his family members in pursuit of his own goals. He then narrates how fifty years after Audubon's death, George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938) and his siblings found themselves the owners of extensive property that was not yielding sufficient income to pay taxes, insurance, and maintenance. Like the Audubons, they planned an exit strategy for controlled change that would have an unexpected ending. Beginning with the Audubons' return to America in 1839, The Neighborhood Manhattan Forgot follows the many twists and turns of the area's path from forest to city, ending in the twenty-first century with the Audubon name re-purposed in today's historic district, a multiethnic, multi-racial urban neighborhood far removed from the homogeneous, Eurocentric Audubon Park suburb.

What is Manchester? Moving far from the glitzy shopping districts and architectural showpieces, away from cool city-centre living and modish cultural centres, this book shows us the unheralded, under-appreciated and overlooked parts of Greater Manchester in which the majority of Mancunians live, work and play. It tells the story of the city thematically, using concepts such a 'material', 'atmosphere', 'waste', 'movement' and 'underworld' to challenge our understanding of the quintessential post-industrial metropolis. Bringing together contributions from twenty-five poets, academics, writers, novelists, historians, architects and artists from across the region alongside a range of captivating photographs, this book explores the history of Manchester through its chimneys, cobblestones, ginnels and graves. This wide-ranging and inclusive approach reveals a host of idiosyncrasies, hidden spaces and stories that have until now been neglected. -- .

'A gripping, heart-breaking account of the famine winter of 1847' - Rosemary Goring, The Herald Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize When Scotland's 1846 potato crop was wiped out by blight, the country was plunged into crisis. In the Hebrides and the West Highlands a huge relief effort came too late to prevent starvation and death. Further east, meanwhile, towns and villages from Aberdeen to Wick and Thurso, rose up in protest at the cost of the oatmeal that replaced potatoes as people's basic foodstuff. Oatmeal's soaring price was blamed on the export of grain by farmers and landlords cashing in on even higher prices elsewhere. As a bitter winter gripped and families feared a repeat of the calamitous famine then ravaging Ireland, grain carts were seized, ships boarded, harbours blockaded, a jail forced open, the military confronted. The army fired on one set of rioters. Savage sentences were imposed on others. But thousands-strong crowds also gained key concessions. Above all they won cheaper food. Those dramatic events have long been ignored or forgotten. Now, in James Hunter, they have their historian. The story he tells is, by turns, moving, anger-making and inspiring. In an era of food banks and growing poverty, it is also very timely.

Wallsend has a rich heritage, which is uniquely reflected in this delightful, full-colour compilation. Contrasting a selection of forty-five archive images alongside modern photographs taken from the same location, this new book reveals the changing faces, buildings and streets of Wallsend during the last century. Comparing the workers of yesteryear with today's tradespeople, along with some famous landmarks and little-known street scenes, this is a wide-ranging look at the area's absorbing history. Wallsend Then & Now will awaken nostalgic memories for those who live in or know the town, whilst providing visitors with a glimpse of how the town used to be.

In twenty-first-century American cities, policy makers increasingly celebrate university-sponsored innovation districts as engines of inclusive growth. But the story is not so simple. In University City, Laura Wolf-Powers chronicles five decades of planning in and around the communities of West Philadelphia's University City to illuminate how the dynamics of innovation district development in the present both depart from and connect to the politics of mid-twentieth-century urban renewal. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research, Wolf-Powers concludes that even as university and government leaders vow to develop without displacement, what existing residents value is imperiled when innovation-driven redevelopment remains accountable to the property market. The book first traces the municipal and institutional politics that empowered officials to demolish a predominantly Black neighborhood near the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University in the late 1960s to make way for the University City Science Center and University City High School. It also provides new insight into organizations whose members experimented during that same period with alternative conceptions of economic advancement. The book then shifts to the present, documenting contemporary efforts to position university-adjacent neighborhoods as locations for prosperity built on scientific knowledge. Wolf-Powers examines the work of mobilized civic groups to push cultural preservation concerns into the public arena and to win policies to help economically insecure families keep a foothold in changing neighborhoods. Placing Philadelphia's innovation districts in the context of similar development taking place around the United States, University City advocates a reorientation of redevelopment practice around the recognition that despite their negligible worth in real estate terms, the time, care, and energy people invest in their local environments-and in one another-are precious urban resources.

These folk tales reflect the wild and secret character of between two countries and two worlds. The book other magical characters such as the Netherwitton worm who guards a secret well and the Hedley Kow that plays audacious tricks on humans. Accompanying these, there is the sound of human feet; saints seek refuge, ancient kings fight for land and salvation, and border folk pit themselves against one another with both wit and sword. Illustrated with thirty beautiful and evocative drawings by Rachel Edwards, this panoply of characters, together with ghosts, witches and the land itself, is brought to life by professional storyteller Malcolm Green.

