Northerners: The bestselling history of the North of England

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Northerners tells the formidable history of the North of England through the people and events that have shaped it – and the wider world – from the Ice Age to the post-Brexit era.

Instead of over analysing historical turns or unknotting historiographies, Groom is telling the story of the north of England. On that note, I think the book could have done with a map of the North at the beginning for those that are less familiar with Northern geography). There is a real difficulty in writing a separate history of the north, because the north is not separate from England. Or the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria, which became for a time Europe’s leading cultural and intellectual centre, illuminating the Dark Ages. I guess I would recommend this if you want somewhere to start with Northern History but I think books about specific regions and/or time periods would probably be better.We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Also former editor of Scotland on Sunday, which he launched as deputy editor and which won many awards.

Northerners, which has been a Times number three bestseller in hardback non-fiction, is also published by HarperNorth. And, it is a book which I will be picking up from my shelf numerous times to re-read some of the chapters. A visitor to some of the more affluent areas of the North East might find there is actually more of an affinity with kindred villages and towns in the south than there is within the varied communities of the north of England.The book charts how the north-south divide has ebbed and flowed and explores the very real divisions between northerners, such as the rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire. I especially found the chapters on slavery/ cotton manufacturing and the women's movement really interesting as I had not been aware that the North part of England had played such an influential part, first in terms of commerce and then later in abolishing slavery both here and in America. Brian Groom didn't pull any punches both showing the problematic issues that the North has been a part of as well as giving praise where praise is due. As you can imagine, packing that much history into 432 pages means it’s a bit of a whistle stop tour, so we never get into too much depth.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which will appeal to anyone with an interest in the north, whether they were born, live or work there or just visit for holidays. The chapters covering the Middle Ages were especially draining, seeming to be one long list of battles with little to no supporting framework.A few hundred years later, the Benedictine monk Bede is the original polymath as England’s first historian, as well as writing more than sixty works on science, cosmology, biblical commentary and orthography amongst other subjects.

It read like the notes-gathering section of a lengthy dissertation, with a lot of information that could have been pruned, a considerable amount of repetition, and very little analysis or discussion of what life was really like on the ground.

Educated at Manchester Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he got a first-class BA in English Language and Literature. There were also little asides that say something about what it is to be Northern that didn't align with my own perceptions of the North and Northern history. It is a celebration of the diverse groups of people who have made the north their home as well as a recognition of the manifold events that have shaped not only the story of this region, but also that of the UK and beyond. The north has exported some of sport's biggest names and defined the sound of generations, from the Beatles to Britpop. Being a northerner myself, I was pleased to realise how much I already knew about the north, although if you’re new to the subject you could find all the names and places mentioned a bit overwhelming.