Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost for you!
Are you looking for the best books about Manchester for your next read? We are here to help!
Manchester is a city of history, famous for the Industrial Revolution, music, the Suffragette movement and more.
So it’s only normal to find a lot of books about Manchester and its history. But that’s not all! In this list, we’ve included all types of books and that means that you will also find romantic books set in Manchester and others about football.
Basically, there is a bit of everything!
So, are you ready to discover the best books about Manchester.
1. The Memory of You by Samantha Tonge
If you are searching for books about Manchester that are truly uplifting and a “feel good” read then look no further than Samantha Tonge, The Memory of You.
Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester with her family. Many of her works are fiction books set in Manchester with a predominantly female audience.
The Memory of You is moving and heartbreaking yet heartwarming and uplifting, a tricky quality to achieve sometimes.
The story follows Alex, a woman who likes to believe she has it all but who is on the cusp of losing many important things in her life.
This is a book that focuses on love, loss and Alex’s ability to navigate change.
It is not a self-help book but as you read the story you certainly connect to the main character and can draw valuable lessons from her.
Samantha Tonge manages to tackle big everyday issues (some of which are brushed under the carpet) in a moving and sensitive way.
2. Manchester Unspun by Andy Spinoza
Not a born and bred Mancunian (shush we won’t tell if you don’t), Andy Spinoza was born in London and moved up north when he was 18.
It’s fair to say he’s adopted the northern lifestyle and pride ever since!
He was an early member of the Hacienda, one of Manchester’s most famous nightclubs.
He began reporting on the Manchester music scene for The Face and NME, this led him to meet an array of characters of personalities from the city.
This book has a memoir element to it but it also teaches some political and social history as well.
The book covers the period between 1980 and 2022. Spinoza himself describes the book as “an account from punk to the pandemic of how the 1982 opening of the Hacienda gave the kiss of life to a dying city”.
The book is certainly not stuffy like many historical accounts are.
The pop culture element has given the pages a lease of life that allows the reader to whip through the pages with interest.
3. Mancunians by David Scott
David Scott’s book Mancunians is a homage to Manchester and completely authentic.
Everything from the publisher (Manchester University Press) to the contents and author are born and bred in Manchester.
Scott is a presenter, poet, podcaster, actor, producer and of course an author!
Throughout his book, Scott delves into the “lost era” of Manchester through a series of collective memoirs.
Many have focused on Manchester’s industrial past and thriving beginnings but little has been written about the late 1990s.
In 1996 the IRA detonated a bomb and the following year the Hacienda (arguably the beating heart of the city) shut down due to drug-related deaths.
It was a turbulent but defining time for Manchester, hence Scott’s interest in the period.
Scott, who is fiercely Mancunian himself, has provided a fascinating history of the recent past providing locals with stories and perspectives they may not have heard and outsiders with insight into the city and its history.
4. I Swear I Was There by David Nolan
David Nolan is a television producer and author with a focus on music and pop culture biographer.
Nolan is no newbie to the Manchester scene. He is based in Manchester and was a lecturer at Salford University.
I Swear I Was There and its lengthy subtitle “Sex Pistols, Manchester and the Gig that Changed the World” is a book looking at the music events that changed Manchester forever.
Many music lovers will know Manchester’s connection with iconic bands like
The Smiths, Oasis, The Stone Roses and Joy Division to name a few.
Others will not know much about Manchester’s music scene (you will be forgiven, but only if you read Nolan’s book).
This book is for both audiences. Manchester music veterans will revel in the detail and newbies will love to learn about some of their favourite tunes.
Starting with the Sex Pistols’ first gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976, Nolan details those “I swear I was there” moments that true music lovers would be envious of.
5. The Emigrants by WG Sebald
WG Sebald was a German writer and academic known for books like The Rings of Saturn, Austerlitz and his 1992 book The Emigrants.
