For centuries this midlands county, just south of the north, has been producing writers of world-altering literature in its many forms. Follow the Moon and Stars is a guide to lost, little-known and well-loved locations of Nottinghamshire’s remarkable literary heritage.

From the Arboretum to the Zara building, and spanning the entire county, this illustrated book tracks down the writers, past and present, the quirky and the quintessential, through the places they lived, worked, wrote about and were inspired by. Amongst the pubs, churches, grand houses and theatres are more unlikely destinations to have influenced the authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, booksellers, printers, publishers and historians that have helped make Nottingham a UNESCO City of Literature.

Featuring banned books and bestsellers, with subjects as varied as religious freedom and the theory of evolution, you’ll find that Nottinghamshire is a place where, for most of its rebels, the pen is mightier than the arrow.

Published in association with Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature

John Baird is Notts born and bred and is in no rush to leave. He works as a tutor for Inspire and lectures on nonverbal communication. A novelist, he has written for anthologies, magazines and the radio. He also writes for Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature and In his spare time he edits CrimeThrillerHound and the blog NottsLit.