For all your Glasgow links

Home

About My City

Interesting facts

My City

Places to visit

Things to do

Fun stuff

Architecture

Reference

Glasgow Areas

My favourites

Newspapers

Transport

To contact us: email mycityglasgow@yahoo.co.uk

As mentioned in the ‘Places to visit’ links, Colin Mackie, Paul O’Cuin and SGHET have done research and produced the book ‘City of the Dead’ about the Southern Necropolis.  Available at all good bookstores and the Mitchell Library; a reasonably priced wee book which is bound to be a great read. 

You have probably heard of Carol Foreman before—she has written several books on Glasgow.  They are available in all good bookshops and probably at the Mitchell Library:-

Hidden Glasgow -  Glasgow Street Names  -  Glasgow Curiosities                                                                   Lost Glasgow   -  Glasgow from the Air—75 years of aerial photography and her latest one, Glasgow Shops

If you have browsed this site before, then you will know that Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show visited Glasgow.  Tom Cunningham has now written two books on the subject of  native Americans in Scotland.

The Diamond’s Ace: Scotland and the Native Americans                  Your Fathers the Ghosts: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in Scotland

Judith Bowers has had a book published, entitled ‘Stan Laurel and Other Stars of the Panopticon—The Story of the Britannia Music Hall’.  What a history that building has had! 

Another book to be found in shops and at the Mitchell is  ‘A Tale of Two Towns: A History of Medieval Glasgow’, by Neil Baxter.

Not a recent publication, but a great book, is Meg Henderson’s biographical story of growing up in Glasgow ‘Finding Peggy’,

A book everyone is talking about, in a similar vein, is Robert Douglas’s first book ‘The Night Song of the Last Tram’,   He has written two sequels,  very enjoyable, but the first is a must-read.

‘Glasgow East’, photographs of Glasgow’s East End, some never before published,   By Gordon Adams, in the Tempus Images of Scotland series.  Look out for the others, too!

‘Glasgow City Beautiful’ John McDermott photographs Glasgow in all her glory.  Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing said ’It is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book’ .  Available in bookshops and on DVD.

These books are available at all good bookstores, except where mentioned. 

You might also find these books in the museum shops at Burrell, Kelvingrove and, of course, the Transport Museum.  Don’t forget the Tourist Information Centre in George Square—they stock lots of unusual goodies.

There are DVDs about Glasgow’s history, shipbuilding, subway and other methods of  transport.  Hope you find something you like!

‘The Glasgow Almanac—an A to Z of the City and it’s People’ By Stephen Terry, Excerpts from this book first featured as short articles in the Evening Times in the lead up to the Millennium. 

‘Glasgow 1955: Through the lens’  By Fiona Hayes with Peter Douglas,  In 1955, Glasgow camera clubs went out and photographed everyday aspects of the city.  These fantastic portals to Glasgow’s past were on display in the Peoples Palace and ran for a very long time, so popular was the subject. This book is a collection of 90 of those superb photographs.  Available at Glasgow Museums and all good bookshops. 

‘A Century of Glasgow’  By Bruce Durie,  This book was first published in 2000.  The paperback edition was published 2007.  Lots of black and white photographs showing the huge changes which have taken place in Glasgow—and some scenes which haven’t changed much at all.  Divided into different time frames from the start of the Century,  through both World Wars to the last chapter, entitled ‘The Next Century’.

‘Glasgow’  Photographed by Allan Wright and Text by Jack McLean,  This book is a treat to look through.  Allan Wright, one of the World’s leading landscape photographers has taken sumptuous pictures of our beautiful city and introduction by Jack McLean, award-winning journalist.  .

‘Tales from the Back Green’  by Bill Paterson,  The well-known and respected actor was raised in Dennistoun in the 1950s and his ’Tales’ were broadcast in a very popular programme on BBC Radio.  Now he has put these reminiscences into a book.  If you’re quick, you’ll get it at a discounted price in Waterstones!  Published  2008.

‘Second City’  by Chris Terry,  No, not the C.A.Oakley book, although that is to be recommended also—this is a book of photographs of Old Glasgow.  Some standards are included but there are many I cannot recall having seen before—and I have seen a lot!  They are all black and white, of course, and they cover 100 years from Victorian Glasgow  to the swinging sixties (1860 –1960).

