Landing is the first volume of Mersey Minis, a series of small books celebrating Liverpool’s 800th anniversary.
Bursting with brilliant writing inspired by Liverpool and the River Mersey, Landing includes writers ranging from the extremely famous to the completely unknown, from well-loved novelists to young arrivals, from poets and princes to maidservants. What they have in common is Liverpool. Some of the writers were born in the city, others are strangers passing through, or experiencing their first footfall in Europe. But they have all visited or lived in (and in one notable exception merely dreamed about) Liverpool, and, luckily for us, committed their impressions to paper.
The notion of bringing all this amazing output together into one series was irresistible. It seemed a simple enough idea, but as I started digging deeper, I was awed by the sheer volume and variety of people who had recorded their time in Liverpool. There was enough material for a shelf full of books, and how to select and present it all became the challenge. Landing is about first impressions, new encounters, beginnings, meetings and openings particular to Liverpool. They are funny, fascinating, touching, churlish, bemused, sad, or downright surreal, but all memorable accounts of this singular city and the often quixotic experiences it offers.
The extracts in Landing are taken from works of fiction, reportage, travel writing, essays, letters and memoirs, and reach right back to Liverpool's beginnings. Much of it is readily accessible but more has languished in archives and libraries. Some extracts are published here for the first time.
The writers’ biographies at the back of the book reveal a little bit more about who they were and why they came to Liverpool, and the book list will hopefully prompt further reading about these people who have their own fascinating stories to tell, in which Liverpool has played a part.
Though I am a born and bred Liverpudlian, Landing has been a thrilling journey of my own. I have seen Liverpool anew and learned much about my city I didn't know before. I hope you enjoy reading Landing as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.
-- Deborah Mulhearn
