Books published by Brewin Books

Stylish and dark, the BBC series the 'Peaky Blinders' is set in the backstreets of Birmingham after the First World War and tells of the rise to power of Thomas Shelby and his criminal gang. Yet the real stories behind these fictional characters are just as dramatic, bloody and compelling as the TV series. This book tells their story.

Gill Mansell (nee Hewitt) was born in 1949 and brought up in the Lozells area of Birmingham, her large family had lived in the area for several generations and it was her happy playground whilst growing up. This book is the story of Gill, her parents and grandparents who led ordinary lives but were extraordinary people, living through hard times at the beginning of the 20th century, just carrying on and dealing with whatever life threw their way. Gill's family reminiscences and the history of Lozells are very much intertwined and record, for future generations, tales about the 'old days' with humour, sadness and all the other emotions which made up the rich tapestry of family life in Lozells.

Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck were drawn to each other the moment they met, but there were obstacles in the way. Clara was ten years younger and her domineering father, Friedrich Wieck, Robert's piano teacher, was against their relationship as it developed over the years. He saw Robert as a dissolute womaniser, and he saw his own reflected glory disappearing if Clara's career prospects as a pianist diminished. But the couple did marry, with help from the judiciary, and had a happy life together, so happy that their increasing number of children did indeed hamper Clara's performing opportunities. Then a young composer, Johannes Brahms, came into their household as a disciple of Schumann and nothing would ever be the same again. About The Author Christopher Morley is Chief Music Critic of the Birmingham Post, and contributes to several international magazines. Schumann has always been very special to him, and a visit to the asylum in which the composer died made a huge impression upon him.

Here is a selection of paintings by artist Robert Geoghegan about his home city of Birmingham where he has lived for all his life. His work is full of the detail and colour of modern urban life, often combined with a nostalgia for old Birmingham. Some of the works portray ordinary everyday scenes like someone walking dogs, a lollipop man or getting on the bus with an off peak pass, while others show many of the city's landmarks such as Selfridges, Aston Hall and the Custard Factory but always with a comic twist. There's something here for everyone - from depictions of modern-day Goths in Pigeon Park to yesteryear's children hanging off the back of the old Corporation buses. There's football pictures about the Blues, Villa and West Brom - both tragic and comic! One about Jasper Carrott and of course King Kong has to make an appearance. Here the Birmingham buses are peopled by bears, Morris dancers, druids, Santa Claus and even the Royal Family. There's pictures of Birmingham's public statues: the Iron Man squaring up to a Cyberman, Bullie being harassed and the statue of Victorian reformer Thomas Attwood attracting the attention of the police. The Beatles, characters from Father Ted, Dracula, Daleks and the Peaky Blinders all make an appearance in this enthralling collection. Robert sells prints of his work at local art markets in Moseley, Kings Heath and the MAC as well as in the city centre before Christmas. His work is also available to purchase online at robspaintings.com. As well as being a practicing artist, Robert is an art tutor who has run art sessions in primary schools for many years and also teaches drawing and painting to adults.

Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) was a globally important industrialist who introduced innovative minting practices at this Soho Mint. This book describes the processes involved, from mining the copper to the delivery of products to the customer. There was a shortage of small change towards the end of the 18th century, and Boulton strove to solve this problem, eventually obtaining customers all over Britain, including the British Government. He also made coins for the East India Company, and for Europe, Africa, the West Indies and America. Included is Boulton's role in the copper industry, and how he obtained his raw materials; his expertise in steel making for dies, and the technology of his new steam-powered mint. The design, production, marketing and distribution of the finished product is also covered. The book is illustrated with over 200 colour images, including an extensive section on the coins, tokens and medals produced at the Soho Mint.

George and Leila find life very different when Middlesbrough goes into Covid-19 lockdown. They miss their friends, football training, and going to watch Boro. They even miss going to school! Then Mrs Jenkins falls ill and her naughty sausage dog Parmo comes to stay with the children, keeping everyone on their toes.

This second book by Maggie Payne is a collection of fond reminiscences and anecdotes about her life growing up and living in the small town of Alcester in Warwickshire from the 1950s onward. The book describes what it is about Alcester with its people and traditions that makes it so unique, with plenty of scrapes that Maggie gets herself into along the way! A well-known figure in the town, Maggie is a former Alcester Mayoress and Chairman of Alcester in Bloom and these lighthearted memoirs are intended to put a smile on the face of the reader as they take a walk down memory lane with her.

This first novel by Emilia Williams is a sweeping family saga of life in the working class community of the Birmingham back to backs. Set between the 1920s and the 1960s, the story of the Holtes and Hatfields of Aston and Lozells, and their friends and neighbours, is seen through the eyes of Ada, the family matriarch, Lily, her fiery shop steward daughter, and Grace and Susannah, her granddaughters. The narrative encompasses the social life, politics and fashions of the 1960s and also the winds of change that are coming - as the characters prepare to leave the back to backs, which are to be demolished, as is the entire area - houses, pubs, shops, schools, cinemas and markets - as the 1970s are about to begin. Everyone is looking forward to a brighter future, but with some regrets for leaving the old world behind and the breaking up of a tightly knit working class community.

