A Waterstones Best History Book of the Year The bestselling history of the North of England as told through the lives of its inhabitants. 'Entertaining' The Times 'Definitive' The Mirror 'Highly readable' Financial Times A work of unrivalled scale and ambition, Northerners is the defining biography of northern England. This authoritative new history of place and people lays out the dramatic events that created the north - waves of migration, invasions and battles, and transformative changes wrought on European culture and the global economy. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from the earliest times to the present day, the book shows that the people of the north have shaped Britain and the world in unexpected ways. At least six Roman emperors ruled from York. The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria was Europe's leading cultural and intellectual centre. Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, deserves to be as famous as Boudica. Neanderthals and Vikings, Central European Jews, African-Caribbeans and South Asians, have all played their part in the making and remaking of the north.
Northern writers, activists, artists and comedians are celebrated the world over, from Wordsworth, the Brontes and Gaskell to LS Lowry, Emmeline Pankhurst and Peter Kay. St Oswald and Bede shaped the spiritual and cultural landscapes of Britain and Europe, and the world was revolutionised by the inventions of Richard Arkwright and the Stephensons. The north has exported some of sport's biggest names and defined the sound of generations, from the Beatles to Britpop. Northerners also shows convincingly how the past echoes down the centuries. The devastation of factory and pit closures in the 1980s, for example, recalled the trauma of William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North. The book charts how the north-south divide has ebbed and flowed and explores the very real divisions between northerners, such as the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Finally, Brian Groom explores what northernness means today and the crucial role the north can play in Britain's future. As new forces threaten the fabric of the UK again, this landmark book could scarcely be more timely.
Gold title A broadly conceived book with unrivalled coverage across regions and time periods. Will publish for Father's Day 2022 as a natural fit for the older man in your life. Good Waterstones potential as a hefty hardback history. Tells the story not only of statesman and politicians, but ordinary individuals, farming communities, the poor and unheralded. Draws heavily on primary materials: eyewitness accounts, memoirs and historical texts, resulting in a rich tapestry. 29 easily digestible chapters make this comprehensive but accessible. Author is a prolific Tweeter with a strong following. Competition: The Northumbrians;Yorkshire;A Short History of England;The English and Their History;The Shortest History of England;The King in the North;The Anglo-Saxons;Second City;Lost Realms;Black Gold.
By;Dan Jackson;Simon Jenkins;Robert Tombs;James Hawes;Marc Morris;Richard Vinen;Andrew Marr;Dan Jones.