THE past has come to life for a town with the publication of a book chronicling 100 years of its history.

Around Thirsk: A Second Selection tells the story of the town from the 1870s to the 1970s through old photographs.

The secretary of Thirsk Museum, Cooper Harding, spent a year compiling and researching the book, which features more than 200 pictures of the area.

The book is the sequel to an earlier work, also put together by Mr Harding, which was published eight years ago and is now on its third printing.

Many of the photographs have come from the museum's archives, and others have been loaned by private collectors and various societies.

It features the town, trade and commerce, the First and Second World Wars, family life, sport and other public events, as well as scenes of life in local villages.

Also featured are some unusual photographs taken from lantern slides that were found in the attic of the local vicarage, including one that records the inauguration of the clock in the market in 1896.

Technology has also been used to enhance some of the pictures, which have deteriorated over time.

The book has been issued by Sutton Publishing as part of its Britain in Old Photographs series and is available for £11.99 from White Rose Books and Hambleton Books, in Thirsk, as well as other bookshops in the area.