BOOKS
BACKGROUND to how The Jacqal Press came about.
When Alan Adamthwaite decided to write about his childhood experiences and the exploits of the magical Bishop Auckland football team of the 1950s, little did he know that the resultant semi-biography would be a best seller.
‘Glory Days’ took a relatively short time to write (less than three months), although the gathering of material took well over two years. Having finished the manuscript, Alan had no idea how to go about finding someone to publish it. It was never intended as a book anyway, it was just a labour of love that somehow grew and grew. However, he was persuaded by his wife, Jacqueline, and grand-daughter, Fuchsia, to make a few telephone calls to random publishers and was pleasantly surprised when Parrs Wood Press of Manchester expressed a desire to print the book in hardback. Despite the success of ‘Glory Days’, Parrs Wood Press suffered financial difficulties and was forced to close. Alan never received a penny for his efforts, although he is quick to point out that he never expected to receive any financial reward for what was, after all, a rather costly ‘labour of love.’ However, he vowed that never again would he place himself in such a philanthropic position.
Five years later, Alan decided to go down the self-publishing route when no mainstream publishing house would accept his manuscript titled ‘Never Again’, which relates the biography of England’s finest amateur international footballer, Bob Hardisty, who also captained the Great Britain Football Team in three Olympic Games. Bob was the charismatic member of crack amateur side Bishop Auckland and his quest to obtain an elusive FA Amateur Cup winners’ medal at Wembley was the stuff of dreams. Looking back, it is hard for people today to understand and believe the eminence that an amateur footballer could achieve…yet Bob Hardisty became a household name during the 1950s, on a par with the status that modern-day footballers enjoy.
Convinced that his five years of research, interviews and labour should not be wasted and that there was an audience willing to read his work, he scoured the internet searching for a company that could produce a book to the high standard he required and finally decided upon BBR Solutions of Chesterfield, run by Chris and Amanda Reed.
Being the author of ‘Never Again’, Alan decided that his name should not be repeated in the credits and racked his brains to come up with a suitable publishing name. In the end it was quite simple. He decided upon The Jacqal Press – the name stemming from the amalgamation of Jacqueline (his wife) and his own name.
GLORY DAYS
The Golden Age of Bishop Auckland
Author: Alan Adamthwaite
Published in hardback by The Parrs Wood Press
ISBN: 1-903158-74-5
Price: £17.99
This book was the first to be written by Alan Adamthwaite, published by the now defunct Parrs Wood Press of Manchester.
However, copies are available from The Jacqal Press.
Price : £17.99 including postage and packing.
NEVER AGAIN
The story of Bob Hardisty, England’s greatest Amateur Footballer
(Limited to 750 First Edition copies)
Author: Alan Adamthwaite
Published by The Jacqal Press
ISBN: 978-0-9565376-0-7
Price: £18.00 plus £2 postage and packing
Available with effect from Wednesday September 15th from The Jacqal Press – cheques totalling £20.00 should be made payable to The Jacqal Press and sent to The Jacqal Press, ‘Kailua-Kona’, 21, Coley Grove, Little Haywood, STAFFORD ST18 0UW.
Remember - This First Edition has a limited print run of 750 and buyers are advised to reserve their copy early to avoid disappointment.