Book reviews Archives • Historic Liverpool

Liverpool Shipping: a short history, by George Chandler

An illustrated volumne covering the industry of shipping, explaining how it worked up to the mid-20th century.

Film Review: Almost Liverpool 8, a portrait of Toxteth in the 21st century

Who owns the truth about 'Toxtheth' - the place, the name, the people? This film tries to find out.

Most Notorious Pirates… and Highwaymen

Smart reproductions of two 18th century encyclopedias of notorious criminals. There's more to these women and men than you'd expect, though!

Courts and Alleys by Elizabeth J. Stewart

A colourful illustrated book about Liverpool's worst housing, from someone researching the last remaining one.

Ghost Town: A Liverpool Shadowplay, by Jeff Young

Well-written memoir from a man rediscovering the landscapes of his youth, including critiques of the changes therein.

Book cover of Liverpool, by Hugh Hollinghurst

Liverpool: unique images from the archive of Historic England

A history of Liverpool's landscape in photographic form. Images taken from Historic England's vast archive.

Cover of Beatles Landmarks book

The Beatles’ Landmarks in Liverpool, by Daniel K. Longman

A slightly different take on the Beatles in Liverpool, exploring the locations that played a major part in their rise to fame.

Photograph of the cover of 50 Finds from Manchester and Merseyside

50 Finds From Manchester and Merseyside: Objects from the Portable Antiquities Scheme

A gathering together of the best finds reported to the Portable Antiquities scheme for the region.

Candles, Carts & Carbolic book cover

Candles, Carts & Carbolic: A Liverpool childhood between the wars

A memoir which manages to recall the utopia of youth without flinching from the hard times of 20th century Liverpool.

Belated, retrospective book review: Culture of Capital by Nicky Allt

An alternative view of Liverpool as it picked up the baton of Capital of Culture, from someone who wouldn't fall for the hype.

The Ancient Crosses of Lancashire

A catalogue of religious crosses around Merseyside, with a decent description of the landscape as a whole.

Liverpool in the 1950s

A photographic archive of the city on the cusp of great change, emerging from the damage of the Second World War.

Cover of the Liverpool history book, Liverpool: a landscape history

Liverpool: A landscape history (or Historic Liverpool: the book)

A more detailed history of Liverpool's historic landscape. A similar focus to this website, with maps and illustrations.

Maps of Landscapes

Seventeen essays on the theme of wandering the cityscape. Includes an essay on Toxteth, as well as cities from across Britain.

Covers of the books Ghost Signs of Liverpool and Along the Mersey

Liverpool Ghost Signs and Along the Mersey

Two photographic books: one covering the old shop signs that survive with the other a journey along the Mersey.

The Liverpool Book of Days by Steven Horton

A year's worth of events in Liverpool history, from the earliest times to much more recently.

Not a Guide to Liverpool & Merseyside War Years by Daniel K. Longman

Two books by author Dan Longman, covering the less well-known side of Liverpool, and its post-war regeneration.

Hoylake Then & Now, by Jim O’Neil

An authority on Hoylake takes us on a photographic tour of the town, from its development into a popular seaside town.

Little Book of Liverpool, and Bloody British History: Liverpool

Two books anthologising the history of Liverpool, both presenting facts and expanding into essay forms to bring history to life.

Cover image from the book Our Liverpool, by J. P. Dudgeon

Our Liverpool, by J.P. Dudgeon

The psychological landscapes of Liverpool drawn out through oral sources of history, new and archival.

Local History on the Ground and The English Semi-detached House

A guide to overcoming barriers to amateur research, plus another on a common English house type.

Liverpool Gangs, by Michael Macilwee

An examination of Liverpool's gang problem in the Victorian period, and the landscape they roamed and guarded.

Mapping the history of Liverpool

Old maps of Liverpool, articles and interactive maps of the historic landscapes of Merseyside.

Buy maps

Many of the maps on this site can be bought as high quality prints, either as paper or ready-framed.

You can also buy notebooks, postcards, greetings cards and other map-printed items!

Go to the shop to find out more

The book

Liverpool: a landscape history is a book about Liverpool and Merseyside from the very earliest days to the 21st century.

You’ll learn about everything from the Calderstones to the Capital of Culture.

Signed copies are available direct from me, the author, in the shop.

Get old maps from Cassini