Scratching Shed Publishing

Along with this, it covers Royal Ascot at York and the St Leger at York 1945 and 2006. Also examined are track and stand developments through the years and a look forward to what the future may have in store. The book is lavishly illustrated with pictures from York Racecourse and the archives of The Press and Yorkshire Evening Press. York’s Great Races offers a unique focus on the horses who have ensured York’s place in turf history and reputation at the centre of the sport of kings. Paperback, 256 pages.

In meeting local people and seeking out Yorkshire’s most attractive places, the writers present an engagingly personal and inspiring portrait of what Yorkshire can offer to visitors once they know precisely where to look. From secret waterfalls, to remote farmhouses and fords, to picture-postcard villages, to ancient castles, to moorland peaks and tarns, to countryside churches and chapels or ruined abbeys, to picturesque pubs, Yvette and Walter discover all that’s best in rural Yorkshire and its delightful dales. Their day-long journeys include trips to Coverdale, Bishopdale, Raydale, Deepdale, Kingsdale, Birkdale, Cotterdale, Arkengarthdale and Grisedale – and many more besides. Also provided are details of where to eat and drink, where to stay overnight, or where to go walking or cycling if you want to abandon the car for a while. Beautifully illustrated, A Day in a Dale is the perfect bedside companion to have you dale-dreaming, or for taking out in the car as you visit for yourself the enchanting locations described. Paperback, full colour throughout, 256 pages.

This is the story of Iby Knill, whose inspirational and moving account of holocaust survival was featured recently on the BBC television series My Story. In her book, Iby tells of her early childhood in Czechoslovakia and of how her parents – alarmed at the persecution of Jews in Germany – smuggled her over the border to Hungary. The Woman Without A Number also reveals how she was caught by the security police and then imprisoned and tortured, not only as a result of her Jewish connections but for having entered Hungary illegally and for aiding the resistance movement. Eventually, Iby was sent to the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. In June 1944, Iby Knill left Auschwitz-Birkenau by volunteering to travel as a nurse with a slave labour transport of 500 women. Once transported to Lippstadt, she was put in charge of a hospital unit and risked her life protecting the weak and helpless from the gas chambers. Appearing for the first time in print, The Woman Without A Number is a truly remarkable tale that has waited sixty years to be told.

A lifetime of policing the streets, but that was only the beginning… For years, PC David Watson was a policeman of the old school. He patrolled the towns and cities of England’s north by car and on foot, where a fight against crime lurked around every corner. Until, one day, disaster struck – albeit from an unexpected direction. A near fatal encounter in the Scottish Highlands left the Yorkshire bobby inches away from death and with just about every bone in his body shattered. Indeed, had it not been for a miracle intervention, his story would have already been over. As it was, and initially from his hospital bed, he embarked on a physical and psychological battle for survival. He rebuilt a life that had once been so active, step by painful step. Out of the Blue is the inspirational story of that fightback and more. It gives an inside take on British policing at the sharp end – the dangers, the frustrations, the thrills and the humour. And it shows how overwhelming odds can be beaten by hope, courage, determination, medical skill and family support..

Founded in 1948, the Leeds-based Proscenium Players were the first Jewish Amateur Stage Group, regularly winning rave reviews for their varied artistic programme. Now, at long last, John Fisher, a leading light in the Pross’ productions and the organisation’s official chronicler, has charted their history in a book rich with photographs, bill postings, programmes and testimonials. It is a sparkling tale that will be of interest to locals and theatre historians alike. And one added bonus is that the book’s foreword is written by a very well known former Proscenium Player indeed – Leeds’ very own British comedy legend, Barry Cryer OBE. Bring up the curtain on An Audience of Curious People; a warmly-written book about theatre like no other.