New book places Chester’s incredible past in the picture
A whistle-stop tour through Chester’s fascinating history is provided in a new book featuring a unique blend of narrative, humorous illustrations, engravings, maps and more.
Exploring the city’s rich heritage, from its first inhabitants 2,800 years ago to those of the early 21st century, A Really Short, Entertaining, Fully Graphic and as Accurate as Possible History of Chester, is now available from the University of Chester Press.
Accomplished author, academic and former newspaper cartoonist, Ricardo Tejeiro, under the pen name of OB Appledore, shares Chester’s history by focusing on aspects from its people and institutions to its battles, struggles and recoveries.
In addition to humorous illustrations, engravings and maps, the carefully-researched chronological narrative is brought to life with portraits, caricatures, and realistic drawings to keep readers from key stage three (school years seven to nine) upwards engaged and informed.
The book is ideal for history lovers, but also for those new to the city’s history, thanks to its enjoyable mix of visuals and concise, informative text.
OB Appledore said:
“Chester has an extraordinary historical and social heritage. Writing this book has been a true pleasure, as it has allowed me to uncover how the city’s rich past lives on in countless small details that can still be seen and felt today.
“My hope is that this book will help share Chester’s remarkable history more widely. With that in mind, I’ve aimed to move beyond the traditional narrative style, choosing instead an approach that I hope will engage a broad range of readers – residents, students and educators, of course, but also tourists, visitors, and anyone curious to spend an enjoyable time discovering more about this wonderful city.”
With dual PhDs (Doctors of Philosophy) in Journalism and Psychology, OB Appledore has spent more than three decades as an educator, and is currently lecturing at Liverpool John Moores University.
His doctoral work in Journalism explored the impact of cartoons on shaping public opinion around key social issues – a subject close to his heart, as OB Appledore also spent 25 years as a political cartoonist for various newspapers.
He has penned more than 20 books on the history of towns and institutions, along with numerous shorter works for charities addressing issues such as racism and alcohol abuse. His diverse career also includes roles as director of communications for a local authority and creative artist in advertising.
