Reading has a rich history going back well over a thousand years. It has seen kings and queens making extended stays in the town (a king of England is even buried there), meetings of Parliament, and pitched battles fought for the control of the nation in its streets. In its time it has been a nationally important centre of religious pilgrimage, a key part of every new mode of transport – from canals and stagecoaches to the railways and motorways – a manufacturing town whose products were famous worldwide, and a leading centre for the high-tech industries of tomorrow.

Well-known local author Stuart Hylton takes the reader on an alphabetical tour of this Berkshire town, looking in particular for the amusing, offbeat and unexpected stories hidden within. Fully illustrated with pictures from the past and present, A–Z of Reading is sure to appeal to anyone who lives or works in the town.