Now Then

From Yorkshire? Who do you think you are? Cut through the cliches and seek the truth with Now Then. Not from Yorkshire? Commiserations, but you can still enjoy some vicarious greatness by reading Rick’s book. – Tom Palmer, author of AFTER THE WAR and winner of the Ruth Rendell AwardA humorously honest, unsparing, celebratory biographical mosaic, not a hagiography. […] Social history, memoir and reportage, high hills and flat vowels are woven into the mosaic of Yorkshire now and Yorkshire then, ordinary Yorkshire and its extraordinary lives. * The Press *If you wish to know what social, cultural and historical erosions shaped the land we live on - a behind-the-scenes view of ‘God’s Own Country’ - then look no further than Now Then. * Dalesman *Quite unputdownable. In Now Then, Rick Broadbent has encapsulated the spirit of the folk and the mood of the places so perfectly. I was hooked from page one. Prodigiously researched with wit woven into the narrative, it recreates the raw atmosphere of the place that made me. Anyone born in the county should read it. It will help them understand just what they were born into. – Alan TitchmarshAs a Lancastrian, I should try and tell you that this is a terrible book. But it is not. A passionate but clear-eyed evocation of the ‘Texas’ of England that avoids ‘God’s Own Country’ blather but is broad and rich enough to include Ted Hughes and Jarvis Cocker as well as Orgreave and Hillsborough. Excellent. – Stuart MaconieAn enlightening, enjoyable and frequently very funny journey into what makes Yorkshire stand out from the crowd … a fascinating insight into our wonderful region and the people that make it what it is. * Yorkshire Post *

Rick Broadbent has written for The Times for 20 years and authored and ghost-written 12 books. He has been shortlisted for the William Hill Prize three times and has won a British Sports Book award. His books have included a biography of Emil Zatopek, a Czech Olympic hero and political activist, and That Near-Death Thing, about the most dangerous motorcycle race in the world. Rick was born in Leeds and now lives in Dorset.