📖 Book of my Month ~ Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee by Charlie Higson with Illustrations by Jim Moir

Harper Collins 
9 October 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book to review

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three. One, two, three Neds, Richard Two, Henries, four, five, six, then who? Charlie Higson has always been interested in the story of the fabled English monarchy: from the b*stardly to the benevolent, brilliant to the brutal. In this wonderful new book, with the famous rhyme he learned at school as his trusty guide, Charlie takes the plunge into the storied history of this most treasured of institutions – introducing readers to every single ruler since poor Harold was shot in the eye at the Battle of Hastings. Bloody treachery? Check. Unruly incest? Check. Short parliaments? Check. A couple of Cromwells? Check.

A rip-roaring journey that takes in the Normans, Stuarts and Tudors, not to mention the infamous Blois (how can we forget them?), Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee is an utterly engrossing and grossly entertaining primer on who ruled when and why.

📖My Review..

Willie Willie Harry Stee is an interesting romp through the history of England’s monarchs who ruled from 1066 to the present day. Their many failings and a few successes are all explained in an informative book which definitely makes history come alive. Whilst I was familiar with the rhyme on which the book is based it’s not something I learned at school and my party piece is to be able to recite the monarchs from William the Conqueror, through to Charles III, without the need to rely on the Willie, Willie,Harry, Stee rhyme.

This is one of those fascinating history books which doesn’t take itself too seriously and yet serves up a plethora of facts in an easily digested manner. The quirky illustrations by Jim Moir add an extra dimension and the rather serious faces of the monarchs on the cover of the book would certainly have me reaching for a copy in a book shop in order to have a closer look. The British monarchy is not renown for its fun factor and yet, such is the lure of the writing, that, on occasions, I found myself laughing out loud. It’s worth mentioning that the author has an engaging podcast about Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee which is available from wherever you get your podcasts and the historical content ties in nicely with the book.

Overall this is a great read and a useful aide memoir if you want to check up on a few facts about a monarch or two, or just to dip into and out of at whim and discover more about those monarchs who, for good or ill, have shaped our history. Short and snappy chapters help to make the history of our Kings and Queens easily readable, and for making rather complex history fun, I am delighted to have Willie, Willie, Harry Stee as my Book of the Month for October.

Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee is published by Harper Collins on the 9th October.

About the Author

Charlie Higson is a comedian and writer of screenplays and novels, including the Enemy and Young Bond series. He has written and performed on BBC’s The Fast Show and makes regular TV appearances as a guest, panellist and actor. Charlie is a huge horror fan and studied gothic literature at university. He lives in London.

James Moir, commonly known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian and artist.

X@monstroso

X@HarperCollinsUK

Book Review ~ The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D'Oyly Carte Family by Olivia Williams

 

Headline
3 September 2020

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In 1889, Victorian impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte opened The Savoy, Britain's first luxury hotel. Allowing the rich to live like royalty, it attracted glamour, scandal and a cast of eccentric characters, with the D'Oyly Carte family elevated to a unique vantage point on high society.

The Secret Life of the Savoy tells their story through three generations: Richard (a showman who made his fortune from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas), Rupert (who expanded the D'Oyly Carte empire through two world wars and the roaring twenties), and Bridget (the reluctant heiress and last of the family line).

In this, the first biography of the family, Olivia Williams revives their extraordinary cultural legacy, told through the prism of their iconic hotel and its many distinguished guests. 

What did I think about it...

What an education this comprehensive look at the world famous Savoy Hotel turned out to be. I have never been inside this iconic hotel but have, on my very rare visits to the capital, seen the beautiful white and gold facade and wondered what glorious stories the hotel could tell. 

In The Secret Life of the Savoy and the D'Oyly Carte Family we are given a privileged look into the complex history of this grand old institution. We go from Victorian London, and the humble origins of the original entrepreneur, Richard D'Oyly Carte, and share in his enlightened vision of what a grand hotel should look like. We get to know his interesting collaboration with the popular operatic duo, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the formation of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. We also get to stay with the family, right the way through to the last owner, Bridget D'Oyly Carte, and her death in 1985, when the hotel slipped out of the family's hands after three generations.

