Paul Salveson who is a former editor of this Journal, has written a new history of Lancashire defining Lancashire according to its pre 1974 boundaries. A Lancashire that includes both Manchester and Liverpool as well as Barrow. The model that he has followed owes a lot to that neglected classic by Walter Greenwood ‘Lancashire’ written in the early 1950s. Paul’s book reflects many of his major interests including key Lancashire writers like Allan Clarke. The book is in many ways about the world that Clarke wrote about, the world of the mines and mills. In the opening chapter he takes the reader on a tour of Lancashire pre 1974, reminding us of how extensive the county was, and how many different Lancashires there were, not just cotton and coal but both maritime and rural, as well as shipbuilding and engineering and those areas of leisure like Blackpool and Southport. Sporting Lancashire has its own chapter. There are also separate chapters on food and drink , housing and education with further chapters on co-operation, literature and music and religion and politics as well as new Lancastrians .
The variety of topics is one of the appealing features of the book. It is some time since we had a new history of the county, so this account is very welcome, and it reminds the reader of the significance of the county in the history of the UK, one often forgotten by London or Oxbridge based historians. The book reflects some of Paul’s many interests including his fondness for Bolton, but that added to this reader’s enjoyment and the books distinctiveness. It is also good to see labour and trade unions having their contribution recognised. Paul has studied the history of our region for many years and the book reflects this knowledge.
I hope many readers of the Journal will read it.
Alan Fowler