Book reviews

WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: MAGICIAN OF THE NORTH, by Henrietta Heald. Published by Northumbria University Press, Trinity Building, Newcastle NE1 8ST (email: npress@virginmedia.com). £18. Hardback.

MARKING the bicentenary of his birth, this is the first major biography of an inventor, scientist and engineer who was duly hailed as one of the greatest innovators of all time. Born in Shieldfield, Newcastle, in 1810, the young ...


AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF NORTH EAST ENGLAND, by Richard Lomas. Published by Birlinn Ltd, Edinburgh (www.booksource.net). £30. Hardback.

THIS 530-page book is indeed a comprehensive compendium covering all aspects of life in the region from the Dark Ages to the present day. It contains entries about people from saints to comedians, important families, castles and ...


DROVE ROADS OF NORTHUMBERLAND, by Ian Roberts, Richard Carlton and Alan Rushworth. Published by The History Press (tel: 01453 883300; www.thehistorypress.co.uk). £15.99. Softback.

DROVING was a hugely important aspect of farming across Northumberland for more than 1,000 years, and the need to move large numbers of sheep and cattle over considerable distances has shaped the landscape and left an enduring imprint ...


BYGONE BELFORD, by Belford & District Local History Society. Published by Stenlake Publishing (tel: 01290 551122; email: enquiries@stenlake.co.uk). £7.99. Softback.

THIS fascinating collection of old black and white photographs vividly depicts life in and around the north Northumberland village from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Boasting a flourishing market in the first half of the ...


GEOFF LAWS: A CARTOONIST’S CHRONICLE. Published by Tyne Bridge Publishing, Newcastle Libraries, PO Box 88, Newcastle NE99 1DX (tel: 0191-2774174). £10 (+£1 p&p). Softback.

ONE of the North East’s best-loved contemporary artists, Geoff Laws’ cartoons and caricatures have entertained readers of Newcastle’s daily newspapers for 35 years. This is a selection of his finest and funniest work, and his ...


PAW TRACKS AT OWL COTTAGE, by Denis O’Connor. Published by Constable (www.constablerobinson.com). £7.99. Softback.

FROM the author of Paw Tracks in the Moonlight, this sequel humorously charts the ups and downs of life with Denis O’Connor’s mischievous cats in a Northumberland cottage. The first feline resident, Pablo, proves to be a loyal ...


WALKS FROM KIRKNEWTON, by Peter McEwen. Published by Trailguides Ltd (tel: 01325 283146). £8.50. Softback.

STARTING from the small village of Kirknewton on the north-eastern edge of the Cheviot Hills, this collection of eight walks explores both the history and the nature of an area where walkers are outnumbered by wild goats, hares and ...


THE RISING IN THE NORTH, by George Thornton. Published by Ergo Press, Hexham (tel: 01434 689653). £8.99. Softback.

THE author, who is vice-chairman of the North East Catholic History Society, tells the story of the rebellion of the northern earls against Queen Elizabeth I. He begins by describing the historical and religious context of the years ...


THE IRON BOOK OF NEW HUMOROUS VERSE, edited by Eileen Jones. Published by Iron Press, 5 Marden Terrace, Cullercoats, NE30 4PD. (Tel 0191-2531901. Email: ironpress@blueyonder.co.uk.) £8. Softback.

A COLLECTION of work by 62 poets offers 77 poems on subjects as varied as Wonderbras, PR for snakes, Superman’s pet lemming, the credit crunch, childhood obesity and a sonnet to Yorkshire pudding. This anthology which takes into ...


Book reviews from other issues