Between the Salt and the ASH
A Journey into the Soul of Northumbria
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Manchester University Press
Publishing:28th May '26
£11.69 was £12.99
This title is due to be published on 28th May, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A writer's quest to understand the deep past and uncertain future of his homeland.
After inheriting the miner's safety lamp that belonged to his great-grandfather, Jake Morris-Campbell sets out on a pilgrimage across his homeland. Travelling from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham Cathedral, he asks what new ways might be made through the old north.
This region, a hub of early Christian Britain and later strongly defined by industry and class, now faces an uncertain future. But it remains a unique and starkly beautiful part of the country, with a deep history that is intimately entwined with the idea of Englishness. Jake’s journey along the ‘Camino of the North’ sees him explore the shifting nature of individual and regional identity across thirteen-hundred years of social change. At the same time, it challenges him to reconsider his own calling as a writer and how it relates to the lives of the people he meets along the way.
Between the salt and the ash asks what stories the North East can tell about itself in the wake of Christianity and coal. Rejecting the damaging trope of ‘left behind’ communities, Jake uncovers neglected seams of culture and history, while offering a heartfelt celebration of the place he calls hyem.
'Beautifully crafted.'
Robert Colls, The New Statesman
‘Jake Morris-Campbell’s beautiful book is a pilgrimage charting his family's Northumbrian heritage. Between the salt and the ash is simultaneously poetic and epic in Morris-Campbell’s sweep of the region’s history, language and landscape. After reading this, you will want nothing more than to take the journey yourself.’
Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Chancellor of Durham University
'A tender Northumbrian camino through England's own land of saints and scholars.'
Dan Jackson, author of The Northumbrians
'This is a beautiful and significant book. Its blend of history, poetry and travelogue gives a complex and compelling vision of the strange and lovely land of the north. It should be read by us all, wherever we live.'
David Almond, author of Skellig
'Beautifully written, Between the salt and the ash melds history, industry and memories into a moving portrait of the land between Tyne and Wear.'
Brian Groom, author of Northerners: A History
'Our heritage isn’t just about mining and nor is this book. The author expertly shows how the region is made up of layers of history, identity, work etc, and the way that sculpture, art, poetry etc can represent the region and its identity.'
Peter Sagar, North East Bylines
'This is a fabulous book. It is a work of sacramental theology, although the author might not see it that way: it celebrates the past, intensely observes the present, and so points hopefully to the future. It makes me want to go back up north and stay there.'
Peter McGeary, Church Times
ISBN: 9781526175397
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
312 pages