York History Tour is a fascinating insight into the history of this ancient city and shows just how much it has changed during the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Readers are invited to follow local author and historian Paul Chrystal as he guides them through its streets and alleyways (known locally as snickelways), pointing out the well-known and lesser-known landmarks along the way. It is practical, fitting as it does into your bag or pocket, and has a map to guide you effortlessly around the city’s many treasures. It also contains pictures from three unique sources: the Yorkshire Architectural and York Archaeological Society, York Press, and the author’s own collection.

Paul Chrystal was educated at the Universities of Hull and Southampton where he took degrees in Classics and wrote his MPhil thesis on attitudes to women in Roman love poetry. He appears regularly on BBC local radio the World Service as well as publishing features for national newspapers and history magazines. He has been history advisor for a number of York tourist attractions and is the author of many books on a wide range of subjects, including histories of northern places focussing on Yorkshire, social histories of tea, chocolate and confectionery and various aspects of classical literature and Roman history. Paul lives near York and is married with three grown up children.