Times Past: The Story Of Glasgow

Who are the people that you would instantly associate with Glasgow? There are the obvious names like Billy Connolly, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ally McCoist, Lulu, Charles Rennie MacIntosh, Carol Smillie - in fact the list is as long as your arm. Times Past offers short biographies of all of the city's most influential sons and daughters. As well as the weel-kent faces, there are people like shipbuilder Robert Napier, architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and inventor James Watt whose names might not be so immediately associated with the city but whose influence on its development can never be underestimated. Times Past also covers the history of the city. The 'Dear Green Place' burgeoned in the nineteenth century and with its wealth came the confidence to build some of the most stunning city-centre buildings anywhere in the world. This was financed by some of Britain's shrewdest merchants and businessmen and, of course, all this trade meant that shipbuilding became one of the city's most important activities. Here the industry's phenomenal rise and its eventual decline are charted in both pictures and text. The book then looks at how Glasgow's past has shaped the city we know today - a vibrant cultural melting pot that is rightly recognised as one of Europe's trendiest cities. Of course, a vital part of the culture of Glasgow is football and the successes of both Rangers and Celtic are celebrated here. No book on the sporting history of Glasgow could ignore the Ibrox Disaster and the tragedy of Stairway 13 in 1971 is given sensitive coverage. Glasgow has also produced some of the country's best boxers and Times Past gives men like Benny Lynch and Jim Watt their rightful place in the city's sporting archives.