A mischievous ghost lurks in the Palace Theatre, Redditch; the Technical Manager has seen it three times. The Bull's Head at Inkberrow is haunted by a young seamstress. A female spirit has been seen four times in room 307 at the Falcon Hotel, Stratford. A courting couple went to Henley for the day and were advised by the ghost of an elderly lady to finish their relationship. These and over a hundred ghost stories, both ancient and modern, are packed into this book including many eye-witness accounts and spinechilling anecdotes.

Over ninety public houses and hotels are featured in this book. There is a brief overview of each one, giving type of inn and the fare on offer. Every inn has a story to tell. Some were patronised by royalty, others were smugglers dens or the local 'pick-up joint'! Some were caught up in the civil wars of the 1600s, others were a venue for an illicit romance. A few have even been involved in a murder. Above all, in every one of these hostelries, at one time or another, a ghost has made its presence felt.

Bangkok, Thailand, 1969. Young British lawyer Matt Benson has his first case. He's a long way from home, it's hot and he finds himself facing the might of the American military justice system in a court martial the Pentagon is determined to win. His client is US Army veteran Sgt Al Moreau, accused of selling off military vehicles destined for troops in Vietnam. Matt has to catch up fast with US Army law. His tough client won't make life easy. Nor will his new apartment above a seedy Go-Go Bar or a love affair with a US Army nurse who's hiding a dangerous secret. Al is depending on him. Matt can't let him down. He forms a bond that's hard to break in a case that will stay with him forever. Based on the adventures of David Hallmark, OBE, the only English lawyer to appear in a US court martial during the Vietnam war.

At the end of the 2016 Speedway season, the Coventry Bees Speedway team ceased racing due to their stadium at Brandon being purchased for housing development. Although it sent shockwaves through the Speedway world it didn't come as a complete surprise, as rumours about its future had been circulating for two years or so. Tony Watson is a keen supporter of Speedway Racing and the Bees in particular. In this book he sets out all of the final season's racing results, its team members, the guest riders used and the scoring statistics of the riders. He also touches on the attempts to keep the team's name alive by 'track sharing' at nearby Leicester, a venture which did not succeed. A must read for any Speedway follower

Jim Simpson of Big Bear Records has been involved in the music business for nearly 60 years, as musician, bandleader, promoter, record producer, festival director, manager, journalist and photographer. In his candid, constantly surprising, frequently amusing and occasionally shocking account you will encounter the joys and difficulties of managing Black Sabbath or of running a jazz festival in sun-kissed, crime-ridden Marbella. At home in Birmingham meet some of the characters who have enlivened 35 years of the Jazz Festival and read Jim's take on the scandals that closed the city's premier jazz club. Revisit the exciting Brum Beat scene, take to the road with some 40 of the best (in some cases, most eccentric) American bluesmen of the 1970s, encounter the Blues Brothers Band in surprising places and enjoy Jim's tributes to some of the great names in British jazz, such as Humphrey Lyttelton and Kenny Baker, with whom he worked closely.

Desperate, exhausted after the Battle of Worcester and hunted by Cromwell's troops, King Charles II was helped by the courageous and resourceful Colonel Careless, who in one of history's most enthralling incidents, hid with him in an oak tree. Who was this brave officer risking his life for his Monarch? Where was he from and what became of him after these dramatic events? This thoroughly researched book reveals the life and character of Colonel William Careless as witnessed by his family, his friends and even the King himself! It gives an insight into the lives and hardships of some of Staffordshire's ordinary people in the seventeenth century, who were so convinced of their beliefs and loyalties they were prepared to face the dangers of imprisonment or even death. Above all, this is the story of an honourable man who, in one of England's most troubled and momentous times, acted as a trustworthy and loyal hero.

This book relates the history of Rotton Park Lodge and the surrounding area of Birmingham. Margery Elliott provides a detailed account of the Lodge and gardens and its environs including the former farm, Edgbaston Reservoir and Perrott's Folly. She includes biographies of people associated with the Lodge and their families, several played a significant role in Birmingham's history. The author's grandfather, James Richard Turner, was a builder and prominent City Councillor who lived in the Lodge from 1903 to 1933. Her father, Edwin Elliott, was founder and managing director of E. Elliott Ltd, manufacturers of injection-moulded plastic goods. The book incorporates numerous photographs and reproductions of old maps and documents. It offers a fascinating insight into the social history of Britain's second city.

Deep in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside lie a number of secret places that played a special part in protecting a generation from the onslaught of a world war. Travellers passing through leafy Worcestershire lanes may catch a glimpse of a structure that seems out of place against the backdrop of fields and hills - the dish of a gigantic radio telescope. How did such an incongruous structure arrive in the middle of nowhere, and what does it do? This book answers the question, and recounts the dramatic history of two 'Top Secret' wartime airfields, and how their activities were inextricably linked to the 'boffins' of the Malvern Telecommunications Research Establishment. It tells the story of brilliant inventions, wartime courage and sacrifice, tragic air crashes, and ordinary and extraordinary people, pushing themselves and their machines to the limit and beyond. Crafted using personal recollections - the book reveals the truly extraordinary wartime commitment and camaraderie that fuelled extraordinary endeavour and achievement.