Free Spirit Writers
All these books were self-published. For the first three, I wrote the text and illustrated them with my own photographs or old postcards. The books were printed by Clifford Ward & Co, of Bridlington. I formed friendships with Brian, Pete and John at West Street, in the building now occupied by Spotlight Theatre. The books gave me a great deal of pleasure in their creation but headaches with their sales. However, they don't owe me anything and the know-how has been of benefit in later endeavours. Full Fathom Five was published in 2005 by Biscuit Publishing. The next two books were written by others in the 1830s but I have republished them so that new readers can enjoy Bridlington's ancient history. Talbot Times is explained further down this page, and the following two books are, again, all my own work. Life as an Inshore Fisherman at Bridlington was published so that Frank Brown's memoirs could reach a wider audience. At the bottom of the list are More Bridlington and Colours of Bridlington. Then, with the co-operation of Chris Bonnett, I published The Great War Heroes of Bridlington. This was followed by Bridlington Remembered, another book of old photos and information about old Bridlington. The last book on the list is Nothing More To Say . . . This was the result of co-operation between me and the staff at Bridlington School so that I could read and publish the letters of a former pupil of the school, T. B. D. Hough, who died in World War One. In April 2013, I had 123 pages of a further book containing old photographs and articles detailing some aspects of Bridlington's history.
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Published on
1st January 1982. Only 2,000 copies were printed. There are
still half a dozen copies on the author's bookshelves Out of print |
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Published in 1986. I kept two copies when I received them from the printers and recently bought a third on Ebay Out of print |
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Published
1996. One thousand were printed. Occasionally a copy becomes
available on Ebay or adebooks. I have two copies.
Out of print but you can buy Bridlington's Pleasure Boats (which was part of Any More For Sailing?) from the Harbour Heritage Museum, Harbour Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire. |
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Bridlington Messenger was published to raise money for local charities, and over £360 was distributed locally. The whole thing is a spoof. Not one line of news is true. The advertisers paid a small fee, just enough to pay the print bill. All copies were either sold on 1st April 2006 or given to local charity shops. You can read the whole thing elsewhere on this site. Out of print |
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Towards the end of 2007, I republished this book. It was published in 1831 and was the first book to deal with the history of Bridlington. 80 pages, 125mm by 210mm. This book was printed at JasPrint Ltd, Washington, Tyne & Wear Currently out of print. |
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This book is also an important publication about the history of Bridlington. It was first published in 1836 and is the second book about Bridlington. This volume deals with the history of the Priory Church. 130 pages, 125mm by 210mm. Currently out of print |
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The Talbot Times was conceived during one of our volunteer stays at Talbot House. The material was provided by staff at the House and advertising covered the cost of production. Copies are available for sale at the House. We attempted to produce a newspaper we felt Tubby Clayton would have welcomed had he had access to modern desktop publishing. We also tried to use the humour which is to be found throughout The Wipers Times, published during World War One. If you'd like a copy, log on to www.talbothouse.be Eight A3 pages: jokes, cartoons, stories and reports from the front line. |
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Memories of my childhood have been used to tell stories of life at the end of the Second World War and thereafter. Most of the tales are true and are part of my life, others are created to help show how kids think. Currently out of print |
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My Bridlington was put together in about three weeks at the beginning of 2008. A comment was made that Historical Sketches of Bridlington had no pictures in it. I asked: "Do people want pictures of old Brid?" and the answer was a definite yes. So here it is. 132 pages, A5. All black and white illustrations inside, mostly three to a page. It's packed with stuff. 375 photos in total, plus some newsy pieces about Brid's history. And a few questions which may upset certain parties. Currently out of print. |
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Frank Brown's memoirs take us on a tour of old Bridlington, introduces us to his father and grandfather's adventures, and describes the methods of fishing used in his early days. He also mentions The Great Gale, his father Kit's heroism in 1893 and his death in 1898. Out of print |
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More Bridlington adds to the information in My Bridlington. It also contains "I Remember," by S. Gawthorpe, first published over 40 years ago. It is packed with photographs, including the last day at Bridlington Woolworths, Pride of Bridlington, the hospital protest, as well as views and information from the town of long ago. Out of print |
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Colours of
Bridlington is another book about the town, this time with many
pages in colour. I asked local artists to allow me to use their
images, so that readers can see other people's impressions of
Bridlington. The book costs £8.95 (free postage). Please send your name and
address to Mike Wilson, 40 Burstall Hill, Bridlington
YO16 7GA, with a cheque payable to Free Spirit Writers.
Out of print |
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The Great War Heroes of Bridlington was published on 1st July 2011, on the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, the worst day in World War One. The book has 364 pages and every man who is on the Bridlington Cenotaph who gave his life in that conflict has a page of his own. In addition to information about each soldier, sailor and airman, the book is packed with other material about the war, some of it showing Bridlington's involvement. The book costs £11.99 and costs £4.00 to pack and post - it is a very heavy book). Send your name and address to Mike Wilson, 40 Burstall Hill, Bridlington YO16 7GA, with a cheque for £15.99. My grandfather, John William Wilson, is featured top left of the cover. Chris Bonnett's two great uncles are also pictured. |
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Bridlington Remembered Well, it does what it says on the cover. The book is packed with information about historical aspects of Bridlington.
A5, 140 pages,
250 b&w illustrations The book costs £7.00 (post and packing £1.00). Please send your name and address to Mike Wilson, 40 Burstall Hill, Bridlington YO16 7GA, with a cheque payable to Free Spirit Writers. |
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Nothing More To Say . . . This is a compilation of letters left by Second Lieutenant Topham Becher Dabridgecourt Hough, an 18-year-old Old Boy of Bridlington Grammar School, who was killed in the trenches on 18th January, 1916. The book has 163 pages with several illustrations. It includes all the letters Topham wrote to his parents between 5th January 1915 and 17th January 1916. Fifty copies were bought by the School and Old Bridlingtonian Club for use of pupils at the School. Out of print |
Mike
Wilson