A book about the history of the North East has been named among the best books of the year by the Sunday Times.
Dan Jackson's 'The Northumbrians: Northeast England and its People: A New History' was only released in September, but has already had to be re-printed due to demand. The book looks into the roots of characteristics people from County Durham, Nothumberland and Tyne and Wear share. The author offers answers rooted in history to explain why we are the way we are.
In it, Dan, from New Hartley, argues our region is set apart from others in Britain and has an identity recognised by those from around the country, including a social and drinking culture which can be traced back centuries to Northumbria's time as a wild 'frontier region'.
Fellow historian Dominic Sandbrook has included The Northumbrians in the Sunday Times History Books of the Year . Dominic praised Dan's research and writing style, saying The Northumbrians offers "a fascinating nugget of information on every page".
In the Sunday Times, Dominic wrote : "He [Dan Jackson] writes with equal enthusiasm about Bede and St Cuthbert, the wars against the Scots and Stephenson’s Rocket, coal miners and Catherine Cookson, capturing the distinctive flavour of Northumbria, a land that predates England itself.
"The North East he argues, has always been a world apart, with its own history, dialect, habits and traditions. Above all, he celebrates the people themselves, 'so magnetic, so passionate, so canny' — a description that perfectly captures the spirit of this hugely impressive book."
Historian David Olusoga is also a fan of Dan's work. David - who researched and presented BBC's A House Through Time - and Dan will on Saturday, December 7.
"This is a part of the world that has got a big global history, it's not a 'province' or a 'provincial' city," .
He added: "Newcastle is a city with a global reach. I think [in the Northumbrians] you get a real sense of that, going back many centuries."
David, who grew up in Gateshead, added: "What's striking is, even if you've not read the book, this is a regional history book being reviewed by national newspapers. That doesn't happen very often."
The Northumbrians: Northeast England and its People: A New History is available from Waterstones and independent book shops.
