This is an excellent guide to the 'post-industrial power house of the golden west', Llanelli, bristling at the head of the Loughor Estuary. Jon Gower brings together years of knowledge of the town together with richly textured stories from local people. The ugly, wasted and the sublime are woven together with a naturalist's eye, under whose closely observed watch we learn of the birds who come in from the deep ocean when the winds are gusting in Burry Port, and the black redstarts who have found the former site of the Rio Tinto Zinc Plant, now open ground, to their liking.It's a town proud of its sporting and artistic connections: the legendary Ray Gravell; Jonathan Davies; actor Keith Allen; Michael Howard; Rod Richards from Rare Earth; newsreader Huw Edwards; boxing trainer Gareth Howells (keeping an eye on the new talent at Trostre Boxing Club), and snooker champion Terry Griffiths, to name a few.Gower writes too about hidden treasures like Stefan Chrinowsky. Chrinowsky, a Ukrainian, and mayor of Llanelli from 1993-4, had endured forced labour in Austria during the war, before the Russians withdrew and British troops moved in something of a catalyst. He was given a choice of somewhere to work farm, mine or steel he chose steel which brought him to Llanelli where he started at the Sandy sheet mills. And it was tough he and the other workers had to take tablets to compensate for the salt their bodies were losing.

And then there is Gower's chance meeting with Howell Morgan with 'one heck of a life story', including his experiences working in the dangerous and 'volcanic' conditions of the Duport steelworks many workers were injured, some died.On a walking tour with amateur historian Huw Lewis, the author gives us an insight into Central Llanelli. Starting from Station Road, lit up with neon at night when 'globules of fat hang in the air', it's all here: the site of the first Post Office, the site of an ancient Roman camp tucked between the Tanning salons, kebab shops, the curry house selling chocolate curry, pizza houses, the Holistic Therapy centre, drink and drug hotspots, the old Hactos cough mixture factory, the Marshfield Tap, the factory where the last copper was worked in Llanelli and finally, the plaque on Cambrian Bridge commemorating the Railway Strike of 1911, during which troops were drafted in and blood was shed.On a lighter note, at the end of this tour, Gower shares one of many delightful stories in the book. This one concerns a previous railway station announcer, known as Eddie the Lip: 'One day the train that was due to come in on Platform One came in on Platform Two and vice versa, so much to everyone's consternation Eddie's voice came over the public address system saying, "You over there come over here: you over here go over there ."' You can just picture the scene, can't you?Hugely entertaining and informative, Jon Gower's contribution maintains the high quality of the Real Wales series.Jane MacNameeIt is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.

com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiat'd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.