Derbyshire, the most central county in England, is full of glorious countryside, historic buildings and thriving cities, towns and villages. However, lurking not far beneath its surface is a host of oddities and peculiarities that turn the apparently staid and conventional into something much more intriguing.

Although most definitely unusual and quirky, this book still has plenty to offer in terms of conventional reference – albeit delivered in a lateral and humorous format never seen before. And despite the fact that it is divided into two sections called Conventional Derbyshire and Quirky Derbyshire, even the Conventional half is riddled with quirkiness. So although you get key facts and figures along with a detailed history from the Stone Age to present day, the whole section is interspersed with the book’s idiosyncratic “Quirk Alerts”, too; like an anecdote called “Splat-Nav” showing up in the thirteenth century chapter, all the way up to twenty-first century nods towards I’m A Celebrity and Muggles!

However, understandably it is the Quirky Derbyshire section where things turn really strange, and where 77 Derbyshire places have their quirkiest facts laid bare with trivia galore: like Derbyshire’s Gretna Green and Derbyshire’s Grand National; or how about the World Head Balancing Champion, Harry Potter’s owls, Naked Racing and Colditz Castle; and not forgetting award-winning urinals, Britain’s most haunted pub, and a woman who lived in a bacon box! If you think you know Derbyshire, read this fascinating and profusely illustrated book and think again...