Brighton A-Z should be a tonic in these unhappy times
Kevin Newman offers an A-Z of Brighton and Hove in his new book for Amberley Publishing.
Kevin, 46, explained: “The idea is to take the reader on a selective tour of the past of Britain’s premier coastal resort in alphabetical order.
“A-Z of Brighton and Hove aims to take the reader on a tour of the city’s most notable streets, places, parks and buildings, as well as the dark secrets of its inhabitants, lesser-known lanes and twittens, such as Queensbury Mews, home to Brighton’s smallest pub.”
A-Z of Brighton and Hove is available from Amberley’s website at £14.99.
“The book tries to reveal the stories behind some of the more unusual visitors to the city such as Sheena the camel who nearly ruined one of our first ever major conferences.
“Also here are tales of the town’s less-famous daughters and sons such as the wonderfully-named Chief Constable D’eath. It is a not a definitive reference book, but something to dip in and out of. There was no way I could hope to emulate Tim Carder’s wonderful Encyclopaedia of Brighton and its early 21st century successor, but I hope my book provides something for everyone.
“It’s significant to me as I wrote it after meeting Tim Carder, who put the original Encyclopaedia of Brighton together, and I wanted it to have the passion for Brighton that had and include the humour that you can’t miss when writing about such a lively and happy city.
“I think it will appeal to people as I think we need this sort of book in lockdown Sussex!
“When we were told we could only have one hour’s exercise a day, people that never usually went on walks widely decided they would now take them daily; it was their right.
“So you now have lots of people who’ve explored bits of Brighton and Hove they never knew existed on walks and want to find out more, and other Sussexians who’ve got the bug for exploring and learning and need inspiration for new walks. Hopefully the book caters for both.”
Kevin says the book brings to mind the character Flora Poste in Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, who said: “Sussex, when all was said and done, was not like other counties.”
“If that is true, then it is equally true that Brighton and Hove is not like the rest of the county, and so its uniqueness always makes it worthy of another look.
“Wherever you live in Sussex as well, it’s hard to escape the impact of Brighton and I hope the humour that emanates from the city can give us all a much-needed cheer up . It’s a very happy city as my two sons, who feature in the book, will testify – they love getting over there.”
Kevin added: “I was asked to write the book by Amberley I guess as I’ve written a number of books for them, starting with Brighton and Hove in 50 Buildings, which I was told was their first book on Brighton that did well for them.
“I hope my book provides something for everyone, whether visiting or a citizen of the city.
“I think Amberley asked me to write A-Z as there is always more to discover about Brighton and Hove, and in these ‘terrible ‘twenties’ we need the tonic of reading about such a happy city.
“One of my favourite bits is where the book tells how Brighton was recently voted the most popular British seaside destination on the list of 30 locations people considered ‘happy places’. This meant it beat Padstow in Cornwall, the sandy beaches of the Hebrides, St Ives, and northern rival Blackpool.
“The book is full of quirky snippets including that in a survey of Brightonians, more than one in ten people said it also was their favourite holiday location, which suggests Brighton folk therefore even feel on holiday in the place they live in – or as the book suggests, they’re confused about the concept of a holiday!”