James Lawrence Isherwood (1917-1989) is widely regarded by his followers as one of the best impressionist painters this country has produced. Born and bred in Wigan, now part of Greater Manchester, England, he was a prolific painter and produced his best work from the early 1960s on. His work has always been considered truly original and is typified by strong brushwork and extravagant colours. His subjects ranged from rural and industrial landscapes to nudes and portraiture, and his work has found its way into art collections across the world. Now Dr. Brian Iddon has written this authoritative biography about James Isherwood and his work.

In Volume 1 of his autobiography Brian Iddon wrote of his early years on the West Lancashire Plain, his school and university education and his career researching and teaching chemistry at the universities of Durham and Salford; his demonstration lecture 'The Magic of Chemistry' was presented in Britain and elsewhere in Europe for 29 years. In Volume 2 he describes how he became involved in politics and was elected to Bolton Council, serving from 1977 until 1998, with a spell as chairman of the Housing Committee. He was persuaded to stand for Parliament in 1997 in Bolton South East, which he represented until his retirement in 2010. Brian helped to steer through three Acts of Parliament and was a Member of the Science and Technology Select Committee. Woven through both volumes are reminders that MPs have private lives too. In his retirement Brian has turned to writing; he has written a biography of the Wigan artist Lawrence James Isherwood and an important timeline of Bolton's political and social history, as well as serving on four boards in London and holding voluntary posts in education and with a local charity. Brian hopes this book, probably one of the most detailed accounts of a Parliamentary career written in modern times by a back-bench MP, will help to dispel the myth that MPs have an easy life.

Brian Iddon discovered a passion for chemistry as an eleven-year-old schoolboy. He went on to study it at university, obtaining a BSc, PhD and DSc, and taught and researched his subject at the highest level before making his name in the wider world by presenting a demonstration lecture called 'The Magic of Chemistry' to audiences across Britain and Europe. Brian's second career was in politics. Elected to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in 1977, he fulfilled a wide range of public roles over the next 20 years. In 1997 he was elected to Parliament by the safe Labour seat of Bolton South East, retiring in 2010 after a career in which he wrestled with a range of hot topics from drugs to euthanasia and from health food to peace in the Middle East. He helped to steer through three Acts of Parliament and was a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee. In retirement, in addition to voluntary work, Dr Iddon has finally found time to write his memoirs - this is Volume 1.