Peter Finch (Seren)

Peter Finch has been writing about Cardiff since the turn of the millennium. Considering this is the fourth volume of his {Real Cardiff} series, he’s still got something to say. Finch is an affable guide to Cardiff; a psychogeographer and a flâneur, a sort of less abstruse Iain Sinclair or a more likeable Will Self (not hard, some might suggest). You can imagine yourself meandering down these streets with him, listening to his Beat-style reminisces about the Cardiff that was here before, and that for Finch somehow co-exists with what there is now. The book is stuffed with asides about pubs that were demolished before you or I were born, or local characters who played with whatever band in 1967.  If you have any interest in how Cardiff came to be the city that it is today, this is a thoroughly interesting guide.

words David Griffiths

Price £9.99. Info: www.serenbooks.com