The success of the campaign and popularity of the ‘QueenSpark’ newspaper inspired others to continue writing about life in Brighton and QueenSpark Books was born.
The first book to be published in 1974 was an autobiography. Written by Albert Paul and entitled Poverty – Hardship but Happiness, it details the poverty and difficulties Albert personally endured and overcame in early 20th century Brighton.
It also highlights the hardship experienced by working-class people in the period prior to the Great War, for example, a School Drill lesson c.1900, as shown in this picture.
This led to the publication of more personal stories such as Daisy Noakes’ The Town Beehive and George Noakes’ To Be a Farmer’s Boy. Read more about those stories here.
