Glasgow

Glasgow is enshrined in the popular consciousness as a city of multiple and often contradictory identities. The 'Second City of Empire', the 'Venice of the North', 'Red Clydeside' and the 'Merchant City' are a few of the phrases that have been used to project the Glasgow image, positively and negatively. This new and extensively illustrated history explores the reality behind these stereotypes, showing Glasgow's considerable longevity as a Scottish ecclesiastical and commercial centre, yet focusing on the profound social, economic and political changes over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.Glasgow uses much original material to illustrate the rich diversity of cultural influences that have contributed to the city's distinctive urban character. Particular emphasis is given to the people who shaped the ideas and attitudes of the times. Nineteenth-century economic success, most celebrated in the enduring mystique of Clyde shipbuilding, was associated with high-profile entrepreneurs who embodi