When Cotton was King, labour was cheap. Less than three men in a hundred had the vote and the few women who'd enjoyed that right had the franchise taken off them. Toil, trouble and degradation for the many, produced vast riches and leisure for a few. Ordinary, and sometimes extraordinary, people refused to accept their servile position in society. They defied Church and State to fight against corruption, for universal suffrage and the basic rights we take for granted in a Parliamentary democracy. These are the tales of just a few. The author skilfully weaves his work of fiction into the historical tapestry of the Industrial Revolution, bringing his characters to life in the world's first industrial city - Manchester - the town of Long Chimneys. PUBLISHED IN SUPPORT OF THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY IN MANCHESTER'S TWIN CITY OF SALFORD.

Cotton was no longer King and Manchester's mills remained idle. The Etherow-O'Donnell and Akroyd families find themselves battling against a new enemy - a lack of work and widespread starvation. Famine stalked the land as the forces of the Confederacy and the Union battled it out in a war between Americans - brother against brother - father against son. The outcome of the Civil War would determine the future of the U.S. - whether democracy and liberty would triumph, or a new Confederate States of America emerge - a separate country with a government based on chattel-slavery and despotism. Just as Americans found themselves divided, so too did the antagonistic classes in the cotton-manufacturing region of England. Once again the author skilfully weaves his weft of fiction into the warp of historical reality. An exciting read from start to finish. PUBLISHED IN SUPPORT OF THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY IN MANCHESTER'S TWIN CITY OF SALFORD.

Mike Hand gets caught up in the rivalry between two music festivals which is threatening to upset the idyllic rural harmony of his adopted Dentingdale.A host of well-drawn characters from the Dale and from Mike's former life play out an absorbing tale that moves effortlessly between the bar of 'The Sun' and the glorious landscape beyond.As the plot unfolds, Mike becomes the innocent victim of a hit-and-run accident that develops into an excellent 'whodunit' and ultimately a surprising denouement involving his friends, his son Tom, a clever Mancunian copper and even a former lover.This tale cannot fail to fascinate and enthral its readers, even one who doesn't keep up with the latest rumours circulating in 'The Sun'.Bob PontefractGawthrop, Dentdale

This book provides a clear historical and theoretical framework for reading three important novels published in Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century. Examining the novels by Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, the book offers an analysis of their strategies for radical reforms and for the restructuring of society and politics through improvements in the living and working conditions of the working class. The Industrial Novels begins with an introduction of the Industrial Revolution, which is then followed by chapters devoted to a detailed discussion of each novel. Through this, the book explores the negative social, political and economic effects of industrialization and urbanization, as reflected in Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849), Charles Dickens’ Hard Times (1854), and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855). As such, the book will be of interest to academics and students in the fields of both literature and sociology.

"An outstanding entry level text aimed at those with little or no cultural studies knowledge... Innovative, creative and clever." - Times Higher Education "The ideal textbook for FE and first year HE cultural studies students. Its quality and character allow the reader to ‘feel’ the enthusiasm of its author which in turn becomes infectious, instilling in the reader a genuine sense of ebullient perturbation." - Art/Design/Media, The Higher Education Authority An introduction to the practice of cultural studies, this book is ideal for undergraduate courses. Full of practical exercises that will get students thinking and writing about the issues they encounter, this book offers its readers the conceptual tools to practice cultural analysis for themselves. There are heuristics to help students prepare and write projects, and the book provides plenty of examples to help students develop their own ideas. Written in a creative, playful and witty style, this book: Links key concepts to the key theorists of cultural studies. Includes a wide range of references of popular cultural forms. Emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of cultural studies. Includes pedagogical features, such as dialogues, graphs, images and recommended readings. The book′s skills-based approach enables students to develop their creative skills, and shows students how to improve their powers of analysis generally.

"Chartism was a Victorian era working class movement for political reform in Britain between 1838 and 1848. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. The term "Chartism" is the umbrella name for numerous loosely coordinated local groups, often named "Working Men's Association," articulating grievances in many cities from 1837. Its peak activity came in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It began among skilled artisans in small shops, such as shoemakers, printers, and tailors. The movement was more aggressive in areas with many distressed handloom workers, such as in Lancashire and the Midlands. It began as a petition movement which tried to mobilize "moral force", but soon attracted men who advocated strikes, General strikes and physical violence, such as Feargus O'Connor and known as "physical force" chartists."--Wikipedia

This anthology introduces students of nineteenth-century literary and cultural history to the main areas of intellectual debate in the Victorian period.

"DLP, Developmental Leadership Program; Australian Aid; Oxfam."

Underworld: n. 1. the part of society comprising those who live by organized crime and immorality. 2. the mythical abode of the dead under the earth. Take a walk on the dark side of the street in this unique exploration of the fears and desires at the heart of the British Empire, from the Regency dandy’s playground to the grim and gothic labyrinths of the Victorian city. Enter a world of gin spinners, sneaksmen and Covent Garden nuns, where bare-knuckled boxers slog it out for dozens of rounds, children are worth more dead than alive, and the Thames holds more bodies than the Ganges. This is the Modern Babylon, a place of brutal poverty, violent crime, strong drink, pornography and prostitution; of low neighborhoods and crooked houses with windows out like broken teeth, wraithlike urchins with haunted eyes, desperate, ruthless and vicious men, and the broken remnants of once fine girls: a grey, bleak, infernal place, where gaslights fail to pierce the pestilential fog, and coppers travel in pairs, if they venture there at all. Combining the accessibility of a popular history with original research, this book brings the denizens of this vanished world once more to life, along with the voices of those who sought to exploit, imprison or save them, or to simply report back from this alien landscape that both fascinated and appalled: the politicians, the reformers, the journalists and, above all, the storytellers, from literary novelists to purveyors of penny dreadfuls. Welcome to the 19th century underworld…