Hunter Davies

Hunter Davies was born in Renfrew in 1936, brought up in Carlisle, educated at Durham University, and now lives half the year in London and half in the Lake District. As a journalist he worked on the Sunday Times, where he was chief features writer, and later editor of the Magazine.

He wrote regular columns for Punch and currently writes for The New Statesman, The Sunday Times and The Daily Mail. For three years he presented Bookshelf on BBC Radio 4.

He is the author of over thirty books, including biographies, novels, children's novels (Flossie Teacake) and several books about Lakeland. He publishes his own best selling guide 'The Good Guide to the Lakes'.

He is married to the novelist and biographer Margaret Forster. They have three children, Caitlin, Jake and Flora.

Hunter Davies is President of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, (based at Brockhole near Windermere), and founder of the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards, which are administered by the Cumbria Tourist Board.

Books totally or partially about Cumbria
A Walk Along the Wall	1974	Wiedenfield & Nicholson/Dent
A Walk Around the Lakes	1979	Wiedenfield & Nicholson/Dent
A Walk Along the Tracks	1982	Wiedenfield & Nicholson/Dent
The Good Guide to the Lakes	2003 6th ed	Forster Davies
London to Loweswater - a Journey through England at the End of the Century	1999	Mainstream
Biographies of people with Cumbrian connections
William Wordsworth	1980	Wiedenfield & Nicholson/Sutton
Beatrix Potter's Lakeland	1988,1999	Frederick Warne
Wainwright the Biography	1995	Michael Joseph/Penguin

His first novel, 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' (1965), was set in Carlisle, as were sections of 'Striker' (1992).

Books by Hunter Davies:

Boots, Balls and Haircuts: The History of Football from Then Till Now
- Sep 2003, Cassell; ISBN: 1844030326.
From the history of the ball to the history of football haircuts, this book examines every facet of football beyond the rule and goals to the fans, commentators, merchandise, books and even art it has inspired.

Relative Strangers: A History of Adoption and a Tale of Triplets
- Aug 2003, Little Brown; ISBN: 0316860581.
a history of adoption in Britain, and the true-life tale of the seventy-one-year-old Hodder triplets.

The Good Guide to the Lakes - (6th ed) 2003 - Century; ISBN: 0952899108.
All facts and figures, in all sections, have been updated, and a new lengthy introduction describes major changes and trends in Lakeland since the previous edition published in 1997.

Grow Up Grandad - July, 2002 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099409682 (PB).

The Beatles - Sep 2002 - Cassell; ISBN: 0304362646.
First published in 1968, Hunter Davies's intimate and revelatory book is still the only authorized biography of the world's most legendary and most influential pop group

The Quarrymen - May, 2001 - Omnibus Press;
The story of the five original members of the group which turned into The Beatles - and what happened to them over the last 40 years.

The Eddie Stobart Story - 15 October, 2001 - Harper Collins; ISBN: 0007115970.
This is the story of a multi-million pound business that spawned a middle-class motorway game. Of dynastic struggles that ended in a merchandizing shop opposite Carlisle cathedral.

A Walk Around the West Indies - 2001 - Orion; ISBN: 0752842927.
In 1998 and 1999, Davies visited 27 of the Caribbean islands, many of which he already knew well. The result is this definitive yet personal guide, covering the larger islands in great depth and recording conversations with ex-pats and returnees from the UK.

Hurry,Hurry While Stocks Last: A Sideways Look at the Economic,Social and Shopping History of Cumbria as Seen Through Local Advertisements 1850-1940 - Dec 2001 Bookcase; ISBN: 1904147003

Dwight Yorke - 2000 - Manchester United Books; ISBN: 023399789X.
A revealing account of the life of Manchester United's popular striker.

Beatrix Potter's Lakeland - 1999 - Frederick Warne; ISBN: 0723245460.
Reissued with Beatrix Potter illustrations and previously unpublished materials, this book combines authoritative text with colour photographs taken during the course of a complete year to show the Lake District in all its seasons and moods

The Glory Game - 1999 - Mainstream Sport; ISBN: 1840182423.
When first published in 1972 this book caused great controversy - Hunter Davies was allowed into the inner sanctums of a top football team and his pen and eyes spared nothing and no-one. Now the controversies have been forgotten, and his work has turned into a classic book on British football.

