Colin & Celia Miller
OUR BOOKS
all available via Amazon, the publisher or direct from the author.
Country Boy; Growing up in Norfolk; 1940-60.
ISBN-0-7509-4247-9
Sutton Publishing/The History Press; 2005.
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Colin Miller was born in 1940 in Rollesby, a village near Great Yarmouth in the heart of Broadland Norfolk. In Rollesby, as in so many other rural communities at this time, drinking water was from a well, the lavatory was a bucket in an outside privy, transport was a bicycle or a bus and entertainment was provided by the radio, whist drives at the village hall or a rare visit to the cinema. As the 1940s and '50s progressed this way of life altered dramatically, some would say disappeared - and Colin Miller chronicles these changes through the eyes of a Norfolk schoolboy and teenager. Developing themes such as school days, health, work, entertainment, sport and leisure, this honest and thoughtful account also includes brief extracts from the local newspapers, reporting local events and illustrating the social change experienced by the author.
The Fifties Replayed; A Norfolk Youth at Leisure.
ISBN-978-0-7509-4949-1
Sutton Publishing/The History Press; 2008.​
In the 1950s, enetrtainment in rural Rollesby was provided by the radio, socials and whist drives in the village hall, or visits to dance halls and cinemas at Great Yarmouth. By 1960, leisure, especially for the young, had altered dramatically owing to the influence of television, rock 'n' roll and a developing youth culture. In this, his second book, Colin Miller chronicles these changes through the eyes of a Norfolk teenager. This honest and thoughtful account also includes extracts from newspapers and other contemporary material to illustrate aspects of daily life of a working family and the changes in leisure time activities experienced by the author from the 1950s through to the '60s - a decade covering his transition from boy to man and his progression through grammar school on to university in Leicester.
A Degree of Swing; Lessons in the Facts of Life.
ISBN-978-1-78091-009-3
Derby Books Publishing Company; 2012.
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The period 1958-64 saw radical changes in the lives of most young people and the establishment of a popular culture based around music and fashion. Colin Miller's memories of his life as a working-class student in the city of Leicester highlight the many personal and social issues and challenges that confronted most young men maturing into adulthood at that time. While describing the youth culture of Leicester in some detail, Colin Miller also recalls the people and events that shaped his musical development and his eventual involvement in the beat music scene of the city and its university.
Rain and Ruin; The Diary of an Oxfordshire Farmer; John Simpson Calvertt, 1875-1900.
ISBN-0-86299-114-5
Alan Sutton Publishing Limited; 1983.
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A fascinating record of life on the land in the late Victorian era. John Simpson Calvertt farmed at a time when a spate of bad harvests caused severe problems in the countryside. His diary reflects the harsh realities of the times while also reaching beyond the locality to mention events of national and, occasionally, international significance.
This is a vivid, first-hand portrait of life in the Victorian countryside with its trials and tribulations and its occasional triumphs.