An Open Access edition of this book will be made available on publication via the Liverpool University Press website. Steel City Readers makes available, and interprets in detail, a large body of new evidence about past cultures and communities of reading. Its distinctive method is to listen to readers' own voices, rather than theorising about them as an undifferentiated group. Its cogent and engaging structure traces reading journeys from childhood into education and adulthood, and attends to settings from home to school to library. It has a distinctive focus on reading for pleasure and its framework of argument situates that type of reading in relation to dimensions of gender and class. It is grounded in place, and particularly in the context of a specific industrial city: Sheffield. The men and women featured in the book, coming to adulthood in the 1930s and 1940s, rarely regarded reading as a means of self-improvement. It was more usually a compulsive and intensely pleasurable private activity.

Longton is, and always has been, 'a desirable place to live'. In 2004, the village is hugely popular with those looking to enjoy a good quality of life, while still being close to the city of Preston. The Longton of today, however, is largely a product of the latter half of the twentieth century, and it is only by piecing together the available historical information that its original heart can be recreated. It is a skilled and daunting task but Longton author Marjorie Searson has sifted through the archives and done just this in her excellent new book, "Longton in the Nineteenth Century". The book cleverly creates in the reader's mind an image of the layout of the village and of the lives of the people who lived and worked there. At the same time, the author puts this small rural settlement into the wider context of the time, looking at developments in agriculture, the cotton industry, health and education. The result is a well-written and beautifully produced volume which is a must for all Longtonians and Lancastrians everywhere.

Scholars working in archaeology, education, history, geography, and politics tell a nuanced story about the people and dynamics that reshaped this region and determined who would control it. The Ohio Valley possesses some of the most resource-rich terrain in the world. Its settlement by humans was thus consequential not only for shaping the geographic and cultural landscape of the region but also for forming the United States and the future of world history. Settling Ohio begins with an overview of the first people who inhabited the region, who built civilizations that moved massive amounts of earth and left an archaeological record that drew the interest of subsequent settlers and continues to intrigue scholars. It highlights how, in the eighteenth century, American Indians who migrated from the East and North interacted with Europeans to develop impressive trading networks and how they navigated complicated wars and sought to preserve national identities in the face of violent attempts to remove them from their lands. The book situates the traditional story of Ohio settlement, including the Northwest Ordinance, the dealings of the Ohio Company of Associates, and early road building, into a far richer story of contested spaces, competing visions of nationhood, and complicated relations with Indian peoples. By so doing, the contributors provide valuable new insights into how chaotic and contingent early national politics and frontier development truly were. Chapters highlighting the role of apple-growing culture, education, African American settlers, and the diverse migration flows into Ohio from the East and Europe further demonstrate the complex multiethnic composition of Ohio’s early settlements and the tensions that resulted. A final theme of this volume is the desirability of working to recover the often-forgotten history of non-White peoples displaced by the processes of settler colonialism that has been, until recently, undervalued in the scholarship.

This collection celebrates the contributions of our foremothers-mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and neighbors-who devoted their lives to farming pursuits. Some embraced their roles, others detested the life of a farm woman; but most would agree their contributions were minimized or overlooked. And the common practice of referring to them as "farmer's wife" or "farm helper" or "farmerette" didn't quite do justice to their work. Men and women who spent their lives living and working on a family farm or ranch will relate to the emotions and exploits experienced by the women profiled. Town dwellers and urbanites two or three generations removed from the farm or their rural communities and growing up hearing grandparents' and great-grandparents' stories about life on the farm will appreciate these women who may or may not resemble in any way their foremothers. City slickers who never spent a day on a farm, nor thought the life of a farmer was in any way appealing will meet a community of spunky, brazen, plucky, hardworking gals who donned trousers every day, scraped cow dung from their boots every night, enjoyed a few hours of deep sleep afforded by hours in the fresh country air, only to rise early the next day and start all over again.

Since it was first broadcast on British television in 1997, Midsomer Murders has become one of the most-beloved detective dramas on television, instantly recognisable for its attractive backdrop at the heart of rural England. The real towns and villages of 'Midsomer' are situated in the Chilterns, the Thames Valley and the Vale of Aylesbury, all areas of outstanding natural beauty, and this illustrated book reveals the many stunning key locations for this popular show. Over forty towns and villages have appeared in the long-running television series, ranging from the hill-top village of Brill (also famous for a real crime, the 'Great Train Robbery') to Waddesdon, home of a Rothschild's manor. Chris Behan, a resident of this area for over thirty years, has used his skill and intimate knowledge of the subject to create a book that is a must for fans of Midsomer Murders and all those who love this charming part of rural England.

