Confidential's editor-at-large, Jonathan Schofield, knows a thing or two about Manchester. Blue Badge Guide and general depository of historical knowledge, his books are perfect for Mancunians, adopted Mancunians and others interested in our fascinating and entertaining city.
Lost & Imagined Manchester the companion volume to Illusion & Change Manchester and tells you all you need to know about the city that was and the city that might have been. The beautiful and powerful A4 book tells the story of more than fifty lost and imagined buildings and projects in Manchester.
Over its 144 pages, it details some of the grandest buildings and plans ever dreamt up in the UK but also more modest projects that go to the heart of city life. Expect tales of the bombed out Assize Courts, the incredible story of the lost Palaces of Manchester, how Manchester gained the greatest temporary art exhibition in the world, the prison where public hangings took place, the plans for the Olympics and dreams of a Victoria Station Heliport plus the rise and fall of Maine Road and the Manchester Arms pub and much more.
Illusion & Change Manchester is the companion volume to Lost & Imagined Manchester book and reveals dreams of the city and the places we have lost. Again it comes in a sumptuous A4 format and is chock-full with incredible pictures of the city, plans, diagrams and drawings.
Among the stories across 144 pages are tales of the lost Assembly Rooms, the amazing plans of Thomas Witlam Atkinson, how Manchester nearly got a central park a third bigger than Central Park in New York, the fall of Tommy Ducks pub, the disappearance of Bradford Colliery, the Deansgate Travelator, the Chester-style Rows that nearly occupied the site of the Arndale, the loss of the Twisted Wheel nightclub, how Picasso’s Guernica came to Manchester in 1939, how Manchester was rebuilt after the IRA bomb of 1996, and how the city’s skyline has been transformed over the ages.
Manchester: The Complete Guide has been described by Waterstones Deansgate as ‘the most complete guide to Manchester so far’. It was the bestselling book in all categories in Waterstones Deansgate last year.
This witty and revealing book covers the main sights and sites, where to eat, drink, sleep, dance, watch sport and shop. There are four walking tours, biographies of key citizens and the story of Manchester in fourteen episodes. There is a catalogue of the city’s pioneering firsts and lots of quotes about the city from locals and visitors. It will make you think and it will make you laugh. There never has been a book quite like this about Manchester.
Lost & Imagined Manchester is £16.99, postage and packing is £3
Manchester: The Complete Guide is £9.99, postage and packing is £3.
Delivery will normally be within two days of purchase. Both are Manchester Books Limited publications. Payment can be made via Paypal.
