Bronte Book Review: The Birthplace Of Dreams

The Brontës wrote some of the world’s greatest books, as I’m sure we would all agree, and there have also been many fine, informative and entertaining books written about them and their work. Brontë books keep on coming, which shows just how relevant and loved they still are, and I think that can only be a good thing.I never tire of reading a good book about the Brontë sisters, and so today I’m going to review a new book on the subject: The Birthplace Of Dreams by Mark Davis and Steven Stanworth. All images featured on this page are copyright of the above authors.

I was very honoured to be asked to write the foreword for this book, but I wasn’t paid for it and make no financial gains from its sales, so this is an honest and unbiased review. I was more than happy to contribute the foreword because I know that both Mark and Steven have Brontë running through their veins. Mark is the preeminent Haworth photographer and author of a number of books, including In The Footsteps Of The Brontës which he co-authored with the Brontë Parsonage Museum’s curator in chief Ann Dinsdale. Steven has worked tirelessly over the years to maintain and resurrect Thornton’s Brontë Bell Chapel, and it’s fair to say that without both Steven and Mark the recent saving of the Brontë birthplace in Thornton, and its opening to the public, would not have happened.

The pedigree of the authors, therefore, is not in doubt, so just what makes The Birthplace Of Dreams stand out from the crowd of this year’s crop of Brontë books? Firstly, it places the Brontë birthplace of Thornton near Bradford front and centre to its story. Haworth has long been a place of pilgrimage for Brontë fans of course, but this book shows just why Thornton is so important to the Brontë story and why it offers so much to Brontë fans today.

Secondly, it is a very picture-heavy book, and as you’d expect when the photographs have been taken by as skilled a cameraman as Mark Davis, the pictures are very good indeed. I also liked the smattering of illustrations painted by talented artist John Ellis which can be found throughout the book.

Rather than focusing purely on the sisters, this book takes us on a journey through the places the Brontës knew, the places which shaped and changed them. We see and hear about Thornton and Haworth of course, but there are fascinating insights into other locations too from Lousy Thorn Farm to Cowan Bridge and Scarborough.

This is without a doubt a beautiful book, and it’s accessible to anyone, whatever their prior knowledge of the Brontës. One of things I liked most about it is that whilst it’s a fun and easy read, it’s also full of fascinating snippets of information: for instance, did you know that Patrick Brontë’s nickname when a minister at Dewsbury (after first moving to Yorkshire) was ‘Old Staff’, or that his landlord in Dewsbury went by the rather unusual name of Elliot Carrot? The book is full of facts like these, which just goes to show how much excellent research was carried out by Mark Davis and Steven Stanworth during its genesis.

The book was officially launched at the fabulous Grove Bookshop in Ilkley on Thursday evening, and it was a very successful and well attended event by all accounts. I had hoped to be there myself, but following on from the recent passing of my mother my father has now been taken ill, and much of my time is spent helping him. Your continued support and kind words at this time means the world to me, so thank you.

In short I’m very pleased with how this book has turned out, and am proud that my foreword is featured within it. If you’re looking for a Brontë Christmas present for someone, then you can order it from good bookshops, from the publisher Amberley or you can find it on Amazon.

I hope you can join me next Sunday for another new Brontë blog post. We are heading into Advent so look out for lots of festive posts filled with Christmas cheer – after all, I think that’s something we could all do with a little more of.