Ten Fascinating Local History Books
We’re on a #DoorstepDetectives challenge to rediscover what’s on our doorsteps, uncovering the hidden stories of the people and places in our communities that we walk past each day.
To celebrate #WorldBookDay and help you to dig further, check out this list of 10 must read local history books, available from Swansea Libraries.
There are so many great books about Swansea and Gower history that it is difficult to decide on just 10! Here are some books you can borrow from your local library which will give you a taste. There are many others available via the online catalogue.
For more information on your local library and the Click and Collect service, visit swansea.gov.uk/libraries
Swansea Copper: A Global History
(Johns Hopkins University Press) | Chris Evans and Louise Miskell
Describes how the Swansea copper industry changed the world.
The Three Nights’ Blitz
(West Glamorgan Archives) | J.R. Alban
Reissue of a classic book which collects contemporary documents of the impact of the Blitz.
Swansea: Salute to a city
(Bryngold Books) | David Roberts
One of David Roberts many books collecting old photographs of Swansea.
Gower Journal, Volume seventy one, 2020
Every year the Journal of the Gower Society is full of fascinating articles and stories about Gower.
Swansea University: Campus and Community in a Post-War World, 1945-2020
Sam Blaxland
The recent history of Swansea University issued to mark its 70th anniversary in 2020.
A New, Even Better, Abertawe: Rebuilding Swansea 1941-1961
(West Glamorgan Archives) | Dinah Evans
The history of how Swansea was rebuilt after the war.
A Lesson in Art and Life: The Colourful World of Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines
(Pimpernel Press) | Hugh St. Clair
The fascinating story of how Swansea artist Cedric Morris created an art school with his lover Arthur Haines.
GI Limey: A Welsh-American in WWII
(Parthian Books) | Clifford Guard
How a Swansea lad moved to America and fought in World War Two.
To Stand by the Sickbed
(Y Lolfa) | Tom Davies
The history of medical services in Swansea from medieval times through the lives of local doctors.
Swansea and its History: The Riverside Town
Gerald Gabb
A three volume epic history tracing Swansea’s past up to the 19th century.
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