NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD BEFORE 1700, edited by Diana Newton and A.J.Pollard. Published by Phillimore & Co.Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex. £25. Hardback.

This collection of essays by scholars eminent in their fields brings together recent archaeological and historical research to reveal the variety of the early history of these riverside settlements. It charts the building of the Norman castle, the period when Tyneside was the main military base for the eastern Scottish marches, the development of the coal trade and the influence of the bishops of Durham.
A recurring theme is the rivalry between the communities on either side of the Tyne which are united by proximity and by the bridge that has spanned the river since the early 12th century. They share a history which has always been a fraught combination of cooperation and conflict.