A Paisley author is bringing back the town’s heritage by republishing old books.
Brian Hannan, who works in Abbey Books on Wellmeadow Street, discovered that there was a lack of books about the history of Paisley prior to the 1900s in the shop after coming across an old Paisley Thread novel.
The Paisley Thread by Matthew Blair was originally published around 1907 and described how important the thread industry was to the town.
Blair, according to The Glasgow Herald, was one of the few who still possess the necessary qualifications for writing a record of the lost trade, for he was brought up in it. He was also the chairman of the Incorporated Weaving, Dyeing and Printing College of Glasgow.
And Brian is looking to bring his story back to life as he is set to republish some old books which detail the thread industry in the town. “The book didn’t have a front cover or a back cover and was in tatters really,” Brian told the Paisley Daily Express on discovering the book.
“I knew that I would be able to sell it for a fiver or so but it occurred to me that if I did have a copy of that book on sale it would go straight away.
“So, I thought that, ‘this book is bound to be out of copyright’ as it was published in 1907 so why don’t I type up this book and reprint it? That way, if anyone comes in asking for a copy of it, I have it and that is what I have done.”
Brian, who is a retired journalist, is looking to also bring other old books back to life as he wants the rich history of the town to be kept well and truly alive.
“I am also going to try and republish other old books so they don’t get lost in history,” he explained. “There is no history of Paisley in our shop. The last one was written in 1948.
“The bulk of Paisley’s history didn’t take place in the 20th century, it took place during the mills and the expansion period. The Paisley Thread is also great as it is mostly pictures which I assume were taken prior to the 1900s.
“It might take me a while but it is great to be able to tell the town’s history again. We are slap-bang in the middle of heritage Paisley.
“A hundred yards to the right we have the snail-in-the-bottle statue and the magnificent Coats Memorial Church. Across the road is the cobbled street leading to Oakshaw.
“Two hundred yards to the left, we have Tannahill’s Cottage and the Witch’s Well – and if you glance up on the way, you’ll spot the clock tower of Coffin End.
“We always made a point of collecting books about Paisley so that tourists on a heritage trail could find material to support what they are seeing.”
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