The race for the title- the Division 1 season '74-'75

  

 Football in 1975

This is another of my occasional series on the year 1975. This time, I want to take you on a trip to re-visit the First division campaign of 1974-75. In previous posts I have discussed how 1975 is seen as a musical in between year. This applies to football too; 1974 had seen Germany (West Germany to be accurate) host and win the World Cup. In the final they defeated the Dutch, widely seen as the best team in the competition, just as they had defeated the Hungarians, Puskas, Kocsis and all, in 1954. England had failed to qualify for the ’74 finals. The team that denied them, Poland, went on to take 3^rd place, thereby giving the lie to the tendency of the English to label them as lucky.

1976 meanwhile saw the Germans lose a penalty shoot-out to Czechoslovkia (yes, that’s right, the Germans lost a shootout!) in the final of the European championships. The winning penalty was the ‘Panenka’, an audacious chip over the goalkeeper who had already committed himself.

But what happened in between? Let’s take a look at the season that started after the World Cup in Autumn ’74 and ended in May ’75. It was in many ways an unusual season and worth examining. But before we go any further, it is worth reminding ourselves that the past is another country; they did things differently there.

Back in the mid-seventies they were playing football, then as now, eleven against eleven over ninety minutes. However, many aspects of the game have changed since then. Shall we highlight a few?

Points mean prizes

 Today, a win gets your team three points. To win the league, they may need as many as ninety points come season end. This was introduced to encourage more attacking play; a draw often feels more like two points dropped than a point gained. It has had the additional effect of prolonging fans interest in the season. A team’s theoretical chance of winning the league, qualifying for Europe or avoiding relegation can still be alive quite close to the seasons end.  

 Back in 1975 you were given two points for a win and one for a draw.  There were twenty-two teams in the division, so teams played forty-two games, but even so, you could win the league with a point’s total under sixty. Win at home, play for a draw away- that was the mantra for success.

Substitute (singular)

Teams were only allowed one substitute per game. If the goalkeeper was injured, an outfield player donned the goalkeeper’s jersey. Subs tended to be attacking players; if they replaced a defender a midfielder might drop back. In most teams too, injury permitting, the first choice players played most of the games. Squad rotation was rare, although the top teams who were competing in Europe were beginning to dabble in it.

Stand up for your team

This was the era when standing was the norm for fans, on open terraces interspersed with metal barriers. After a goal or a near miss it was not unusual for supporters to find themselves several steps down after a crowd surge. It was a predominantly male atmosphere, to an extent that we can easily forget, which may have contributed towards the frequent threat of, and often actual, violence. Standing up for your team was also about being aggressive. It was a time when a goal scored would immediately lead to chants of “you’re going to get your effing heads kicked in” but equally, an outstanding goal would sometimes be applauded by the opposing fans in reluctant admiration.  

Iconic grounds (but far from luxurious)

Another difference between then and now was the playing surface. The pitches might start out looking good but by Christmas, would deteriorate badly. Perhaps the worst in the top division was at Derby. The pitch at the Baseball Ground was notorious for being a mud bowl by January with scarcely a blade of grass to be seen.

Facilities were rudimentary, as was the catering for most fans. Some stands were still made entirely of wood and could feel precarious when people started jumping around.

Many of the grounds that hosted matches in 1975 had been home to their teams since the turn of the twentieth century. Since then, many clubs have moved to new homes. Although Liverpool still play at Anfield, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Everton at Goodison, some famous grounds are no more. In London, Highbury, Upton Park and White Hart Lane are now history for the fans of Arsenal, West Ham and Spurs. Likewise the Victoria Ground, the Baseball ground, Ayresome Park, and Maine road are no longer home to Stoke, Derby, Middlesborough and Manchester City.

Some other things have changed......

Other differences between then and now included the fact that the shirts weren’t sponsored; the only thing on the front was the team crest. A further significant fact lay in the origins of the players. All were from the British Isles. Being from Ireland or Scotland was classed as exotic. It was only after the 1978 World Cup when Villa and Ardiles came to Spurs and Muhren and Thyssen to Ipswich after their countries had contested the final that the foreign influx began. Likewise, teams were, at this stage, ethnically white. Change was in the air though. Cyrille Regis, Brendan Batson and Laurie Cunningham would soon star in a West Bromwich Albion team that reached the Semi-finals of the FA cup in 1978 as well as challenging in the league.