The book has won the Berlin Literature Prize and was first translated into English by Michael Hulse in 1996.
This book follows four Jewish emigrants who fled Germany.
The story is told through four narrations and whilst it is a work of fiction there are stories of fact mixed in among the pages.
The final narrative looks at Max Ferber’s story which comes to life on the streets of Manchester.
Sebald depicts Manchester in its once dark and desolate state despite having gone through the 18th century Industrial Revolution.
Having lost his parents on a deportation train to Nazi Germany Max struggles alone as a painter in Manchester.
This book is highly descriptive and one that conjures up an array of images and emotions with a focus on memory and its destruction of life.
6. Little Wilson and Big God by Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess was a writer born in Manchester in 1917.
Some of his most notable works include A Clockwork Orange and 1986.
His book Little Wilson and Big God is an autobiographical piece and one that any British literary lover would appreciate reading.
All of the stories in the book will leave you wide-eyed and eager to read on.
He served in Gibraltar in World War II and even ended up in jail on Victory Day in 1945.
He even once convinced a group of Nazis that the English equivalent of “heil” was “sod” resulting in rather amusing cries of “Sod Hitler”.
Other themes in the book include marriage, Catholicism, his writing and his time living abroad.
It’s an interesting read, especially if you are a fan of his other literary works and want to learn more about this Manchester-born author.
7. Mancunia by Michael Symmons Roberts
Published in 2017, Mancunia is another of the best books set in Manchester.
Well, this is actually a collection of poems portraying Manchester, the city where Symmons lives.
He writes his poems from the point of view of Mancunia, which is not exactly Manchester but heavily based on it.
It can sort of be described as the Manchester he sees in his mind, rather than directly about the city he lives in.
The author himself describes Mancunia as a “not quite Manchester”.
His poem Mancunian Miserere is based on the psalm “miserere” and it follows a similar pattern.
Here he showcases the necessity and inclination to go against the grain of what the city expects and what he himself expects.
Many of the poems in Roberts’ seventh volume surround the idea of why and how we ascribe value to places, things and relationships.
It’s a thoughtful and provoking collection of poems.
8. The Manchester Man by Isabella Banks
This is certainly one of the oldest books about Manchester on this list.
The book was first published as part of a series in Cassell’s Magazine in 1876.
Just before author Isabella Banks died in 1896 a well-illustrated version of The Manchester Man was published.
The book follows the rise of Jabez Clegg, known as the “Manchester Man” from the Napoleonic Wars to the Reform Act.
The book is written through a lens of politics and history and includes some tragic and poignant events in Manchester’s history, like the Peterloo Massacre and the Manchester Massacre of 1819.
Now if you are a Manchester local you may notice a few references to the characters of the book Jabez Clegg and Joshua Brooks throughout the city.
Before 2013 Jabez Clegg used to be a well-known student night spot and beer hall. Much to the disappointment of regulars it was closed after being sold to the university.
9. Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain by Kevin Cummins
Kevin Cummins is a British photographer born and raised in Manchester.
He is well known for his photography of musicians and rock bands.
You can find his work hanging in the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Kevin Cummins’ book, Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain shows a variety of his most iconic images.
From the dance floors of the legendary Hacienda to pictures of Joy Division, Morrissey and New Order.
This really is an impressive visual record of the lives lived in the music capital of the U.K.
Though words can evoke imagination in a truly unique way, photographs suck you into the moment and really make you feel like you could be there.
10. The Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain
If you are searching for romance books set in Manchester then check out The Madonna of Bolton.
Author Matt Cain was born in Bury, Greater Manchester and his 2018 book is well worth a read.
This coming-of-age fiction book follows the life of Charlie Matthews’ in Bolton.
This is certainly not a traditional romance novel, instead this is a book that highlights one boy’s love for Madonna.
Charlie was given Madonna’s “Lucky Star” record on his ninth birthday. It was love at first sight.
But this book isn’t all pop sensations and happiness.
