Peter Stead - Böcker

Taking the subject chronologically from the 1890s to when the book was initially published in 1989, this book analyses those films specifically concerned with working-class conditions and struggle, and discusses them within the context of the debate on the social significance of the feature film. It concentrates on films which depict labour organizations and political activists, as well as life in working-class communities and actors with working-class identities such as James Cagney.Reviews of the original edition:‘…fills a gap in film studies…the study of social and labour history, and the development of popular culture in Britain and the United States.’

This work examines the Welsh acting tradition. Although lacking a metropolitan centre, a culture developed in which both chapels and schools encouraged recitations and performances. Each chapter evokes an actor and assesses their work, career and contribution made to film and theatre in general.

A team of distinguished authors highlight and evoke the genius of Welsh football stars and place them in the context of the changing pattern of the game in Britain and internationally.

In this collection of essays, a group of musical enthusiasts assess the international careers of great Welsh soloists in the context of the national musical tradition. These individual careers are examined against the background of wider local traditions such as the Eisteddfod, religious festivals and male voice choirs. The emphasis of the book will be on the classical and operatic but the sheer variety and perpetually evolving nature of popular music in Wales is reflected in both general essays and in studies of two of the country's most successful entertainers. The book includes detailed chapters of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel, alongside contemporary music phenomenons such as The Stereophonics, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers.

For centuries there had been fistfighters, and from the early days of industry it was apparent that the Welsh had a particular passion for boxing. This book traces that passion through the lives of champions, by recalling their great bouts and by showing how moments of triumph were celebrated by whole communities.