The first Division: 1974/75

 Who was in the division in 1974-75?

Another unusual feature to draw your attention to for this season is the list of teams, those present and those absent. The most notable absentees were Manchester United, relegated the previous season. With them in what was then the Second Division were Aston Villa and Southampton, among others. In their place were some teams you might not expect- Carlisle United, there for the first and last time, and Luton Town. Other teams present in ‘74/75 have more recently returned to the top league after a long period away, Stoke City, Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United. Also present then were Coventry City, then in the middle of a long run at the top table, who since being relegated, have failed to return, as well as Ipswich Town, currently languishing in the third tier alongside Derby County.

London was well represented, as ever, by Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, although none would take a meaningful role in the title race.  QPR would end the season as the top placed London team despite only finishing 11^th. They were a team on the up though and would go on to achieve a second place finish the following season. West Ham would play a significant role in the F.A. Cup, but of that, more later.

Previous winners

As that season started the last five league champions had been Everton, Arsenal, Derby, Liverpool and Leeds. Leeds United had dominated the previous season, going unbeaten for a long run of games at the start of the season and winning the title. Their Manager, Don Revie, had left to manage England and they had brought in Brian Clough, who had taken Derby County to the title in 1972. The expectation was that they were still the team to beat. Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankley, had won the F.A. Cup as a consolation and were keen to regain the league title. Derby, now managed by a former player, Dave Mackay, were still strong, whilst Everton had spent money on the likes of Martin Dobson, bought from Burnley. Arsenal were in decline and nobody’s idea of title winners.

Surprise packets?

There was one team who many fancied might feature towards the top of the table, although few expected them to win it- Ipswich Town, managed by Bobby Robson, a former England defender, had finished 4^th in 1972/73. The next season they finished 4^th again, but backed it up with a run in the UEFA cup, kickstarted by knocking out Real Madrid. Robson had acquired David Johnson from Everton and was seeing the fruits of a youth policy that had produced an England defender, Kevin Beattie, and a Scottish international full-back, George Burley.

As the season unfolded three other teams would perform above expectations. Middlesborough were one of the newly promoted sides; they had a rugged defence, epitomised by Stuart Boam, a genuine 70’s hard man. But they also had another hard man who was in addition a genuine playmaker- Graeme Sounness. His outstanding performances helped them to a high league position and himself to  a move to Liverpool, who had the clout to help themselves to other people’s top players. The previous year Terry McDermott had opposed them in the cup final for Newcastle, now he was an Anfield star.

Stoke City were still in the running for the title going into March and would eventually finish fifth; their key player was Alan Hudson (see below) a clever midfielder who could turn a game. He was supported by Jimmy McIlroy and of course they had Gordon Banks in goal. As winners of the League cup in 1972 they had self-belief.

The third over-achievers were QPR. They were developing into a genuinely classy team. Their midfield consisted of Don Masson, Don Givens and a young player called Gerry Francis, whilst goals were supplied by Stan Bowles.

One notable feature of football in this period was the tendency of teams to accommodate at least one maverick creative player, who would be a fan favourite. Stoke had Alan Hudson, QPR featured Stan Bowles, Sheffield United relied on Tony Currie, Wolves, Willie Carr and Leicester, Frank Worthington. These brilliant but unpredictable players could turn a game, but were often regarded with suspicion when it came to international recognition.  This was also a golden age for English goalkeepers. Leicester’s Peter Shilton and Liverpool’s Ray Clemence mostly shared the England no 1 shirt, but there were some able back-ups. Manchester City had Joe Corrigan and there were two Phil Parkes! One played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and one for West Ham.

 

The start of the season

First games can be unpredictable and not always a guide to a team’s eventual achievements. Newly promoted Carlisle demonstrated this; they won their first three games to be top of the nascent table. But they lost three of the next four and struggled thereafter. Champions Leeds United, by contrast, lost four of the first seven. Brian Clough had been unable to replicate at Leeds the success he had at Derby County and eventually left after just 44 days. Jimmy Armfield was brought in to replace him and managed to steer them to a respectable though disappointing 9^th place finish, as well as reaching the European Cup Final. 