The story follows Charlie’s experiences as he suffers persecution, the hardships of being different at university and falling in love.
The book collectively makes you laugh, cry and want to turn up the volume on your favourite Madonna tunes.
11. The Condition of the Working Class in England by Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels is best known for writing The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx in 1848.
Engels was a philosopher, political theorist and historian who focused on the political economy and revolutionary society
The Condition of the Working Class in England was written by Engels in 1845.
This is an excellent book to dive into if you are at university studying politics, economics, history, sociology and even geography or just if you have an interest in these ideas.
The Industrial Revolution is often hailed as being an event in history that resulted in progress and got society to where it is today.
However, Engels outlined many of the devastating conditions of the working class during the Industrial Revolution.
For example, in cities like Manchester and Liverpool mortality from disease was four times higher than in the surrounding countryside.
12. A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney
For plays set in Manchester, you must check out A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney.
Delaney was herself born in Salford and she chose to base her play there too.
The play is set in the 1950s and tells the story of Jo who is a working-class gal.
She features in complete antithesis with her mother, Helen, who is tarty and promiscuous.
The play does nothing to make you want to visit Manchester being set in a dreary flat in a rundown area.
Though today Manchester is fresh, vibrant and well worth a visit, the 1950s was a time when the city was recovering from the devastation of World War II, finances were low and emotions were high.
The play was groundbreaking in its discussion of feminism as well as the realism of everyday hardships.
The play seems even more remarkable when you learn that Delaney wrote it when she was only 19 years old!
13. Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography by Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is synonymous with Manchester United and is the longest running manager in the club’s history.
He led the club to more than 30 domestic and international titles including 13 Premier League victories.
If you are looking for books about Manchester United then what better place to start than a book written by a legend of the game?
As an autobiography suggests, this book details his career highlights from his humble beginnings to his time as one of the most recognisable managers in football.
There is definitely a sense of fatherly fondness in the way he writes. As he describes the players and the club, he loves so much it’s with pride and passion.
Though this book will undoubtedly please Manchester United fans, other football or sporting enthusiasts will find Ferguson’s journey and writing style easy and enjoyable to read.
15. The Ultimate Manchester United Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Man United Fans!
If you are a football fan looking for the ultimate Manchester United Quiz, this book is for you!
Here you will find 240 questions about Manchester United as well as 120 interesting facts about the club.
This is definitely a book for supporters with a good knowledge of football and Man United specifically.
It’s also a good book to bring if you are going to watch a match one of the sports bars in Manchester. You can do some trivia games while waiting for the game to start and having a pint.
16. A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks: Discover 20 routes in and around the city
If you’d like to discover more of the city, this book by Jonathan Schofield is for you.
Jonathan Schofield is a certified Blue Badge tour guide who knows Manchester like the back of his hand.
In this book, he highlights several walks in Manchester that are a bit off-the-beaten path. Each walk includes a map as well as facts about all the landmarks you see.
It’s very nicely done and a great idea if you are looking for a Manchester gift.
17. Manchester, England: The Story of the Pop Cult City by David Haslam
Writer, broadcaster and DJ, David Haslam is well known on the local Manchester scene.
When the popular nightclub Hacienda was open, he DJ’ed more than 450 times.
From his work life to his music and cultural interests David Haslam is well-equipped for providing readers with a book on the pop cult city.
The book chronicles Manchester’s music and culture through a unique historical retelling.
From the iconic 1960s to the late 1990s, Haslam showcases the dominant artists of the day and the fanfare that surrounds many iconic British musicians.
This unique music culture has arguably transformed Manchester into what we know today.
Haslam includes interviews with musicians and cultural figures, as well as his own musings and thoughts as a DJ in one of the most popular clubs.
If you are interested in music, Manchester and history you cannot go wrong with this book.
Now that you know everything about the best books about Manchester, England, it’s time to start reading!
You may also be interested in:
