THESE latter two also presented sensitive issues. "In Cosmopolitan, we were trying to cover so much from all the Celtic elements - the Irish, Scots, the Welsh and Manx - never mind all the European and Afro-Caribbean elements, so we tried to find as many imaginative and different ways to be as inclusive as possible," explained Prof Belchem, whose next book will be the history of Irish Liverpool, due out next year. With the Change and Challenge chapter, he thought it important to include author Jon Murden, who was a great expert on the city - though he was not a Liverpudlian. "That chapter takes us on a huge rollercoaster ride covering some very controversial topics such as Toxteth in 1981 and the reign of Militant. "Jon was great for this because he is not a Liverpudlian. He's someone who would not have been too involved and therefore can't be accused of being too partisan. "Of course, there will always be those who will say 'well, you said that about such-and-such an incident, but my auntie was there and she's told me that's not how it was!'" Another issue requiring meticulous work was the widespread use of images and sorting out copyright problems. The University of Liverpool and the city council, which jointly funded the book project, proved to be especially helpful in sorting these out, especially the latter's records office. "It meant we got access to sites not normally open to other people. They must take great credit for that. "For instance, one of the distinctions about the book is that it will contain illustrations that people will never have seen before. There aren't, for instance, any classic pictures of the Liver Building, because people have already seen all that done a million times before." What he hopes is that it will be a comprehensive reflection on one of the great individual cities of the world. "The main thing I really like is that it IS a city but it's NOT provincial and it's NOT English. It's not boring and it's not bland." He also hopes that the book's appeal will be universal. "I think we've struck the balance right. We were trying to produce a book which tried to please every kind of audience. "I wanted my academic peers to ask what is the best piece of research about Liverpool history - and they walk away reading Liverpool 800. "We also wanted to appeal to the general reader, which is why we've tried to write it in the most accessible style possible. "But we also wanted to appeal to the people who previously had never been interested in the history of the city. They don't have to read it from cover to cover. Some people might just want to look at the pictures - and the captions in themselves produce quite a good story." Most important of all, he hopes that the book does justice to the city - and its historical significance. "We used a narrative framework that looks at Liverpool as a kind of history of human geography," said Prof Belchem. "Physically, Liverpool once was an isolated place, not very healthily located. "But then, suddenly, it was realised that you could do things to transform that geography. "That you could build all these amazing canals and roads, and God knows what else. "That you could control oceans and then you could build the most incredible docks system - as solid and enduring as the pyramids. That you could control those high, wonderful tidal ranges, so that human intervention transformed the rather unfortunate geography and made this place, what was briefly, I suppose, the centre of the universe. "That is why," he concluded, almost triumphantly, "this book is so important." mikechapple@dailypost.co.uk | 
