Fred was not a historian, he was just a everyday Cambridge man who had a great knowledge of living and growing up in the city and turned this knowledge of his life and the people he met into 20 wonderful books.
Fred self-published all his books and from 1976 to 1998 and went door-to-door selling them to the public.
On the 6th November 2008 I got to meet with the man behind the books. It was a dream come true because he was one of the people who inspired me to share the history of Cambridge with the community, like he had done in his own way with his wonderful books.
A Little about Fred Unwin and his books
Born Fred Thomas Unwin on the 28th May 1915 in Cambridge, Fred has written twenty books, listed below.
Three of his books were best sellers at Heffers bookshop in Cambridge.
Fred has said his ideas for his books and poetry came from years of dealing with the public as a brush salesman, milkman and a psychiatric nurse; also, during World War II he was a 'desert rat' with the Eighth Army.
In total Fred Unwin has written 21 books, which are:
Pimbo (1976)
Dew on my Feet (1976)
What Pimbo Did Next (1977)
Pimbo and Jenny in Old Cambridge (1978)
Knock on Any Door with Pimbo and Jenny (1979)
From Cambridge - One and All! (1980)
In the Shadow of King's (1981)
Gentle Tales of Old Cambridge (1982)
Cambridge Tales of Mystery and Mirth (1983)
The Magic Book for Cats (1984)
Cambridge - As War Clouds Roll By (1985)
A Cambridge Childhood (1986)
Fame Cost (1987)
More Gentle Tales of Cambridge (1988)
Cambridge Barber Shop Tales (1989)
Flicks Through Cambridge (1990)
A Cambridge Childhood Revisited (1991)
Only the Lonely (1992)
Cambridge Crime Busters (1994)
Cambridge - the Good, the Bad and the Lovely (1998)
The Girl Who Came in From Outside ( 2003)
Fred's books are still read today by hundreds of people from all over the world and I have been sent some wonderful comments about them.
Fred sadly passed away on Thursday 18th December 2014.
