Glasgow: Tales of the City

by John Burrowes

Not only has Glasgow produced some incredible personalities, it has also been witness to some of the greatest happenings of our times. These outstanding people and epoch-making events are featured in Glasgow Tales of the City . As a result of painstaking research, some startling new facts have emerged about the life and times of some of the city's most interesting characters. The many individuals documented in this book include the world's greatest pilot, whose many flying feats are still held in great awe today and unlikely ever to be repeated. He was hailed as a hero in America, they gave a him a ticker-tape reception in New York and Hollywood begged him to be a star. More recently, Glasgow was popularized by a TV program about the city's tough police officer Taggart. The role of the Glasgow detective made Mark McManus one of Scotland's first international TV stars, and Mark's own life story makes equally compelling reading. Before Billy Connolly, Glasgow's greatest-ever comedian was Lex McLean. He smashed all the box-office records in a Glasgow theatre and became a legend in his own lifetime. His story has never before been told in such detail. This is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating studies of Scotland's largest city ever published.

Genres: Scotland, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Tim Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written set of biographical studies (with one chapter on the collapse of the City of Glasgow Bank in 1878) of twentieth century Scots with a close connection to Glasgow, this book provides a way into the recent relatively history of a city with unique character all of its own.

I read this during an extended visit to the city as a deep southerner (from Kent and London). It came across as authentic alongside my visits to museums not only in Glasgow itself but Edinburgh, guided by my daughter (almost patriotic about the West Side) at the University of Glasgow.

The stories are of comedian Lex Mclean (previously unknown to me but very funny on YouTube), the 'miracle' of John Fagan, boxer Peter Keenan, playboy Hugh Fraser III, sports writer Rex Kingsley, actor Mark McManus ('Taggart' to you) and interwar aviator Jim Mollison.

Clearly, the selection (with the banking crisis thrown in) is geared to the world of popular celebrity. Burrowes writes with the assurance of a natural journalist, including, in some cases, the fruit of conversations with people who once knew his subjects.

The accounts are sympathetic to the men and their world without hiding their faults so that the whole gives you a picture not only of the subjects but of an entire culture in which sport is important, charity equally so and work is often done out of duty more than love.

The most interesting to me is the story of John Fagan whose remarkable literally overnight recovery from the final death rattle of terminal cancer appeared more than linked to the prayers made to the Blessed John Ogilvie, the Jesuit martyr, eventually made a Saint by the Holy See.

Now, don't get me wrong ... I am an out-and-out atheist with no time for the Church I was born into but I trust Burrowes account and I rather tend to trust the modern version of the exhaustive inquiry into canonisation of the Church which is laid out in some detail in the chapter.

Unless someone can come up with a better explanation than a misdiagnosed 'stomach abcess' that suddenly relieved itself at the moment of death, this case strikes me as inexplicable, inexplicable enough to give the Church some wriggle room in claiming it for itself.

Protestants may not like it (Glasgow has been notoriously sectarian as has, indeed, Scotland, often violently so) and scientists may not like it as offensive to their own religion but the facts seem to be that a number of cases in medical history are 'miracles' yet to be explained.

In fact, Fagan (according to the Scottish Herald) did have further cancers that required operation but he lived on for 25 years after what had been regarded as a night of termination by everyone around him - a strange case that may need no God or saints but a case nevertheless.

I retain an open mind but the chapter is worth reading just as are nearly all the others with their insights into Glaswegian popular culture by the best sort of journalist, the one who reports it straight and lets you make up your own mind.

This humane book is recommended to anyone interested in Glasgow, once second city of an empire in which it had its share of the spoils whether it likes it or not, and in its unique popular culture.

[Lupeng Jin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second hometown - Glasgow contains precious memories when I lived there and studied there a few years ago. The stories in the book reminds me of some familiar streets and allies in the city of Glasgow and of course every step on the road means an impressing clips of my remembrance. I said, one day before I left Glasgow for China, my heart would always be with the river of Clyder. I belong to Glasgow and Glasgow belongs to me either.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is divided into eight chapters. Each chapter deals with a different individual from Glasgow except for the last chapter, which deals with the City of Glasgow Bank.

I enjoy reading about Glasgow and I was really looking forward to reading this book.

I had heard of some of the personalities before, but most of the stories were new to me. The author did a lot of research and included some very interesting details. I found that the stories contained too many details and did not pull me in as much as I expected.