Please note: The book publishers & ISBN numbers are taken from the books in my collection, and the books may now be available from different publishers with new ISBN numbers. Likewise, cover illustrations may vary with reprints, and publishers may be different in other parts of the world.
The Seventeenth Child
by Ethel George
Paperback, 212 pages, 28 B/W photos.
Published 2006 by Larks Press
ISBN 1904006302
It is a very rare day when I read a book in one sitting - this was one such day and this was the book that captivated me.
Ethel George was born in Norwich in 1914, the youngest of 17 children, and grew up in Cavalry Street, not in a slum, but certainly one of the poorer areas of Norwich.
In this book she tells the story of her early years up to her marriage at the age of 20. She talks of everyday life, the drunkenness, the fights of the adults, the poverty, the injuries and illnesses, life and death, the games the kids played, and the good times. The lady tells it as it was in such a way that you can imagine yourself sitting there listening to her.
Thats what makes this book truly unique - it is life as it was, and in her own words.
The editors, Carole & Michael Blackwell recorded her story on tape over the course of three years. With only minor editing to give continuity, these are her own words, so in one book we have not only a real history of life during those years, but also a record of the Norwich dialect which is slowly disappearing.
This is not your typical book of memories of growing up in Norwich. John Bennett tells tales of his life growing up in a changing world, through the Second World War and its aftermath in a very down to earth way. This is a book I think you will either love or hate. Anyone sensitive to seeing four-letter words wont like it, but I must say that for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact in places I was laughing so much I nearly did myself an injury.
Not that the book is perfect. In places he goes on a bit too much giving us history lessons, and towards the end I felt the book was a little too long, but maybe that was because my stomach had enough of laughing and my eyes had blured from tears of laughter.
Norwich remained the second largest city in England until the eighteenth century. Its history over the last 450 years is of exceptional interest. Norwich since 1550 is a full account of the post-medieval history of the city and covers all aspects of Norwich life, including its population, housing, churches and chapels, politics, work, education, arts, architecture and medical care. It brings out Norwich’s individuality and shows how it became the city it is today. While Norwich changed and developed in many ways over the centuries, its textiles could not compete with those of the northern boom towns of the Industrial Revolution. Instead it settled into its role as a regional and banking capital.
The second of two books covering the history of Norwich edited by Rawcliffe and Wilson. The publishers seem to have dropped the main title of 'The History of Norwich' referred to several times in the introduction of the first book, and gone for the sub-titles, which is a little disappointing as the two volumes together certainly can claim to be one complete work.
The chapters of the book, written by academics from around the world with expert knowledge of the subjects, cover various themes rather than following a chronological time line.
Despite its size (the two books total over 1,000 pages), the book is still peppered with countless references to notes at the back of the book. Despite that minor quibble, these books give us probably the most comprehensive history of Norwich we have had for a long time.
Throughout the middle ages, Norwich was one of the most populous and celebrated cities in England. Dominated by its castle and cathedral priory, it was the centre of government power in East Anglia, as well as an important trading entrepot. With records dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and many buildings surviving from the middle ages, the history of medieval Norwich is an exceptionally rich one. Medieval Norwich is an account of the growth of the city, with its walls, streams, markets, hospitals and churches, and the lives of its citizens. It traces activities and beliefs, as well as the tensions lying not far beneath the surface that eventually erupted in Kett’s Rebellion of 1549.
The first of two books covering the history of Norwich edited by Rawcliffe and Wilson. The publishers seem to have dropped the main title of 'The History of Norwich' referred to several times in the introduction, and gone for the sub-titles, which is a little disappointing as the two volumes together certainly can claim to be one complete work.
The chapters of the book, written by academics from around the world with expert knowledge of the subjects, cover various themes rather than following a chronological time line.
Despite its size (the two books total over 1,000 pages), the book is still peppered with countless references to notes at the back of the book. Despite that minor quibble, these books give us probably the most comprehensive history of Norwich we have had for a long time.
In 1955 a fire almost destroyed the Assembly House in Norwich. Fortunately it was carefully restored to the condition it must have been in when first built.
But parts of this group of buildings are much older that the Georgian central building, dating back to foundations laid in the 14th/15th century when this was the site of the College of St Mary's in the Fields.
This book is based on the unpublished work of Andrew Stephenson written in the early 1950's, and brought up to date by the editor Jan King.
Tom Smith's Christmas Crackers
by Peter Kimpton
Paperback, 128 pages, 32 color pages plus many B/W.
Published 2004 by Tempus Publishing
ISBN 0752431641
For almost a century, the mention of "the cracker factory" in Norwich has meant either Caleys or Tom Smiths.
Caleys started making Christmas crackers at their factory at Chapelfield about 1890. By the 1950's the firm was owned by Mackintosh's and still making crackers. In 1953 the cracker division was merged with Tom Smiths and the 'cracker factory' moved to the Salhouse Road, took up the Tom Smiths name, and produced millions of crackers every year until 1998 when after years of mis-management the factory closed, and the name and production of crackers moved away from Norwich.
This book is an illustrated history of Tom Smiths, and as such doesn't get to the Norwich involvement until towards the end of the book.
In 1996 a chance discovery led Derek Bickford Smith to embark on a quest to find the communities around the world named after the original Norfolk and Norwich, and to initiate The Norfolk and Norwich World Family organisation.
Through map research, letters, and web searches he found many, and set off on several journeys around the world to visit as many of them as he could.
This book is more than just a catalogue of places found. Along with the records of the communities - profusely illustrated with photographs maps and histories, are memories of his visits and the people he met, and reports on the first two 'World Gatherings'.
The journey is still on-going, and the book includes several communities recently discovered that have yet to be explored.
Not on general sale, but Derek may have a few copies available. Contact: dimsmith@onetel.net.uk
Brian Ayers shows how Norwich has developed over the past 1000 years from the small villages on the banks of the Wensum. Part of the "English Heritage" series in which leading archaeologists and historians bring the past to life by interpreting the greatest historic monuments in which Britain is so rich, the book highlights the Norman castle, the 11th-century cathedral, the numerous medieval churches, the architectural evidence of Jacobean and Georgian prosperity and the buildings of the great Victorian industries. The book stresses the social and economic development of the city as well as its physical growth.
Local author Pamela Brooks gives us a collection of 30 tales of events and personalities associated with Norwich over the centuries.
From tales of Riots in the Cathedral and Kett's Rebellion up to Delia Smith and Stephen Fry, some familiar - some not, this collection is a joy to read.
When Joan Banger wrote 'Norwich at War' back in 1974, she had no idea that it would go through several reprints and two re-writes. Nor that years later she would again be delving into the newspaper archives to compile 'Norwich at Peace'.
This book covers the period between the wars, from November 1918 to September 1939.
Month by month, year by year, this is a potted history of what was happening in Norwich - both the big events and the lives of the ordinary citizen.
As memories fade and the generation that witnessed these events pass on, Joan Banger has recorded for all an insight into life in the City during those years.
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