Instead of over analysing historical turns or unknotting historiographies, Groom is telling the story of the north of England. Everyone knows about the north’s leading role in the Industrial Revolution, viewed by many economic historians as the key event in human history, but there is far more to it. Still, it’s great to see a book concentrating on northern history, as so many British history books gloss over the north and almost completely focus on the south. On that note, I think the book could have done with a map of the North at the beginning for those that are less familiar with Northern geography). I thought this book was brilliant from the beginning up to the Industrial Revolution, creating a compelling narrative about the North.

It reads as a collection of independent, semi-linked chapters rather than a free-flowing, interconnected whole. Brian Groom is one of the leading experts on Britain’s regions and nations and a perceptive analyst. The north has exported some of sport’s biggest names and defined the sound of generations, from the Beatles to Britpop. I love the North dearly, and it's disappointing that a book with such a promising premise is so lacking in any kind of Northern spirit.

Finally, Brian Groom explores what northernness means today and the crucial role the north can play in Britain’s future.

This is a huge book, in which the author slips seamlessly and triumphantly from one subject to another. St Oswald and Bede shaped the spiritual and cultural landscapes of Britain and Europe, and the world was revolutionised by the inventions of Richard Arkwright and the Stephensons. A book of the North which as he acknowledges a little amorphous as there is little agreement over where it is and who are included and certainly no implied cohesion. The author Is keen to draw analogies between the past and present and with talk of ‘levelling-up’ on many politicians’ lips, it is interesting to do so. It explores what northernness means in the 21 st century and the crucial role the north can play in Britain’s future.

There were also little asides that say something about what it is to be Northern that didn't align with my own perceptions of the North and Northern history.

Astonishingly, these conflicts account for more than half of the past 2,000 years, if you include the Roman era. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.The first book, Mancunians, due to be published in May 2024, will tell the story of the people who built the “shock city” of the Industrial Revolution and the impact they have had on the world. Brian Groom’s narrative is informative and entertaining as he cavorts through the dramatic events that have shaped the north, from invasions and battles to the industrial revolution. Also former editor of Scotland on Sunday, which he launched as deputy editor and which won many awards.