The London clubs, bar Chelsea, were also suffering at this stage. Chelsea, with two wins and three draws allied to two losses had seven points from seven games, Tottenham Hotspur four points having lost five and won two. Arsenal had five points from seven games. They were perhaps unlucky; in this season a quirk of the fixture list saw week two’s fixtures replicated in week four. Arsenal’s opponents in those weeks were Ipswich Town, whose two wins over the Gunners formed part of a storming start that saw them win six of the first seven games to top the table. Their only loss had been to Sheffield United, who also won the other game against them this season. These two defeats would prove significant at the business end of the season.

With five wins after seven Liverpool weren’t far behind Ipswich and the other Mersey club, Everton, were up there too. These three would challenge right through the season, along with, eventually, Derby County, who started slowly with four draws in the first seven.

Run-up to Christmas

After their flying start, Ipswich came back down to earth in the autumn with defeats to Wolves, West Ham and Burnley, but a win over Liverpool showed they weren’t going away. Derby had begun to notch up wins, as had Liverpool, who were beginning to look ominous. Stoke too had some momentum. As happens in most seasons, there were some topsy-turvy results. Newcastle put five past Chelsea but then conceded five to Spurs, themselves thrashed 4-0 by Ipswich. The teams played two games over the Christmas period and perhaps the most unexpected was the home loss Ipswich suffered to Luton. Although theoretically no game is any more significant than another, the two points dropped would be immensely significant at the end.  

Going into spring

The top teams continued to take points off each other; Liverpool hammered Ipswich 5-2 at Anfield, who responded by beating Derby 3-0 at Portman Road. These three looked most likely winners but Stoke and Everton were still in with a shout. At the other end of the table Luton and Carlisle were struggling to stay afloat. There was a further distraction in the shape of the FA cup. West Ham, neither challenging at the top nor in danger at the bottom of the league, reserved their best performances for the cup, progressing to the semi final, where they met Ipswich. Town had eventually prevailed over Leeds after a four game epic in an earlier round. The semi also went to a replay, West Ham prevailing 2-1 after a 1-1 draw. Ipswich though had two goals disallowed. It is possible that their physical exertions in the Cup coupled with the disappointment of their (in their fans eyes unfair) failure to reach the final contributed to their inability to close out the league.

 

With all three of the front runners still losing some games no-one was running away with the league as Easter approached. In the end it was very close. Derby finished on 52 points to become champions with Liverpool and Ipswich finishing on 51. Everton had only lost 8 games but a poor run at the end cost them the title; they drew 18 games to finish on 50 points; one victory from the title. Ipswich had won the most games of the top four; 23 against 21 for Derby and 20 for Liverpool, but also lost more, 14 to Derby’s 10 and Liverpool’s 11. They only drew 5 games. Liverpool’s 11 draws (win at home, draw away, remember?) had almost seen them over the line.

We finish on yet another ‘that was then but this is now’. Teams finishing level on points now are separated by goal difference, goals for minus goals against. In 1975 it was goal average, goals for divided by goals against. Liverpool had a goal average of 1.538 to compared with Ipswich whose was 1.500 and thus finished second by 3/100ths of a goal! No consolation for the fact that Derby were title winners of course. As ever, the fans (except those of Derby) were left with if only scenarios to ponder on. If only Everton had turned a couple of those draws into wins, if only Liverpool had not lost to struggling Arsenal. If only Ipswich had beaten Luton at home on Christmas Day.

 Conclusion

A compelling season then with several contenders for the title, some teams playing above expectations and others, like Chelsea (relegated) and Spurs (barely surviving) playing well below theirs. To this day it remains Carlisle’s only visit to the top flight. The next year Manchester United would come roaring back under Tommy Docherty playing an attacking 4-2-4 formation. Oh, and Trevor Francis, in a couple of years, would become Britain’s first million pound player. Imagine that!

For the statisticians among you, follow the link to Wikipedia for all the detail you could possibly desire: 

Wikipedia league standings page

Singin' in the Rain- a production review and some general thoughts

 

Singin' in the Rain at Milton Keynes Theatre

 When it comes to musicals, my two favourite shows inhabit opposite ends of the spectrum regarding content. West Side Story is a gritty tragedy despite its dance routines and occasional lighter moments (Officer Krupke anyone?), whilst Singing In The Rain is a joyous celebration of the business of entertainment. Both have a romance at the heart of the story, but only one has a happy ending.

