Overview

THE VERY first 'who was born where' listing of famous Britons through history opens up a world of discovery and throws up some astonishing facts. What was it about Northampton that produced three major composers? Why has such a strong crop of Nobel laureates come out of the Pennine valleys? And how is it that the tiny Northumbrian village of Wylam produced two very eminent yet entirely unrelated engineers of the early railways? This comprehensive volume lists the birthplaces, dates and careers of over 5,000 British personalities, from monarchs and aristocrats to soldiers, scientists, artists and musicians, writers, clergymen and sporting heroes - not to mention a representative selection of those more infamous than famous, the killers and criminals who have taken their place in British history. Cross-referenced lists by town of birth, name and county make it easy to track down your favourite figures and perhaps to discover surprising local connections of your own.

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9781859833124

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This splendid addition to the reference shelf will fascinate every reader and a big vote of thanks should be offered to husband and wife librarians A J and Marilyn Mullay for spotting the gap between the bookends. It's a simple idea: a guide to which famous person was born in which town or village with dates of birth and, where appropriate, death, and a short explanation of why they are well known. The authors have trawled the nine major biographical dictionaries for their information so if a favourite celebrity is not listed it is not their fault. The first and longest section gives an alphabetical list of birthplaces beginning with Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire (Adrian IV, Nicolas Breakspear. Only English Pope, 1100-1159) and ending with York, which is the birthplace of no fewer than 20 famous people including Dame Judi Dench and Guy Fawkes. Serendipity brings glad surprises in this section although most readers will probably turn first to their own birthplace and the place where they live now. The second section lists counties, again in alphabetical order, with the names of towns and villages mentioned in the book. Kent has a surprising column and a half while Denbighshire boasts only the town of Denbigh itself (poet Arthur Glyn Prys-Jones and Sir Henry Morton Stanley, journalist and explorer, uttered immortal question 'Doctor Livingstone I presume?', 1841-1904).Finally the personal name index allows one to look first for the famous person and then check the list of towns. Great fun; a perfect book to keep in the car when touring. (Kirkus UK)

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