Review
Virtually each double page has some appealing image, and this visual clarity is matched by clarity of exposition. Will Glaswegians know their city better for Irene Maver's book? Yes - very definitely. In this single volume there is much to inform the local historian, undergraduate, and scholar. The images are striking, and prose accessible. The fusion of the political dimension with a 'conventional' economic history of the glory days of Glasgow's growth is the real achievement of the book. -- Richard Rodger [Irene Maver brings] rigorous scholarship not shackled by narrow specialisation, but, on the contrary, enlivened by an affection for the subject, brought out by personal reminiscences or anecdotes from acquaintances!a second underrated topic that Dr Maver brings out is popular culture. There has recently been a good deal of research in it!and it needed the effective integration which it here receives with more traditional urban history !This is certainly a very good study of Glasgow, well ahead of the field for the general reader A book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, including serious historians of urban history!well illustrated throughout ! this attractive book fills an important gap in the literature as it presents a reasonably priced, accessible, and well crafted summary of the history of Scotland's main industrial city by an acknowledged expert in the field. It will, therefore, be a valuable acquisition for all those with an interest in Glasgow. Irene Maver's extensive knowledge and attachment to her subject shines through on every page of this scholarly and well researched book ! There is a tremendous amount of primary and secondary source material available on the history of the city and Maver has obviously tackled the task in hand with considerable relish and expertise ! Maver is to be congratulated on the excellence and variety of illustrations throughout the book ! Overall this is an excellent introduction to a city with a great and fascinating history and will appeal to anyone who shares Maver's love of her native town and wishes to understand how Glasgow evolved to become the city it is today. Virtually each double page has some appealing image, and this visual clarity is matched by clarity of exposition. Will Glaswegians know their city better for Irene Maver's book? Yes - very definitely. In this single volume there is much to inform the local historian, undergraduate, and scholar. The images are striking, and prose accessible. The fusion of the political dimension with a 'conventional' economic history of the glory days of Glasgow's growth is the real achievement of the book. [Irene Maver brings] rigorous scholarship not shackled by narrow specialisation, but, on the contrary, enlivened by an affection for the subject, brought out by personal reminiscences or anecdotes from acquaintances!a second underrated topic that Dr Maver brings out is popular culture. There has recently been a good deal of research in it!and it needed the effective integration which it here receives with more traditional urban history !This is certainly a very good study of Glasgow, well ahead of the field for the general reader A book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, including serious historians of urban history!well illustrated throughout ! this attractive book fills an important gap in the literature as it presents a reasonably priced, accessible, and well crafted summary of the history of Scotland's main industrial city by an acknowledged expert in the field. It will, therefore, be a valuable acquisition for all those with an interest in Glasgow. Irene Maver's extensive knowledge and attachment to her subject shines through on every page of this scholarly and well researched book ! There is a tremendous amount of primary and secondary source material available on the history of the city and Maver has obviously tackled the task in hand with considerable relish and expertise ! Maver is to be congratulated on the excellence and variety of illustrations throughout the book ! Overall this is an excellent introduction to a city with a great and fascinating history and will appeal to anyone who shares Maver's love of her native town and wishes to understand how Glasgow evolved to become the city it is today.
Product Description
Glasgow is enshrined in the popular consciousness as a city of multiple and often contradictory identities. The 'Second City of Empire', the 'Venice of the North', 'Red Clydeside' and the 'Merchant City' are a few of the phrases that have been used to project the Glasgow image, positively and negatively. This new and extensively illustrated history explores the reality behind these stereotypes, showing Glasgow's considerable longevity as a Scottish ecclesiastical and commercial centre, yet focusing on the profound social, economic and political changes over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Glasgow uses much original material to illustrate the rich diversity of cultural influences that have contributed to the city's distinctive urban character. Particular emphasis is given to the people who shaped the ideas and attitudes of the times. Nineteenth-century economic success, most celebrated in the enduring mystique of Clyde shipbuilding, was associated with high-profile entrepreneurs who embodied both cosmopolitanism and individualism.At the same time, there was a passion in the projection of the progressive city and a commitment to social improvement that found expression in the assertive and increasingly collectivist brand of Glaswegian politics. Yet, as the author explains, Glasgow's strong sense of civic patriotism was often overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of social problems, in one of the world's most populous cities by 1914. The dislocation of war and the trauma of economic depression gave further impetus to the quest for solutions, which took dramatic (if controversial) shape in post-1945 planning policies. Contemporary Glasgow thus bears the legacy of twentieth-century industrial decline as well as cultural renewal, although Glasgow shows that there is nothing novel about regeneration strategy in a city which has a long tradition of blending innovation with historical continuity. Beautifully illustrated with over 100 photographs, this vibrant book offers the reader an unparalleled insight to the development of this wonderful city.
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