‘The Theatre Royal‘ by Graeme Smith.  The story of the Theatre Royal in Glasgow.  It has seen many types of entertainment, from theatre to television to vaudeville.  This book tells its story and also the story of its predecessor in Dunlop Street.

‘Our Glasgow‘ by Piers Dudgeon.  Mr Dudgeon has researched Glasgow’s history through the voices of its people, past and present.  He takes examples from past social commentators and people who have lived through the vast changes of more recent times.

‘What’s for Ye won’t go by Ye‘  and ‘Chasin’ that Carrot‘ by Avril Saunders.  Two novels with their roots in Glasgow, following two generations of the MacGregor family, from the 1930s and the war years through to the 1960s in the first book and into more recent times in the second. 

‘Rescue His Business, the Clyde His Life‘ by George Parsonage.  George Parsonage is the Officer of the Glasgow Humane Society, as his father was before him.  This book tells the history of the Humane Society in Glasgow and  then covers the many years when his father, Ben, held the post.  He took part in hundreds of rescues and recoveries on the Clyde and elsewhere.  He rightly won many awards and merits for his service to the City.  This book is a fitting tribute by his son, who follows in his footsteps.

‘Whose turn for the Stairs’ by Robert Douglas, who wrote ‘Night Song of the Last Tram’.  This is his first novel, the first of a trilogy.  Everyone in the book is fictitious,  but if you were raised in a tenement, especially in Maryhill, you will recognise all the characters and situations.

‘Tinderbox Heroes’ by Alan Forbes and James Smith.  March 28th 2010 is the 50th Anniversary of the dreadful Cheapside Street fire when many firemen and salvage workers lost their lives during the massive blaze.  This book is a tribute to the brave men and women of these services and describes that blaze and other large fires of the post-war years.  Available from Waterstones bookshops.

‘A Jarrold Guide to the Historic City of Glasgow’ text by Grace Franklin.  This guide to the City, in full colour, is packed with information for locals and tourists alike.  It also features a map of the city centre and an illustrated walk, pointing out buildings and areas of interest.

Stenlake Publications have published numerous photographic histories of different areas of Glasgow, with text by authors with a detailed knowledge of the area in question.  There are too many to show here, but if you click on the link, you will open a window (literally!) on the wealth of subject matter.

‘Glasgow’  by Charles Jamieson.  Beautiful colour photographs of different aspects of Glasgow’s buildings and places.

‘Played in Glasgow—Charting the heritage of a city at play’  by Ged O’Brien.  A considered look at the sports facilities of the areas of Glasgow and their histories.  Everything from bowling to swimming, boxing to pigeon-racing; an exhaustive and interesting book, with many fine photographs of past and present venues and people taking part.

‘Bygone Glasgow’  by Martin Jenkins and Ian Stewart.  This book is centred around transport in Glasgow’s past, but if you are not into trams, trolleybuses and trains—don’t be put off.  The street scenes are wonderful, many of the old streets now gone—some green areas built over– a look at a Glasgow now gone.

‘River of Fire—the Clydebank Blitz’ by John Macleod.  Not the first book on this subject, but thoroughly researched and vividly told, using the exhaustive reearch of Tom McKendrick, with some cross –referencing to Iain MacPhail’s 1974 book on the subject  Contains the names of everyone known to have died in  the Clydebank Blitz. 

‘Along Great Western Road’ by Gordon Urquhart.  It might surprise you to know that Gordon Urquhart is not a native of these shores, given his expertise and knowledge on this city.  His book of this main artery of the City, also known as ‘The Boulevard’ is a fascinating study of the history of this area and it’s buildings and inhabitants.

‘Gorbals Brass and Bell Foundry’ by Michael Foulds.  This is a great wee book, full of super photos and facts.  Although it is about bellfounding in Victorian and Edwardian Glasgow, Michael Foulds covers a lot of the history of the area and the people who were involved in the industry and where their bells ended up..  Available from their website at

‘1970s’ Glasgow: Through the Lens’ Photographs of parts of Glasgow during the 1970s, when changes were taking place daily.  Photographs are mainly by members of the Partick Camera Club and this is a ’follow-up’ to the one of the 1955 photos mentioned earlier.

Alhambra | Glasgow is a new book by Graeme Smith all about the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, now long gone, unfortunately.  Graeme has also written an excellent book about the Theatre Royal (see above).   Fill your boots with memories of days gone by, including the ‘Five Past Eight’ and ‘A Wish for Jamie’.