He also touches on the Regional differences (such as Yorkshire and Lancashire) and how events that occurred so long ago, still resonate today. And then I guess it became something of an identifier representing a sense of community for the miners? Neanderthals and Vikings, Central European Jews, Afro-Caribbeans and South Asians, have all played their part in the making and remaking of the north. The north has not only witnessed some of the country’s most dramatic events, it has also been pivotal to them.

With the North York Moors National Park and Yorkshire coast on her doorstep, she was inspired to improve her photographic skills and recently qualified with a diploma in photography. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password.It started strong and I was fascinated by the accounts of how various kingdoms developed throughout the North, but eventually it just became a really long list of facts. But at other times, important figures from history are simply listed, with what made them peculiarly Northern often not explored. Use of random examples or of TV programmes or other cultural icons don't really feel like they are really telling the story of the north and what makes it different. The first book, Mancunians, due to be published in May 2024, will tell the story of the people who built the “shock city” of the Industrial Revolution and the impact they have had on the world.

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. Educated at Manchester Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he got a first-class BA in English Language and Literature. Worked for almost three decades at the Financial Times, where he did many of the top writing and editing jobs, including comment and analysis editor and political editor.I appreciate having to condense thousands of years of history into around 330 or so pages represents something of a challenge, yet at times the more read more like something of a curated list of points of interest in Northern history, than a compelling narrative about the North. This is a huge book, in which the author slips seamlessly and triumphantly from one subject to another. It would have been better if Groom only wrote new information instead of repeating points made in previous chapters.

Brian Groom didn't pull any punches both showing the problematic issues that the North has been a part of as well as giving praise where praise is due. Groom sets out to create a proper history of the north of England and the people that identify as northerners. As histories go, this is very complete, from the first Northerners we known about right up to the present day. I could not imagine reading a book entitled Southerners or could imagine the southerners reading it either. 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.There is also a little bit too much polishing over historical events which would make for a more interesting book. My only criticism is that the book is slanted toward the North West, particularly in the period from the Industrial Revolution. His career was spent mainly at the Financial Times, where he did many of the top writing and editing jobs. Amazing that no one has apparently written this book before, but luckily Brian Groom has now made an excellent job of filling that gap.

The connections between the north and the south are too deep for this awkward and simplistic division. Finally, Brian Groom explores what northernness means today and the crucial role the north can play in Britain's future.

I wish the book had decided on either a thematic approach *or* a timeline, as the chronology of events was frequently difficult to keep track of, but was otherwise a very engaging read. Northerners, which has been a Times number three bestseller in hardback non-fiction, is also published by HarperNorth. Decent overview of the region but at times it just feels like lists of names of individuals (kings, entertainers, inventors etc) and stories with a lack of overarching theme/connections. The north has exported some of sport’s biggest names and defined the sound of generations, from the Beatles to Britpop. The North, from the early days to the present, has always been influential and important and the author reminds us of this fact in every chapter.