Not rewriting history

1:27pm Thursday 25th May 2006

Ian Dewhirst was pleasantly surprised when he revised his 32-year-old book A History of Keighley.

The former reference librarian found only half a dozen errors in need of correction.

And he wasn't too embarrassed to read prose he had written while only in his 30s.

He soon put the facts right in time for this month's publication by Tempus Publishing.

The new edition sold exclusively through Reids bookshop in Cavendish Street is the first to be sold in two decades.

Keighley Borough Council had commissioned the original version to commemorate its own demise in 1974.

Ian spent 18 months writing the book, drawing on articles he had already written as well as much new research.

He said: "By virtue of being reference librarian I had access to the right material."

The 8,000 copies sold out within about ten years and Bradford Council took over ownership of the copyright.

Ian said several publishers had requested permission to reprint the book in the intervening years.

He suspects Tempus won permission because Bradford Libraries had recently closed down its own print unit.

Ian said that while the text remained the same, some of the original pictures could not be found.

He said: "We've tried to reflect the original illustrations by finding alternatives. There are probably more pictures in this edition. I resisted the temptation to do a rewrite. I was quite impressed at what I was writing in my 30s."

Ian said the errors were minor, such as calling an art master a headmaster, or misreading data on mortality rates.

While Ian was happy with his original manuscript, he faced difficulty writing a brief final chapter bringing the history up to date.

He said: "I stayed fairly tongue in cheek in the last 30 years times have changed and nothing is neat and tidy.

"I can't say everything in the town is marvellous. I tried to diplomatically express what I feel without upsetting people very much."

Ian was at Reids bookshop last Friday to sign copies.