It's been a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era when the rich and famous rubbed shoulders with all echelons of society, from the glamorous stars of the silent movies in the early part of the twentieth century, to the socialites and royalty in the 1960s, there has never been a moment when the hotel didn't leave its mark on London's high society. The shenanigans and machinations of those who wined and dined there and all the fascinating guests who made the Savoy Hotel their home give an interesting and often decadent look at the how the super rich spent their money.

However, its not just about the rich and famous, this is an intimate look at three generations of a family who lived their hectic lives, not without their own personal tragedy, but always with an opportunistic eye on the main chance, using everything that was available at the time to their own advantage, and that, I think,  is what makes this such a fascinating and informative read.

About the Author

Olivia Williams graduated with a scholarship in modern history from St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where she remained for her masters degree. In her final year, she won the Rupert Murdoch Scholarship for journalism. She worked as a trainee journalist at the Daily Mail before writing her first book Gin Glorious Gin. Olivia lives in London, where she is a freelance writer.

Twitter @tweetingolivia

@headlinepg

@bookywookydooda

Book Review ~ Poisoned at the Priory by Antony M Brown

Mirror Books
23 January 2020

Cold Case Jury #4

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Balham, 1876. When the newly-wed barrister Charles Bravo ingests a rare poison, all evidence suggests suicide. But in one of the most infamous inquests of all time, a coroner finds it to be an unlawful murder. So what really happened that day? 

With dramatic reconstructions of four main theories on how Bravo may have died, this fourth book in the popular 'Cold Case Jury' series picks apart the notorious case that gripped Victorian Britain - and continues to spark debate to this day.

Why did Bravo refuse any help, even when going through agonising pain? Was his wife, with her scandalous past, to blame? Or perhaps it was her ex-lover, jealous of her newfound happiness… or another sinister hand, moving silently?

What did I think about it..

I think what's so intriguing about this cold case crime is that since the unsolved death of newly wed barrister Charles Bravo in 1876 so many people have tried to figure out just whether a murder had indeed been committed, or whether the victim was,an alleged suicide.

In Poisoned at the Priory there's a comprehensive breakdown of the alleged crime, along with transcripts from witnesses and descriptions of exhibits used in the subsequent inquests, all of which add up to a meticulous examination of the clues and facts as they were presented to the Victorian jury. Also at the time of the inquest into Charles Bravo's death there was an unprecedented interest with all the popular newspapers carrying items of scurrilous gossip and dubious facts. The author puts forward a very comprehensive case, explaining the situation in intricate detail so that the lives of Charles Bravo, and his new wife, Florence, are opened up to scrutiny, and the scattered clues which ooze piece by piece help to bring their individual stories to life. So many times I thought I had the perpetrator, if there was one, into the frame, only for another theory to be put forward so that by the end of the story, there are still at least four possible solutions. However, I have come to my decision...and when you come to your decision head over to Cold Case Jury and leave your verdict!

Poisoned at the Priory is the fourth book in this Cold Case Jury series and whilst I haven't read the previous three books, something I plan to rectify as soon as possible, each of the books are complete standalone and describe, in great detail, a different unsolved crime in each book. 

Recommended : Yes, if you enjoy reading True Crime and following clues to make up your own mind ✔

Cold Case Jury Collection:

The Green Bicycle Mystery: The curious death of Bella Wright

Death of an Actress: A true story of sex, lies and murder on the high seas

Move to Murder

About the Author

Antony M. Brown's books are perfect for the armchair detective. He takes a cold case crime from British history, paints an intricate picture of the main characters while weaving in social history, and presents the reader with different scenarios leading up to the murder. He displays the evidence - both original and anything that has since come to light - and ends with his personal opinion of the likely outcome. The reader is then invited to give their own verdict via his website and become a member of the Cold Case Jury.

Antony's previous titles Move To Murder, Death of an Actress and The Green Bicycle Mystery are all standalone cases of unsolved British murders.

