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Promising
battles, killer diseases, daring (or mad) explorers, pirates,
riots, sewage and brain-improving educational bits, The
Bristol Story: a graphic and (mostly) true history of the greatest
city in the world traces
the rich and dramatic history of Bristol from the earliest times
to the present day.
It was written by Eugene Byrne and illustrated
by Simon Gurr (illustrated above). Like Eugene and Simon's acclaimed
graphic-style biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, published
as part of the Brunel 200 celebrations in 2006, The
Bristol Story has been driven
by four key aims: to be entertaining, to be informative, to be
challenging and to wave the flag for Bristol. The 200-page book
is targeted at a readership of around 11 and upwards, and its mix of
historical research and irreverent humour should appeal to both
children and adults. A simplified version for younger readers
has also been produced for use in primary schools.
Eugene is Consulting Editor of Venue magazine,
as well as an author of three novels, and a freelance journalist
for newspapers and magazines. Born in Ireland, Eugene grew up
in Burnham-on-Sea and settled in Bristol in 1981 after seeing
a mummy being dissected live on CCTV at the City Museum and Art
Gallery. He compiles the Days Out West
Guide for Venue, and is
a regular contributor to BBC History magazine,
as well as to the Bristol Evening
Post's
Bristol Times.
Cover image for Venue magazine to coincide with their give-away of The Bristol Story.
Simon is a freelance artist who draws and writes comics, illustrates
books and develops material for websites, including ARKive, an
initiative of Wildscreen in Bristol. For the 2004 Great Reading
Adventure he adapted The Day of the
Triffids for serialisation
in the Bristol Evening Post. He is a graduate of the University
of the West of England.
Read an interview with Eugene and Simon
here.
Download Eugene and Simon's St
Vincent's Rock, a graphic-novel created for the Bristol
2008 Capital of Culture bid here.
Read
about Isambard Kingdom Brunel: a graphic biography here.
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