My work, mostly of an historical nature, has appeared in print in many forms, the first being pictorial supplements for the Hull Daily Mail, which I compiled in 1996 with Chris Ketchell of the Hull College Local History Unit (now closed); I had studied with Chris since 1995, and we did another supplement together in 2002.

It was due to my friendship with Chris, and later Graham Wilkinson (who had also studied in Chris’s unit) that I got my first chance to appear in a real book; ‘Aspects of Hull’ was published in 1999, and I guess I must have got the writing bug, having produced another seven books since then, with another in the research stage as I write (May 2009).

I have also written numerous articles for magazines and local history publications both local and nationwide. Without Chris, and even more so Graham, I doubt I would have produced anything – they were my real teachers, as I did very little learning at school. This is the story so far...

Aspects Of Hull - published in 1999.

This was the first proper book that I was involved with, and was made up of a selection of articles by several local 'historians', on various aspects of Hull's history. I wrote two chapters and every one else just managed one. Quite a good read and I would suggest Volume Two is well overdue.

Lost Pubs Of Hull - published in 1999.

I had the great pleasure of working with my friend Graham Wilkinson on this one. Sadly Graham died in 2007, but I think this and two of his other books – FORGOTTEN HULL and FORGOTTEN HULL TWO, stand as tribute to his knowledge of Hull's social history and as the expert on Hull's public houses. It was a pleasure to know and work with Graham and it is a shame that the council (who published the book through their Kingston Press department) hasn’t seen fit to reprint what is one of the most in demand books in Hull. This was the best selling book in Hull over Christmas 1999, and is very hard to get hold of now.

A Toast To The Town - A History Of Beverley's Public Houses - published in 2001.

The second and final book I produced with Kingston Press, and it sold very well despite the dodgy title (nothing to do with me). Using pictures from my collection once again, it records the history of every known pub and brewery in Beverley, and is still available in charity shops, car-boot sales and on eBay I believe.

Kingston Upon Hull - The Second Selection - published in 2002 (reprinted in 2005).

The first book I wrote for Tempus Publishing, which sold very well and was soon reprinted. Just a good selection of old photographs of Hull from my collection realy. The 'first selection' was produced by the late Ben & Mavis Chapman, hence the title of mine being 'the second selection', and theirs was good too. Mine is still available in its reprinted form although Ben & Mave’s is harder to find – try the car-boot sales.

Hull Pubs & Breweries - published in 2004 (reprinted in 2006).

The second book that I wrote for Tempus Publishing, and the most successful, selling out the first run inside a year. Still one of the most regularly stolen books from the libraries in Hull apparently, and was also the best-selling book in Hull in Christmas 2004. I think its probably the most comprehensive and well illustrated books on the subject, even if I say so myself, and had many glowing reviews from even the hardest of the local history critics. Still available in the reprinted form and contains the best selection of old Hull pub pictures produced so far (from my collection).

Then & Now Beverley - published in 2006.

This was the third book that I wrote for the Tempus group, and sold very well; it features old pictures of Beverley from my collection, matched with modern images that I took of the same scenes in 2006. Still available in all good bookshops – buy it please – I need the royalties!

The Anlaby Road - published in 2007.

I was hired to produce this by a local group 'The Friends of Lonsdale', to raise money for their cause, and was funded by the Heritage Lottery. Covering the complete history of the road from Hull to Anlaby, and all of the streets that run off it, I think it stands as a good piece of research. Anyway, it won me an award from the Hull Civic Society for being "an exceptional local history". I ended up not just writing and researching the book but also designing it and laying it out to a print-ready stage - a steep learning curve, but well worth it, as the finished article sold 2,000 copies in just over six months. It still appears on e-Bay every now and then should you want one – or you could be old-fashioned and look it up in the libraries.

A companion website can be found here: www.anlabyroad.com

Wilberforce Women - published in 2007.

I was hired by the Wilberforce Women group to layout and design this fascinating book. It contains many marvellous photographs produced by women in Hull and women in Hull’s twin city of Freetown in Sierra Leone. It was a pleasure to meet the women and some of the ladies from Freetown, and was a very rewarding project. The credit for the project lies with Lee Karen Stow, a local photographer and reporter and the sales raise funds to continue the photographic exchange between the women of the two cities – SO BUY ONE!

Hull Then & Now - published in 2008.

Once again I was hired to research, write and design this one - ready to print. This time by the Carnegie Heritage Action Team, a local charity that I helped create and still work with and support on a voluntary basis. It is another luxuriously presented book – similar to “The Anlaby Road”, and with it's presentation I think I have set a benchmark for the quality of local history books in this region. Produced mainly due to local sponsorship it has sold over 1,200 copies in its first six months raising much-needed funds for our charity, which maintains The Carnegie Heritage Centre (see www.carnegiehull.co.uk) where the public of Hull can trace their family history or study aspects of Hull’s history.

The Carnegie Heritage Centre – a Brief History

This is a short history of the old Carnegie Free Library on the Anlaby Road, near West Park Gates. I compiled it for the charity of which I am a founding member: - The Carnegie Heritage Action Team', which was formed to save the building from dereliction in 2006. Please visit our website for more details, and even get involved if it turns you on... www.carnegiehull.co.uk.