 I recently enjoyed Steven Speilberg’s re-make of West Side Story, which resisted the temptation to update the locale or the ethnic make-up of its protagonists whilst delivering even more light and shade than the original. Essentially a modern take on Romeo and Juliet, its portrayal of the difficulties of growing up and leaving youthful recklessness behind was played out in a locale where tradition was being overtaken by modernity, leaving the local inhabitants marginalised. This provided context to the gang rivalry, showing the insecurity behind the bravado, whilst the building sites that were physically transforming the landscape were the perfect backdrop to the Sharks and Jets stand-offs.

 As for Singing in the Rain, I recently caught the stage show at Milton Keynes Theatre. The original 1952 film had a degree of staginess about it, with enclosed locations (the movie lot, the producer’s office and a narrow street), so it proved to be easily transferrable to the stage. This production has something the film to some extent lacked; namely some electrifying group routines featuring the majority of the cast, including the opening and closing scenes. The ensemble cast were excellent, with energy to spare, and some great choreography that set a scene story through complex interlocking moves and shapes. Nowhere was this more effective than the closing routine which deployed coloured umbrellas and suits to great effect. I for one thought it simply joyous.

 The main protagonists, Kathy and Don, with support from Cosmo and Lina,  were portrayed with brio and degrees of subtlety. The age difference between Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly in the original tends to grate on modern audiences. The pair in this production seem more of an age and manage to spark chemistry from the outset (when they both affect to despise each other even as they feel the mutual attraction). The odd man out, Cosmo, plays his part as wisecracking sidekick well, whilst also portraying a degree of pathos when forced to play gooseberry as the other two become lovers, that hints at the sadness behind the mask of the funny man.

 The other main character is Lina Lamont, tricky to play as she is the obstacle to Kathy’s advancement and an obvious figure of fun. In this production she is also witty, sexy and spirited, which adds to the story’s depth. After the first half of the show has ended on the high of the title song, complete with an actual downpour, she injects some mild jeopardy into the others plans by consulting a lawyer and challenging their plans to side-line her. Her spirited fightback has the audience warming to her and showing appreciation of her solo number.

 On the night we were there (the first night at Milton Keynes) I sensed some initial nervousness, but it soon wore off as the cast got into their stride. The classic set-piece songs were well delivered, with the routine for Moses Supposes very inventive and Good Morning transposed to the street. The integration of a street bench into that routine reminded me that many of the dance moves were familiar from Strictly come Dancing.

This production also brought out the strengths of Singing in the Rain. For all that the film dates from 1952 it is a post-modern tale. Filmed in 1952 about the roaring ‘20’s, the time travel element is enhanced when watching it in 2022. It is also very knowing. The use of the radio presenter/gossip columnist to narrate parts of the action is clever, and was innovative in 1952.. This production makes use of the presenter to address the audience directly, something that creates an immediate connection in a show, even better than an aside to camera. In the years following the film, the Radio voice as narrator turns up in some very different films such as 1979’s The Warriors, where a New York gang face a violent journey back to their home turf after being framed at a gang happening, and Vanishing Point, where a radio DJ follows a lone anti-hero’s progress as he is chased by police.

 The scene featuring Gotta Dance, which brings to life Cosmo’s suggestions to the producer to introduce a fantasy sequence linking the present to Eighteenth Century France, is breathtakingly post-modern and mirrors montage scenes in many other films over the years. On stage the routine made good use of lighting and dry ice to weave its magic and carry the audience along. 

 Throughout the show the device of exposing of the nuts and bolts of making a film/putting on a show has parallels in films such as 42nd  Street and ultimately harks back to the play within a play device of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Nowhere is this shown to better effect than when Don takes Kathy to a deserted studio and introduces each element of artifice; the backdrop, the music, lighting, and wind to set the scene for his wooing. 

So, the key question? did I enjoy it? Yes, immensely, all the more so in the light of the enforced closure of theatres during the Pandemic. After the curtain call,  the most iconic scene of all, the title song, was reprised in yet another downpour on the stage, with the lead trio generously sharing the deluge with the front row. As I said, simply Joyous! Although the run at Milton Keynes is over, the show is touring the country, including Nottingham, Bradford and Birmingham. I would certainly recommend it. 

Book Review: The White Ship by Charles Spencer

The White Ship, by Charles Spencer (William Collins 2011) tells the story of a shipwreck outside Barfleur Harbour in 1120. The significance of this event lay in the identity of the ship’s passengers. These included William Atheling, the heir to Henry 1 of England, as well as a large number of young men who were either titled or the heirs to titles in both England and Normandy.

