Birmingham – Britain’s second largest city – lies in the heart of the country. Nicknamed the ‘city of a thousand trades’, it became the workshop of England in the Industrial Revolution and, as the centre of the Enlightenment in the Midlands, was a hotbed of scientific thinking and technological innovation. The Lunar Society, including luminaries such as Erasmus Darwin and James Watt, met regularly at industrialist Matthew Boulton’s Soho House. The Cadbury family’s Arts and Crafts model village of Bournville, built for their workers, is sought after today, and although many famous industries associated with Birmingham – from Bird’s custard to BSA armaments and motorcycles – have gone, the eclectic Jewellery Quarter remains and a resurgent Birmingham is typified by its 1960s Rotunda, rebuilt Bullring and renovated old canal area around Gas Street Basin. In A–Z of Birmingham Andrew Homer delves into the history of the city. He picks out well-known landmarks and famous residents such as Oscar Deutsch, founder of the Odeon cinema chain, Joseph Hansom, inventor of the safety cab, and a youthful J. R. R. Tolkien and digs beneath the surface to uncover some of the lesser-known facts about Birmingham and its hidden places of interest. This fascinating A–Z tour of Birmingham’s history is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this West Midlands city.

Andrew Homer is a local historian who has been researching and writing about the West Midlands for many years. He has had a lifelong fascination with anomalous phenomena and especially ghosts and hauntings. He has enjoyed a long and varied career in anomaly research including serving as National Investigations Co-ordinator for the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP). In 1998 he was awarded the Michael Bentine memorial shield for anomaly research. He has played a key role in numerous notable investigations over many years of anomaly research and has appeared on radio and television programmes. Andrew has investigated reported anomalous phenomena in every type of location including castles, stately homes, private houses and, of course, licensed properties. He has written books for Amberley on the Black Country, including brewing, and haunted hostelries in Shropshire.