“The atmosphere is electric.”

The Book Fairies have been busy sharing copies of The Manchester Chronicles by Clint Boon around the city and the wider UK this month!

Who was lucky enough to spot one?

About the book:

A born storyteller, Clint Boon pieces together a collage of often hilarious stories to give us a unique take on the city’s coming of age alongside his own. At art school, rehearsal studios and sweaty gigs, we meet the movers and shakers of Manchester, often well before they were famous, as they came together to forge their identities and put the city on the map.

Be it a near-fatal tour bus crash, or suffering the ignominy of being on Top of The Pops one week and signing on the dole the next – while your former roadie, Noel, makes pop history – Clint entertainingly captures the mayhem of music, success and the city’s extraordinary musical family.

Encountering bands like Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall, New Order, the Smiths, James, the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, Elbow and Oasis, raconteur Clint tells the Manchester legend not as an exhaustive history, but as what it felt like to be there at the time, taking the trip of a lifetime.

Happy finders

We love hearing from those lucky souls who stumble upon a book left by a book fairy! Here are some of our favourite messages and pics from today’s activity…

Get your hands on a copy

This book is OUT NOW in all good bookshops! If you prefer to buy your books online, then you can still support indies by choosing to order The Manchester Chronicles from Bookshop.org! If you prefer a paperback, you can pre-order that now to arrive in June 2027…

Become a book fairy

If this activity has made YOU want to don your wings and hide some books about the place, then please do get involved! The best way to start is to order some book fairy stickers here or a book fairy starter kit...