Born 1900 - 1998 - Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316644714 �13.59 (HB). Warner; ISBN: 0751526509.
The Labour Party, the "Daily Express", West Ham United FC, Birmingham University and the hamburger all have one thing in common with the Queen Mother. They all first saw the light of day in the year 1900. Author and interviewer Hunter Davies follows the century through these people and institutions, exploring how we live now and how we lived then

Wainwright the Biography - 1998 - penguin; ISBN 0140270108.
Despite many bestselling books and three television series, Wainwright, known for his Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, always remained a very private person. With full access to Wainwright's private letters and unpublished material, Hunter Davies reveals a far more complex man - passionate, witty and generous - than any reader of his guides might suspect.

A Walk Along the Tracks - (Rev ed) 1993 - Everyman Paperbacks; ISBN: 0460860992.
In this book the author has explored ten railway lines, both converted and neglected, to provide for the armchair traveller, railway enthusiast and serious walker alike, a joyful account of a year spent walking the tracks.

A Walk Along the Wall - (Rev ed) 2000 - Orion Paperbacks; ISBN: 0752836897.
Hadrian's Wall stretches 73 miles along the neck of England and about ten miles are now left. In this personal account, the author, who grew up at one end of the wall, gives readers a taste of what human life was and is like along this stretch of northern Britain.

A Walk Around the Lakes - (Rev ed) 2000 - Orion Paperbacks; ISBN: 0752833901.
Based on Davies' experiences in the Lake District over one year, this book has many recommendations for the visitor, but it is also an exploration of the past, examining the many famous people associated with the District, in particular the Lake Poets Coleridge, De Quincey and Wordsworth.

From London to Loweswater - 1999 - Mainstream Publishing; ISBN: 1840182059 �15.99 (HB).
Following in the footsteps of J.B. Priestley, whose book "English Journey" told the tale of his 1934 voyage, Hunter Davies embarks upon an epic journey at the end of the century. He spends a year travelling from London to the Lake District, observing the people and places of England today and noting the mood of the English nation at the end of the millennium. It is also a journey into his own life, as he recalls incidents and people from his past

William Wordsworth - (2nd ed) 1997 - Sutton Publishing; ISBN: 0750914823.
Drawing on the published letters and diaries of Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, and of their contempories Coleridge and Southey, this full-length biography of the poet's life and times also draws on the author's own knowledge of the Lake District, which formed so strong a part in Wordsworth's life as to be almost another character. Hunter Davies discusses Wordsworth's much-debated relationship with his sister, Dorothy; tells the story of his affair with Annette Vallon, the French girl who was the mother of his child; and describes in detail William's life with his wife, Mary, concluding, perhaps controversially, that he fill in love with her only after ten years of marriage. The book portrays family life at Grasmere and Rydal, Wordsworth's political activities, the formative meeting with Coleridge in the West Country, and his other travels.

Living on the Lottery - 1997 - Warner; ISBN: 0751519154 (PB),
1996 - Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316880965 (HB).
The National Lottery has become a British institution, both controversial and compulsive. This work looks not only at the jackpot winners but also at Camelot, Oflot, Lenny Lottery and others living financially on it. It also shows how big wins change peoples' lives.

My Life in Football - 1990 - Mainstream Publishing; ISBN: 1851583025 �12.99 (HB).
Hunter Davies, author of the Glory Game, reflects on how soccer has affected his life

The Teller of Tales: In Search of Robert Louis Stevenson
- 1994 - Sinclair Stevenson; ISBN: 1856192636.
Hunter Davies retraces Stevenson's steps in this part travelogue, part biography, visiting those places which will always be associated with him.

