Barclay Price – författare

Animals have shaped the cultural and economic life of Glasgow through the ages, and many statues and other memorials around the city honour the role played by animals in the city’s history. Horses were central to Glasgow’s massive expansion in the nineteenth century, moving goods in and out of the city, and their sight, sound and smell were an integral part of the life of the city well into the 1950s. For centuries they were the main means of transport, whether as saddle horses or pulling vehicles, or for the military at the cavalry barracks in the Gorbals, and myriad trades depended on the horses, including saddlers, harness makers, grooms, fodder suppliers, horse trainers, riding schools, horse dealers and farriers.Equestrian events were a regular feature at theatres and fairs and gradually developed into circuses and such events as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows. Performing animals were seen in the city for centuries and menageries of exotic animals toured Glasgow from the late eighteenth century onwards, followed by circuses, bringing the largest elephants to the smallest flea circus. After several attempts, a permanent zoo finally opened in Glasgow in 1947 but closed 2003.As the population grew, domestic pet ownership grew too, including racing pigeons, and numerous dog and cat shows became established. Whippet racing was a popular pastime a century ago, with illegal betting, but was gradually replaced by greyhound racing where betting on-track was legal.In Beastly Glasgow, author Barclay Price takes the reader on a fascinating exploration of the city’s animal associations through the ages. Full of unusual tales and fascinating facts, this well-researched history will introduce readers to the beguiling history of Glasgow’s animals.

Today over 400,000 Chinese live in Britain, many more attend British universities, and an increasing number visit Britain on business and as tourists. But until now, there has been no comprehensive history of the Chinese who came to the country. This book tells that story, from the first recorded visitor in 1687 through to the twentieth century, drawing on accounts by visiting Chinese, newspaper articles, memoirs, royal diaries and other contemporary sources.The book encompasses, among much else, the sailors who worked on British ships and briefly lodged in the country between voyages; the emergence of Chinatowns in London and Liverpool; servants; students; links to missionaries; Chinese entertainers; exhibitions relating to China; Chinese envoys and ambassadors; and British royalty’s engagement with visiting Chinese. The book also includes extended biographies of some of the most significant Chinese to settle in Britain, including the first such immigrant, who has been overlooked in the historical record.The author also deals with the suspicion and prejudice that the Chinese have historically experienced due to their different physical appearance, dress and culture. At the same time, he shows the beneficial impacts Chinese visitors have had on British cultural life over three centuries. As China becomes a pre-eminent world power again in the twenty-first century, this book uncovers our long relationship with the country and its people.

Although mammoths and straight-tusked elephants once roamed Britain before extinction, and there is reference to Roman war elephants being used, the first elephant explicitly recorded arrived in 1255 as a gift to King Henry III. The creature was kept in the Tower of London and was a source of wonder and entertainment – the role the elephant would play in Britain from that time on.In this book author Barclay Price takes the reader on a engrossing exploration of the animal’s associations with Britain through the ages. He charts medieval views of the first elephants seen, the early menageries and circuses and performing elephants to famous elephants such as Jumbo in Victorian London, elephants in popular culture and representations in public sculptures and paintings. With unusual tales and fascinating facts, this well-researched history will introduce readers to the captivating history of elephants in Britain up to the twenty-first century.

Today over 400,000 Chinese live in Britain, many more attend British universities, and an increasing number visit Britain on business and as tourists. But until now, there has been no comprehensive history of the Chinese who came to the country. This book tells that story, from the first recorded visitor in 1687 through to the twentieth century, drawing on accounts by visiting Chinese, newspaper articles, memoirs, royal diaries and other contemporary sources.The book encompasses, among much else, the sailors who worked on British ships and briefly lodged in the country between voyages; the emergence of Chinatowns in London and Liverpool; servants; students; links to missionaries; Chinese entertainers; exhibitions relating to China; Chinese envoys and ambassadors; and British royalty’s engagement with visiting Chinese. The book also includes extended biographies of some of the most significant Chinese to settle in Britain, including the first such immigrant, who has been overlooked in the historical record.The author also deals with the suspicion and prejudice that the Chinese have historically experienced due to their different physical appearance, dress and culture. At the same time, he shows the beneficial impacts Chinese visitors have had on British cultural life over three centuries. As China becomes a pre-eminent world power again in the twenty-first century, this book uncovers our long relationship with the country and its people.