This is a history book then, but narrated as a story as much as a historical enquiry, which makes it very readable. All the more so since the story concerns a relatively small number of people; the top layers of society in the feudal states of England, Normandy and the various states that made up the territory we today call France. Troublesome uncles, supportive aunts, fractious siblings and family black sheep vie for attention on its pages so that at times it reads like one of those doorstop family sagas. Grudges are nurtured and revenges taken as families vie for supremacy.

All this drama is however underpinned by a bedrock of thoroughly researched history, which frequently references contemporary chroniclers. These include William of Malmesbury, Henry of Huntingdon, Walter Map, Orderic Vitalis and Robert Wace. This list of names raises the question of the target audience for the book.

Those medieval historians are familiar names to professional historians and to well-read amateurs. For a lot of people though, 1066 and the battle of Hastings is as much as they know. The satirical history 1066 and all that gives 1066 as one of only two memorable dates in English history, the other being 55 BC when Julius visited Britain. Of the century leading up to Hastings only Canute’s vain attempt to hold back the sea stands out as being part of the folk memory, whilst in the century following William Rufus coming to an unfortunate end in the New Forest also stands on its own.

 

The sheer level of historical detail covered by Spencer could be considered too overwhelming to the casual reader, were it not for the fact that he spins such an entertaining tale. To do so he creates a very clear structure for the narrative. The sinking of the White Ship, which Spencer argues deserves more recognition as a key event in our history, comes in the middle of his story. First, he takes us on a whistle stop tour of the history of Normandy, from its founding in 911 by Rolf the Ganger, which provides context for the Norman invasion of England. Spencer helps the reader understand that the Conquerors heirs very much still saw themselves as rulers of the Duchy of Normandy with continental aspirations as well as insular ones.

 After a detailed explanation of the sinking of the Blanche Nef (White Ship) we are guided through its messy consequences, chiefly the Civil war between Henry I daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen, until we reach a resolution of sorts with the beginning of the reign of Henry II.

 This passage through two and a half centuries of history can sometimes be bewildering. When I talked of a relatively small group of people at the top of society, this still runs to a cast of up to a hundred characters. Spencer keeps on track by not losing sight of the strategic big picture. At the same time, the small details often surprise and entertain.

My favourite example of this concerns the aftermath of the battle of Tinchebrai in 1106. Henry had been made king of England after the death of William Rufus, his brother. The oldest sibling of William the Conquerors children, Robert, had been made Duke of Normandy by William, but still harboured ambitions of ruling England. In 1106 Henry had crossed the channel to confront Robert, meeting him in battle at Tinchebrai. The strategic build-up and outcome of the battle are well described. But Spencer also gives us this little nugget; among the captured knights was a certain Edgar the Atheling. Edgar belonged to the West Saxon ruling family. After Harold Godwinson’s death at Hastings, the Witan, the council leading English nobles, had declared Edgar, then a teenager, as king. But a week later, when William arrived in London, Edgar, lacking an army to back him up, stepped aside and went into exile. Forty years later, there he was at at Tinchebrai, surrendering to Henry, whose wife was Edgar’s niece.

 This tantalising glimpse of a single thread is typical of the book, hinting at a story that would bear investigation. There are so many individuals whose stories deserve a book of their own who have walk-on parts in the central story of the family of William of Normandy. Robert De Belleme, for example, is the quintessential Norman bad guy, the Sherriff of Nottingham on steroids, who would make a perfect blockbuster villain. Violent, scheming, a born survivor, he leaps off the page. He would also be right at home in the Westeros of George Martin’s Fire and Ice series, which both as books and as  TV series, have become part of the pop culture of the last decade. When they first became popular initial comparisons were made with the Wars of the Roses to describe the set-up of Noble Houses vying to control the throne. In truth though, the two centuries following the Norman Conquest make a much better template for the society and the way of warfare of the Game of Thrones universe.

