Yorkshire - A Lyrical History of England's Greatest County
by Richard Morris
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I love reading non-fiction, and actually find I need to counterbalance works of fiction with non-fiction, just like I balance my (admittedly too high) consumption of chocolate with healty food such as fresh fruit, salads and vegetables.
I bought this book in the summer during our holiday in Ripon. I can't remember whether I got it at our favourite "Little Ripon Bookshop" or at Fountains Abbey's National Trust shop, but I remember that the cover caught my eye instantly, and it being a paperback, I knew it was going to go in my suitcase without increasing its weight more than I could handle.
When I recently started reading it, I was at first a little disappointed. I found it somewhat hardgoing, with a lot of apparent jumping between topics and no detectable thread. But I persisted, mainly because I really liked the choice of words and style of writing, and after a while, the thread I was missing at first began to emerge.
I started to grasp the set-up of the book and the author's intention, and the more I read, the more I liked it.
Several times on my blog I have mentioned how silly and unnecessary I find the many blurbs and snippets of reviews nowadays printed on book covers, back and front, and inside. This time, though, there are some that I want to partly repeat, because they echo my overall impression: "A quirky, personal history of the Ridings..." and "Reading the book is like watching the author sift through layers of time: whatever will he turn up next?", and last but not least "A restless, poetic, strange book".
According to the book itself, Richard Morris is "emeritus professor of archaelogy at the University of Huddersfield" and started to work on excavations in 1971, under York Minster. He lives in Yorkshire and has not only written several books but also composed music. His other books include "Churches in the Landscape" and "The Church in British Archaeology" as well as a biography of Leonard Cheshire.
The book contains numerous footnotes, photographs, maps and other illustrations. It is not strictly a book of reference, but can be used as such, while it can be just as well enjoyed as a front to back read, like I did. Probably not of much interest to readers with no relation to Yorkshire, but would certainly make a good gift for anyone who does have an interest in the county, its past and present.
He sounds like a very interesting man; I just looked him up on Wikipedia. I warmed more to him in seeing that he was born in Birmingham and grew up in North Worcestershire. This makes the book more attractive to me in that he came to the county of Yorkshire as an outsider and his observations will be fresh and hopefully astute and unbiased. Whilst I would not read the book I can see that as a fan of Yorkshire yourself and also an outsider so to speak it would be the book for you.
ReplyDeleteHe does sound like someone you‘d never run out of fascinating topics of conversation with. I was not aware of his birthplace and growing up outside Yorkshire; the book refers to family ties in Yorkshire several times.
DeleteThere are so many places that I know absolutely nothing about. Luckily, through blog reading, I am getting glimpses of many places around the world that I will never see. I enjoy "traveling" through other places through the blog posts.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Ellen. I love reading about places and people, and never find the so-called ordinary lives of ordinary fellow bloggers dull.
DeleteAs you know I enjoy a mix of fiction and non-fiction as well, and I do have some fond memories of Yorkshire - but haven't actually been there since back in the early 1970s. So not a book that really tempts me just now. Nevertheless often interesting to know what others are reading even if one does not read all the same books oneself!
ReplyDeleteSame here, Monica. I enjoy the book reviews on your blog and have often found inspiration for my own reading, without feeling that I have to read each amd everyone of the books myself.
DeleteHistory is one of the most prestigious departments at Huddersfield U.
ReplyDeleteIf I had stayed on after my O-levels, maybe I would have gone to study history, but more likely something to do with languages.
DeleteI read this book in 2020 Meike - https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2020/05/stuff.html
ReplyDeleteAbout a year later my son-in-law, Stewart gave me the book as a gift - not realising that I had already read it. I like the use of the term "lyrical" in the title for the content seems rather like the verses of a plaintive hymn that celebrates different facets of Yorkshire.
I have just re-read your review of the book and it seems we have had a similar impression of it. Like you, I learned lots that I had not known yet, for instance the Canadian connection.
DeleteInteresting! I also like to mix my fiction-and-fact reading, and while I may not tackle this one you've reminded me about a few other non-fiction books in my stack that I should get to sooner rather than later. (One of them "Journey Through Britain" by John Hillaby.)
ReplyDeleteThe name doesn‘t ring a bell with me, but I suppose it is a very personal journey, not a typical travel guide, right?
DeleteI should probably read more non fiction to have a better balance, but I love fiction so much. My problem currently is that I want another book to read that's as good as North Woods, and that's going to be hard to find. It's in the running for my favorite book of all time.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I grew up to be a reader!
Me too, Jennifer! I grew up with parents who dedicated the most space in our living room to books, and of course I will be forever grateful to my sister who taught me to read when she started school and me, younger by a year, was still in kindergarden.
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