Some City - Glasgow

Every city insists it has character. Glasgow simply turns up, folds its arms and lets everyone else argue about it. Grand Victorian architecture sits comfortably alongside shipbuilding heritage, football rivalries, comic wit, stubborn resilience and enough stories to keep historians, novelists and taxi drivers occupied for generations. It is not a city that has ever been accused of lacking personality.

Published in 1988 by Richard Drew Publishing, Some City – Glasgow sees Robin Ward take readers on a lively exploration of Scotland’s largest city at a particularly fascinating point in its history. The industrial giant of the nineteenth century was reinventing itself, preserving its remarkable architectural legacy while embracing a new cultural identity that would soon earn international recognition. Ward captures a Glasgow that feels both familiar and transitional, documenting a city proud of where it had come from while quietly preparing for where it was heading.

Rather than presenting a dry catalogue of streets and monuments, the book celebrates Glasgow as a living place. There are impressive public buildings, bustling shopping streets, hidden corners, famous landmarks and countless reminders that this was once one of the greatest industrial cities in the world. Yet just as importantly, there is an unmistakable sense of humour running beneath it all. Glasgow has long possessed the enviable ability to laugh at itself while simultaneously daring anyone else to try.

Reading the book today adds an extra layer of fascination. The Glasgow of 1988 already feels historical, but not impossibly distant. Cars have changed, fashions have evolved and certain buildings have found new purposes, yet many of the city’s defining qualities remain instantly recognisable. It serves as a snapshot from the years immediately before Glasgow’s transformation into the celebrated European City of Culture of 1990—a reminder that cities are constantly rewriting themselves while somehow remaining unmistakably the same place.

There is also a pleasing irony in books like this. Travel guides and city portraits are usually written to describe the present, yet time quietly promotes them into historical documents without asking anyone’s permission. What began life as a contemporary look at Glasgow has matured into a charming window onto a city that no longer quite exists, making it arguably even more interesting today than when it first appeared.

This copy is in Good condition, remaining clean, solid and perfectly readable. It is an ideal example for anyone with an interest in Glasgow’s history, Scottish culture, urban development or simply the pleasure of discovering how places evolve over the decades. Unlike many modern guides, it contains no QR codes, no carefully curated "must-post" viewpoints and absolutely no advice on where to find artisan coffee served in reclaimed jam jars.

Whether you have lived in Glasgow all your life, remember visiting during the late twentieth century, or simply enjoy books that preserve everyday history before it quietly disappears, Some City – Glasgow offers a rewarding and affectionate portrait of one of Britain’s most distinctive cities.

Sold, as always, by Crappy Old Books—because yesterday’s guidebook often becomes tomorrow’s local history, and the best cities never really need an introduction anyway.

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