It is no co-incidence that the first book in Martin’s series  opens with a jousting tournament. Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, set in the first decade of the thirteenth century, does exactly the same, for the same reason, to introduce the cast of characters. The White Ship will undoubtedly appeal to Game of Thrones aficionados. There is another literary connection we can make. Ellis Peters Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, the herbalist monk of Shrewsbury Abbey who has a sideline solving murders, is set during the Civil war described in the final third of the White Ship. This book would be instructive for Cadfael fans, who through these books are familiar with Stephen’s siege of Shrewsbury (One Corpse too many) and defeat and capture at Lincoln (Dead Mans' Ransom). Cadfael himself is an ex-crusader who fought in the army of Robert of Normandy in the Holy Land. He understands the chivalric demands of fealty to a chosen Lord and does his best to be even-handed in his treatment of protagonists on both sides. His confidant though is Hugh Beringer, who is very much King Stephens man and opposed to the Empress Matilda. We inevitably get a more sympathetic portrait of the King than of Matilda.

 

Spencer goes a long way to redressing this. In particular, he is at pains to argue that the many criticisms of Matilda, voiced at length in the Cadfael novels, are of traits that would be considered virtues in a male protagonist. That is another strength of Spencer in this book. He is describing a world which was very much male, given the warrior ethos of the ruling classes. However, even in that world some women managed to carve out a space for themselves. In addition to Matilda there is Stephen’s Queen, Mathilde of Boulogne, who keeps his cause alive even when he is captured at Lincoln and imprisoned in Bristol. There is also, right at the beginning of the story, Emma of Normandy, daughter of the Duke, who is married to Ethelred, king of England, and then, after the death of Ethelred and his heir Edmund Ironside, to Canute, the Danish conqueror. Both of her sons by Canute become king of England. Emma is a fascinating character who influences English History for two generations. Royal women may have been deployed as pawns in the strategic chess game, but the strong-minded ones, like Emma and Matilda, often wrote their own rules.

 As a keen amateur historian I was aware of many of the events in this book, but it made me realise there was much more to learn. For instance, I had always thought that Robert, as Duke William’s eldest son, had inherited Normandy through seniority and was content with that. The White Ship made me realise it wasn’t as simple. The strife with his brothers may have influenced Henry to be happy with having a single male heir, which turned out not be good for England after the death of William Atheling. The competition between Robert, William Rufus and Henry also foreshadowed that between the children of Matilda’s son Henry, who eventually ruled as Henry II of England. Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland would be another set of battling brothers, but that is another story………..

 

 

Atlas of the Invisible- a review

 

This book has a bold claim on it's front; 'maps and graphics that will change how you see the world', so is it justified? The authors had already already published similar books. One, 'Where the animals go', used data from tracking animals and birds to visualise migration patterns, population densities and so on, This builds on that premise to look at how societies function by mapping connectivity, commuting patterns and population movements. But it goes into more problematical areas too, straying into politics and not shying away from more controversial subjects such as lynchings in American states and the passage of slaves from Africa to the Americas, as well as misogyny and gender inequality.

Through it all they illustrate the essential truth of the dictum that a picture paints a thousand words. We all know about the idea of gerrymandering; re-drawing the boundaries of districts to favour one party against another. But seeing the outlines of districts that are stretched out and twisted to achieve the desired result makes it more real somehow. 

Later chapters of the book deal with global warming, another subject that is brought to life through imagery far more effectively than by tables of statistics. The map of Majuro in the Marshall Islands shows just how much of it is at risk of being underwater, but the map is sufficiently Zoomed in to show not just which residential districts but which Government buildings will be inundated or cut off, bringing home just how real the threat is. 

Some of the most interesting maps show things at the opposite scale; the Global overview of mobile phone connections clearly shows how much further down this route Western Europe, the Eastern United States, Korea and Japan are compared to China and India, whilst the isolation of North Korea shows up starkly in the almost total absence of phone towers in that country. The map of China that shows population movement from the countrside to cities is another great example of an overview that illustrates a truth, with the blue showing areas of population drop and the red showing where they have moved to. 

If you are some-one who thinks that all this data mapping is a two-edged sword will be disturbed by the use of mobile phone data to show how people moved from Puerto Rico to the United States after Hurricane Maria struck the island; where they went to and in what numbers, as well as when they began to return. This, however, is the world we live in now. I am one of those who was instinctively opposed to too much connectivity; but being unable to change it I now seek to understand it.

So, back to that claim on the cover. I think it stands up; the various spreads make you think about subjects as mundane as commuting and as controversial as slavery with fresh eyes, as well as exciting thought about what it all means for our lives. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks about our world and about human society and endeavour and seeks understanding. You need to be prepared to have your conceptions and ideas challenged, and it should awaken a desire to explore further. 

Graphic showing popularity of names across the globe