Set in a fictional Yorkshire county, the novel brings together school leadership, local government, class, and women's roles through a large cast centered on Sarah Burton. It captures the tensions and hopes of a community in change.

In a changing local society, ideals collide with reality.

This biographical study traces the life and work of Thomas De Quincey. It goes beyond a simple portrait of a Romantic writer and looks closely at his habits of thought, literary influence, and the relation between opium experience and writing.

De Quincey's life and work are read here as a single literary history.