Website

Twitter @TheMirrorBooks

MirrorBooks

Review ~ To Catch A King by Charles Spencer

William Collins
5 October 2017

I remember in history lessons at school trying to dissect and remember all those interminable facts about the English Civil War and, in the midst of all the turmoil, and disaster, being excited to learn that following the disastrous Battle of Worcester, in September 1651, the future King Charles II escaped capture by his enemies by hiding in an oak tree. This momentous event is still, and probably forgotten by most of the population, commemorated by each 'Royal Oak' public house. That this is the stuff of legend gives this most charming of English monarchs, for me anyway, huge appeal.

In To Catch A King, the author has captured the excitement of the subterfuge which was needed, over a period of six weeks, to ensure the young King's safety. In using authenticated archive material the author brings together a fascinating look at the huge risks that Charles faced in a time when the whole of the country was in complete disarray. The book reads like a boys own adventure, full of daring-do and high excitement, however, what is never forgotten, is the inherent danger that Charles faced, after all, the country had executed his beloved father just two years previously. I was particularly pleased to see mention of an event that happened in my home town. In August 1651, the Battle of Wigan Lane, led by the Earl of Derby's men, was a disaster for the Royalists and marked a decided turning point in Charles's fortunes. Had this attack been a success the outcome for both king and country may well have been very different.

There's sometimes a danger in non-fiction history books that the substance becomes just a regurgitation of facts and figures but, not so with To Catch A King. It's a very readable account of Charles's escape, and with the substance of history never compromised, the book gives a thrilling account of how events unfolded. Beautifully illustrated, To Catch A King follows on from this author's previous book, The Killers of the King. As you would expect there are comprehensive notes and a detailed bibliography section with a wide-ranging index for ease of use, which is particularly helpful if, like me, you like to dip in and out of history books, at whim.

To Catch A King is a confident and meticulously researched account of a man who was in grave danger and yet, it's also about the love and loyalty of those supporters who jeopardised their own lives in order to ensure Charles's safety. It is heartening to learn, in one of the later sections of the book, that these acts of kindness, however large or small, were never forgotten by the King and that, once he was restored to his throne, his friends and followers were rewarded handsomely for their support.

I often read accounts of Charles's time as King, usually  these focus on his love of excess, his philandering nature, and his inability to take things seriously. It is particularly heartening to read a comprehensive and inspiring non-fiction account of the early life of this most charismatic of English monarchs, of the events which shaped his personality, and of the strength of his character that was formed during his dark days of exile.

About the Author

Charles Spencer was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was a reporter on NBC’s Today show from 1986 until 1995, and is the author of four books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Blenheim: Battle for Europe (shortlisted for History Book of the Year, National Book Awards) , Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier and Killers of the King.

My thanks to Margot, marketing assistant to Earl Spencer, and also to Helen at Harper Collins for my review copy of To Catch A King.

~***~

Review ~ Warriors and Kings by Martin Wall

Amberley Publishing

What's it all about..

For centuries, the Celtic peoples of Britain stood fast against invasion, oppression and war. Theirs is a fascinating and exciting story which birthed some of the most tenacious and heroic leaders in history: from Caractacus and Boudicca, to William Wallace, Owain Glyndwr and the legendary King Arthur. What was it that gave first the Britons, and then the Welsh, this fanatical will to hold out against overwhelming odds, over so many centuries? Martin Wall explores the mythology and psychology of this unyielding and insular people: their devotion to charismatic leaders they believed to be sent from God, and their stubborn determination "ne’er to yield" to oppression and injustice, whether Roman, Saxon, Norman or Viking, or the ravages of soulless industrialism.

My thoughts about it..

I don't claim to speak with any authority on the Celts. As an avid reader of historical fiction, I merely have a non-academic interest in finding out more about the people who shaped the early world. So for me, to have an easy to read introduction to the Warriors and Kings of Celtic Britain is both fascinating and informative.

I tend to read non-fiction history books in non-sequential order, much preferring to read snippets from chapters here and there which seems to appeal more to my sense of purpose. In Warriors and Kings, the author has given a thoughtful introduction into the Celtic world and over the course of the next sixteen chapter spans almost fifteen hundred years. A might ambitious, maybe, but no less interesting.

The book covers a huge area of history starting with the 'war mad' Celts of the pre-Roman era and extending to the Arthurian legend surrounding the once and future King and the search for the elusive Holy Grail, all is done with a fine eye for historical detail and a distinct enthusiasm for the subject matter. The author writes with authority and gives the reader enough information without getting too bogged down in interminable facts and figures which can so often spoil the enjoyment of reading a non-fiction history book. There is also an extensive bibliography and a useful index which is particularly valuable if , like me,  you want to reference something quickly.

On a personal level, and because I have just read an enjoyable fictional book set in Wales during the time of Owain Glyndwr, I was especially interested to read about the Welsh bard Iolo Morganwg in the chapter entitled, The Son of Prophecy.

I found much to enjoy and lots to learn in this book. I am sure that I shall use it as an aide memoir when I need some clarification on a period of history I enjoy learning more about.

Jaffa was especially thrilled to find reference to this poem written in the 9th century by an Irish Monk to his cat Pangur Ban...

I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry task to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

About the Author

Martin Wall inherited his passionate interest in local history and folklore from his father and has been writing about these subjects for ten years. He lectures historical groups on a variety of subjects and acts as a gallery interpreter in his spare time.

My thanks to Philip at Amberley Publishing for introducing me to this author and also for kindly supplying the review copy of Warriors and Kings

~***~

The author in my spotlight is ...Joanna Hickson

I am delighted to welcome back to the blog 

Joanna Hickson

 Today Joanna is talking to us about her latest historical novel

The First of the Tudors - Published December 2016

Jasper Tudor, son of Queen Catherine and her second husband, Owen Tudor, has grown up far from the intrigue of the royal court. But after he and his brother Edmund are summoned to London, their half-brother, King Henry VI, takes a keen interest in their future.

Bestowing Earldoms on them both, Henry also gives them the wardship of the young heiress Margaret Beaufort. Although she is still a child, Jasper becomes devoted to her and is devastated when Henry arranges her betrothal to Edmund. 

He seeks solace in his estates and in the arms of Jane Hywel, a young Welsh woman who offers him something more meaningful than a dynastic marriage. But passion turns to jeopardy for them both as the Wars of the Roses wreak havoc on the realm. Loyal brother to a fragile king and his domineering queen, Marguerite of Anjou, Jasper must draw on all his guile and courage to preserve their throne – and the Tudor destiny…

Hi Joanna, Jasper Tudor is the main protagonist in First of the Tudors; tell us about him and why you decided to tell his story.

First of the Tudors is not a sequel to my previous novels The Agincourt Bride and The Tudor Bride but it may be seen as a logical development from them. It was always my intention to explore the Tudor dynasty from its very roots and with it, to portray the progression of English history through the fifteenth century and the Wars of the Roses. 

It is an extraordinary fact that the name Tudor was unknown in England before 1450 and yet thirty-five years later there was a man of that name on the English throne. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly a young soldier was enlisted in Lord Hungerford’s retinue for Henry V’s expedition to France in 1415 under the name Owen ap Meredith ap Tudur, naming his father and grandfather in the Welsh patronymic form of identification. Later English scribes shortened the name to Owen Tudor but it might easily have been shortened to Owen Meredith, with historic consequences! Secondly, this same Owen Tudor later became a servant in the household of the child-king Henry VI and well known to his young mother, Queen Catherine de Valois, widow of King Henry V, the celebrated victor of the Battle of Agincourt. So began arguably the most intriguing and romantic ‘misalliance’ of medieval history and one that gave birth to at least four children. Jasper was the second child of this union and the one who was responsible for ensuring the destiny of the Tudor dynasty. Just the name Jasper, unusual and probably unique among the nobility of the time, would have been enough to intrigue me but add that to the dramatic events surrounding his see-saw life, his own clandestine romance and his unswerving loyalty to his unfortunate half-brother King Henry VI and I believe you have an irresistible narrative.

In this novel Jasper spends time in Wales. In researching the book did you walk in his footsteps, to the places he once visited and did you have a favourite place?

I certainly did visit most of the places he frequented but I’m not sure that I could choose one favourite. After his half-brother the king made him Earl of Pembroke, Jasper made a home for himself at Pembroke Castle in the far west of Wales and of course I went there. It is an enormous, sprawling fortress, established soon after the Norman Conquest and developed and extended over the next four hundred years by its various owners, including Jasper himself. History records it as the birthplace of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, and tradition put his birth in a particular tower that is presently named after him. However, I begged to differ for very good reasons, which you will find in the novel and which may have turned out to be justified. I am saying no more for fear of spoilers!

In contrast a significant portion of the first part of the novel takes place on a farm situated on the shores of Tremadog Bay, just north of present-day Barmouth and while there is a lovely old mansion called Cors-y-Gedol on the site of this farm today, I used another, older farmhouse up in Snowdonia called Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant as the blueprint for my setting. It belongs to the National Trust now so can be visited by the general public and gives a really good idea of the harsh life and unremitting toil of the farming families of that time. If I had to I would probably cite this as my favourite and most inspirational place on my Jasper research list.

I enjoyed reading of Jasper’s connection with his sister-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, but his relationship with Jane Hywel is quite special. How did you bring her character to life with so little documented information about her?

This is where my preferred description of what I write as ‘creative history’ rather than ‘historical fiction’ comes into play. I do extensive research on the characters I choose to bring to life but some of them require more creation than others! There is no doubt that a woman called Jane Hywel did exist and was well known to Margaret Beaufort, who employed her to run the nursery of her baby grandson Prince Henry, later to become King Henry VIII. From that miniscule mention in a historical source however I have created a whole and, I hope, believable character in Jane (or Sian), distantly related to Jasper through her father Hywel Fychan, another minor character only briefly mentioned in history, and in The Tudor Bride, as a Welsh cousin brought into Queen Catherine’s household by Owen Tudor. I do this because I don’t want to concentrate entirely on the court and nobility but there is little record of the actions of commoners in historical sources, for the very good reason that they were mostly illiterate and therefore left no written material. I want all medieval life to be in my novels, not just the part of it that we glean from letters, chronicles and court and parliamentary rolls.

Mixing historical fact with fiction must be quite a challenge. How do you get the balance right without compromising on authenticity?

If I do get the balance right it’s because I try to put myself in the positions in which I put my characters. I guess that’s what all writers do, whether they’re writing contemporary or historical fiction. Of course for the latter it means you must immerse yourself in the life of the times in which your tale is set and that means making sure that you know the differences between life as it was led then and as we lead it now. So in my imagination I spend a lot of time in the fifteenth century, dressing as they do, eating as they do and thinking as they do, whether they be nobles or nobodies. It’s fun when the characters take you over and tell you what they would do next in the situation you have put them in!

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters.

 Yes. (See above!)

How do you feel about them when the book is finished?

 Bereft – that’s why I keep dragging back characters from my previous books into those that follow.

Are they what you expected them to be?

No because they keep going in directions I didn’t expect them too and improving the story in the process. And do you have a favourite character? I think it’s always the one I am writing about at the time and as I am continuing the Tudor story in my next novel I can stay with my present favourite for a while, which is Jasper of course! Although another character is beginning to take over as I progress through the century... No prizes for guessing who that is! Also I think I will always love Mette, the narrator of my first two novels – and readers will soon find that she makes a guest appearance in First of the Tudors.

What can we expect next from you?

See the previous answer. More Tudors, more lives and more drama of the 15thC.

More about Joanna can be found by clicking here

Find on Facebook 

Follow on Twitter @joannahickson

My thoughts about First of the Tudors..can be found by clicking here

My thanks to Joanna for her insightful answers to my questions. Joanna, it's been a pleasure to have you spend time with us today.

Thanks also to Jaime at Harper Collins for her help with this interview.

~***~

Guest Author ~ David Charnick

Today I'm thrilled to welcome to the blog guest author

David Charnick

  

 David is introducing us to his book

The Dark Side of  East London

Pen and Sword
2016

The Dark Side of East London is intended to work on more than one level. At the most straightforward level it’s a collection of stories which are mainly criminal, and which are all concerned with darker deeds carried out in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I’ve attempted to recreate the narratives from records such as the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, which can sometimes require a little judicious filling in! The important thing though has been to create readable stories, and accordingly at times I have used the present tense rather than the past to give a sense of immediacy.

This desire to bring the reader into the action has had its difficulties, particularly with regard to the chapter dealing with underage rape. This required treading a very fine line between responsible reconstruction and salacious detail. Nevertheless, I hope that the overall style of the book draws in the reader in a way that more straightforward narratives might not have done.