Nobody could have predicted in the first half of the Twentieth century that 'going to the flicks' would be rapidly superseded in later years by television. Buildings of all sizes and descriptions - some having only existed for a relatively short time - quickly became redundant and have struggled for survival or an alternative use since the demise. In the heavy industrial areas of West Yorkshire particularly Bradford and Leeds, there was a great need for entertainment. And in some ways it was only natural that the new film industry should give rise to purpose-built cinemas across the entire region. Although theatre-going declined with the growth of the cinemas, it is pleasing to note that live theatre is still very much alive today in a number of the towns and cities covered here. The various developments of screen and stage in West Yorkshire have been admirably captured over the years by the Yorkshire Post's able photographers and featured in this book. Using a simple A to Z format Peter Tuffrey has made it quick and easy to examine the history - and in some cases find a picture - of a favourite cinema or theatre.

An affectionate, light-hearted and nostalgic look back at the Isles of Scilly of the 20th Century through the photographs of Ena Reseigh.

This fascinating collection of full-colour Trowbridge views reveals the many changes that Wiltshire's county town has seen. Each pair of photographs - each drawing on the extensive collections of the authors, Trowbridge's librarian and archivist respectively, and featuring beautiful modern photography - reveals a different aspect of the town's story. Trowbridge has witnessed profound change over the last century, and some of the early scenes revealed here are totally unrecognisable today. However, some of the finer buildings are little altered, and Trowbridge residents will recognise much in this collection. Deeply nostalgic and filled with insightful and entertaining information about the history of this beautiful Wiltshire town, Trowbridge Then & Now will delight visitors and residents alike.

From the famed Oregon Trail to the boardwalks of Dodge City to the great trading posts on the Missouri River to the battlefields of the nineteenth-century Indian Wars, there are places all over the American West where visitors can relive the great Western migration that helped shape our history and culture. This guide to the Mountain West states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana--one of the five-volume Finding the Wild West series--highlights the best preserved historic sites as well as ghost towns, reconstructions, museums, historical markers, statues, works of public art that tell the story of the Old West. Use this book in planning your next trip and for a storytelling overview of America's Wild West history.

Seen from the air, London takes on a whole new look. This new edition of the ever-popular Pitkin Guide Over London features all-new stunning aerial photography. This bird s-eye view takes in all the most famous sights, including Buckingham Palace and Nelson s column, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, the sweep of the Thames and the awe-inspiring London Eye, The Tower of London and Docklands, Kensington Palace and Covent Garden, St Paul s Cathedral and the City, the British Museum and the Globe and beyond to the splendours of Greenwich, Wimbledon, Wembley, Kew, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle and Eton College. Included too are scenes of how London is developing and changing as preparations for the Olympic Games to be held in the city in 2012 take shape. Includes map.

Shirley Baker started to photograph the streets of Manchester and Salford in the early 1960s when homes were being demolished and communities were being uprooted. 'Whole streets were disappearing and I hoped to capture some trace of everyday life of the people who lived there. I was particularly interested in the more mundane, even trivial, aspects of life that were not being recorded by anyone else.' Shirley's powerful images, sparked by her curiosity, recorded people and communities involved in fundamental change. People's homes were demolished as part of a huge 'slum' clearance programme, however Shirley was able to capture some of the street life as it had been for generations before the change. The areas have been redeveloped to form a new and totally different environment. As Shirley once said, 'I hope by bridging time through the magic of photography, a connection has been made with a past that should not be forgotten'.

As an archaeologist, Steven Mithen has worked on the Hebridean island of Islay over a period of many years. In this book he introduces the sites and monuments and tells the story of the island's people from the earliest stone age hunter-gatherers to those who lived in townships and in the grandeur of Islay House. He visits the tombs of Neolithic farmers, forts of Iron Age chiefs and castles of medieval warlords, discovers where Bronze Age gold was found, treacherous plots were made against the Scottish crown, and explores the island of today, which was forged more recently by those who mined for lead, grew flax, fished for herring and distilled whisky - the industry for which the island is best known today. Although an island history, this is far from an insular story: Islay has always been at a cultural crossroads, receiving a constant influx of new people and new ideas, making it a microcosm for the story of Scotland, Britain and beyond.

Intersected by an ancient brook, Roman tracks, the eighteenth-century Grand Union Canal, the nineteenth-century London-Birmingham railway and a twentieth-century grid-road system, Bradwell has seen its fair share of change over the years, but its past and present remain inextricably intertwined. In this vivid full-colour book, Marion Hill's collection of archive and modern photographs alongside her many fascinating stories chart the history of the town, from Roman settlers, to a disused railway line now threading a modern route as a cycle path. Bradwell Then & Now will surely prove irresistible for anyone who values the unique heritage of this historic place.