The Fire People Tapa dura - 1972

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1972. This book is Alexander Cordell's eighth novel. 'The Fire People' was inspired by, and climaxes in, the inglorious Merthyr Tydil riots of 1831 and the hanging of Dic Penderyn, the first legendary martyr of the Welsh working class. The book is born in the mines and flarring ironworks of a Wales bitter with industrial strife and poverty, but its heart is in the people it portrays, Irish immigrants, European refugees, Welsh ironworkers, etc. all blending to build what is surely one of the most vivid pictures of a generation's courage and survival in the face of oppression ever written. Alexander Cordell's qualities as an historical novelist have never been better expressed. Price-intact full-wrap-around illustrated dust jacket. An immaculate copy. The condition of this book promises to please.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Near Fine.