The reason for choosing stories of criminal acts and misdeeds is not in order to revel in sordid detail though. Like ghost stories, narratives of wrongdoing are anecdotal and so they provide evocative details of day-to-day life during times of crisis. As a consequence the stories I have chosen are intended to give the reader a feeling of what life was like, during my chosen period, in the Tower Hamlets, the settlements to the east of the City, in the shadow of the Tower of London.

On another level, this work is intended to bring into focus the importance of place. London is changing and developing over time, and the choice of time period for this book was made so that I might capture the change of character and feel as once individual settlements were absorbed by the nineteenth century sprawl of the metropolis of London. This change affected more than the demography; urbanisation and commercial advances brought new dangers to the people of London and other cities.

These stories are intended then to evoke the development of the East End before it became the East End, a term which did not come into use until the 1880s. But this is not a period to be seen in isolation, as if the past has no relationship with the present day. As a tour guide I am keenly aware that in places like London the past and present are really just chapters in the overall narrative. Similarly the future holds chapters which we have not yet reached. Time in London contends always with the imperatives of place, and often it is overridden.

The photographs which illustrate the book underline this idea. They have been taken especially by my friend and guiding colleague Alan Tucker and anchor many of these stories from the past firmly in today’s Tower Hamlets. The visible heritage of the East End and its story of continuity are important to me personally. I was born in Bethnal Green in 1964 and am still here, and my feeling for London’s ongoing story is embodied in my collection of short stories Death and the City, which takes the inspiration for its twelve stories from London lore and history that I have learned growing up here.

Old Gravel Lane Bridge
Now Wapping Lane

Although I am a City of London guide and a member of the London-wide guiding cooperative Footprints of London, I am also a member of the Tower Hamlets Walkshop, a guiding workshop group which has been developing on the back of an adult education course I teach locally. We are seeking to develop a coordinated guiding structure for the East End, and this book is a part of the overall initiative to maintain an awareness of the area’s continuity.

So much of our heritage – locally and nationally – is still under threat. In many ways it seems that the lessons of the 1960s and 1970s have not been learned, so the more we can appreciate the closeness and relevance of our past to our present, the less inclined we will be to let it go, and the readier we will be to embrace our part in this ongoing narrative. I hope this book will contribute in some way to encouraging this engagement.

You can find more about David by clicking here

Follow on Twitter @charnowalks

Find his books on Wordery.com

Huge thanks to David for being our guest on the blog today and for sharing his love of 

The Dark Side of East London so eloquently.

My Thoughts about The Dark Side of East London..

Living, as I do, in the North of England, I'm not hugely familiar with London and even less so with the east of the city, so it's been remarkably refreshing to read The Dark Side of East London and to learn things about the east end which I never knew existed. True, I'd heard the old Victorian myths and legends which sort of define the area, the most notorious being Jack the Ripper's association with its mean and murky streets, but what I didn't realise was that, in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this area was blamed for so much social injustice, and thus was, ultimately accountable for pioneering social change within its boundaries.

The book is divided into nine absorbing chapters which highlight the darker days of crime and punishment, and as detail emerges, what becomes apparent is that this area of London was nearly always at the sharp end of the action. I think my favourite chapter has to be “Poison for the Asking”, as in the days before the 1868 Pharmacy Act it was all too easy for people to get their hands on noxious substances which they used, either in ignorance, or malice, with devastating and often, catastrophic effect.

The author writes with knowledgeable insight into this area, it is, after all, a place he knows like the back of his hand. However, what’s so important is that his zeal and passion comes across in the stories he shares and in the amount of meticulous research which has gone into bringing the book to life. There is much to take in, and because of that, this is not a book to whiz through at high speed, rather it is more to be savoured slowly, allowing the facts to unfold in fascinating detail. The book also shares some specially commissioned photographs which help to put old and new into context and which show those areas which have been highlighted in the stories.

Those who are acquainted with this area will no doubt be familiar with some of its dark and convoluted history. I think that the author has done a commendable job of highlighting, perhaps, some of the more forgotten, but no less remarkable, history of The Dark Side of East London.

~***~