Striker - 1992 - Bloomsbury; ISBN: 0747512256.
From wasteground kickabouts to Italian soccer superstardom, Joe Swift sees it all. The brutality of less-talented players, the erotic attentions of women attracted to star footballers, the rapacity of smooth operators in sheepskin coats - they're all part of a frantic, roller-coaster career.

The Other Half -

The New London Spy -

The Rise and Fall of Jake Sullivan -

I Knew Daisy Smutten -

A Very Loving Couple -

Body Charge -

The Creighton report -

The Grades -

Father's Day: Scenes from Domestic Life - Apr 1983 - Hamlyn Pbs; ISBN: 0600207285.

George Stephenson: Biographical Study of the Father of the Railways - Jul 1980 - Hamlyn; ISBN: 0600200426.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush - Jul 1967 - Panther; ISBN: 0586022635.
In this collection of pieces Hunter Davies recounts with a great deal of humour and the wisdom of experience, some of the ups and downs of fatherhood in these liberated times.

Great Britain: A Celebration -

A Walk Around London's Parks -

The Joy of Stampa -

Back in the U.S.S.R. -

In Search of Columbus -

Hunting People -

Children's Fiction by Hunter Davies:

Flossie Teacake Again! - (illust Laurence Hutchins) 1994 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099967200 �3.00 (PB).
A continuation of the adventures of ten-year-old Flossie Teacake, who mysteriously turns into sophisticated 18-year-old Floz whenever she tries on her sister's fur coat.

Flossie Teacake Strikes Back
- (illust Laurence Hutchins) 1986 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099967308 �3.99 (PB).
Flossie Teacake, the girl with a magic fur coat, enjoys more weird, wild and wonderful adventures as her alter ego, the grown-up Floz.

Flossie Teacake Wins the Lottery - (illust Laurence Hutchins) 1996 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099711516 �3.99 (PB).
The fourth story featuring the madcap ten-year-old, Flossie Teacake. Her older sister's magic fur coat transforms Flossie into Floz, a teenager who can go anywhere and do anything - including buying a lottery ticket and winning a million pounds.

Flossie Teacake's Fur Coat
- (illust Laurence Hutchins) 1984 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0006721788.
Flossie Teacake hates being young and fat and not allowed to do anything. Then she finds that when she tries on her sister's fur coat, she grows up to become a glamourous 18-year-old. Flossie exploits this, discovering the joys (and problems) of boys, pubs, Saturday jobs, discos and more.

Flossie Teacake's Holiday - (illust Julie Anderson) 2000 - Bodley Head Children's Books; ISBN: 0370325818 �9.99.

The mischievous, madcap heroine, Flossie Teacake is packing her magical fur coat for four holiday's of a lifetime. Outward bound on a sailing holiday, learning the wonders of country life, hitting the slopes on a skiing holiday and out in Africa for a memorable safari holiday.

Snotty Bumstead Collection - 2000 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099411423 �4.99 (PB).
Three Snotty Bumstead stories in one volume: "Snotty Bumstead", "Snotty Bumstead and the Rent-a-Mum" and "Snotty Bumstead - The Hostage".

Snotty Bumstead and the Rent-a-Mum - (illust Paul Thomas) 1994 - Red Fox; ISBN: 009929611X.

Snotty has been having the time of his life while his Mum has been in Africa, and then the milkman becomes suspicious. No one must find out that Snotty is living it up alone, so he decides to rent-a-mum to fool all the nosey do-gooders.

Snotty Bumstead - (illust Paul Thomas) 1992 - Red Fox; ISBN: 0099977109 .
Snotty may be weedy, but when his mother goes away, his life is fun. With a football pitch downstairs and juke boxes upstairs, the only problems are paying the bills and keeping out adults.

S.T.A.R.S. - St. Andrew's Road School - is a soap series for teenagers. Set in a north London comprehensive, the stories follow the lives and loves of a group of typical 17 year olds - in and out of school. They're a mixed bunch, in terms of race, background and temperament. All published by Puffin books at �1.99.

If you want to contact Hunter Davies, you can write to him at
HEADLINE PUBLISHING, 338 EUSTON ROAD, LONDON NW1 3BH