This is a book with a difference. It is dedicated to the creativity of two cartoonists, Fred Naughten and Stan Harvey who worked for the Standard Newspaper Group in the 1930s. Cartoons are one of the most popular staples of the printed newspaper. The cartoonists genius lies not just with their drawing skills but also in their ability to bring together both contemporary and historical events in a single image. Such cartoons make us smile, sometimes laugh out loud or just reflect, no matter how grim the news of the days is. The cartoon images in the book were created in the 1930s. Despite high unemployment and war clouds hovering over Europe and the far East, the 1930s were nevertheless a of optimism. The motor car was becoming ever more popular as were all types of consumer goods such as the 'must have' wireless in the home. Before television it was the golden age of cinema, and for good or bad, there was no internet, e-mail or social media. ONCE UPON A TIME IN SOUTHEND (and district) shows a selection of cartoons beginning in January 1936 and spanning four years until December 1939. The foresight of the cartoonists is truly amazing as although the cartoons were created some 90 years ago many would not be out of place today all be it with minor refinements. In the book for each image the original caption is shown but with added extra notes to enhance any historical aspect of the drawing.

If ever we need a laugh and a pick-me-up this super book is just the tonic. You'll be hard pressed to put it down. It's a showcase ofthe work of the talented Southend Standard cartoonists of the mid-1930s - smart, analytical and topical at the same time. Althoughthe cartoons were created 90 years ago many would not be out place today. The images have been drawn from the Southend Standard archives,a newspaper ancestor of the Essex Echo. It's wonderful that we now have a readable and entertaining collection in the form of this book - guaranteeing these supreme cartoons will never be forgotten. (Emma Palmer, Chief Features Writer, Essex Echo).

Andrew Summers was born within the sound of Bow Bells, has lived in Hadleigh for the last 30 years and been married to Glenis for over 50 years. Andrew has bought books, sold books, printed books and now writes and publishes books too! Andrew has edited The Numbers Had to Tally, a Second World War survival story and written They Did Their Duty, Essex Farm which tells the story of Essex Farm in Belgium and its connections with the Essex Regiment. In December 2022 'The Riddle of Boudica' was published. Along with his colleague John Debenham, Andrew has co-authored several books in the Essex Hundred series such as The Essex Hundred Histories, The Essex Hundred, (The History of Essex in 100 poems), Battlefield Essex and Magna Carta in Essex.