Dan Jackson is a historian from North East England whose books examine regional identity, politics, and Newcastle United. Born in North Shields and brought up in Northumberland, he attended Astley High School in Seaton Delaval and studied at the universities of Northumbria and Liverpool. He holds a doctorate in history from Northumbria. His writing places local experiences within wider accounts of British social and political change.
His 2026 sports book, Howay the Lads!: A People’s History of Newcastle United, approaches the club through the people and communities surrounding it. The book follows his regional history The Northumbrians: North East England and Its People, A New History, published in 2019. Together, these works explore how a region’s institutions, shared memories, and public loyalties developed over time, with soccer providing a particularly visible expression of belonging.
Dan Jackson Books
| Book | Year | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Howay the lads! | 2026 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
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Jackson’s work extends beyond academic publishing. His articles have appeared in the New Statesman, History Today, and UnHerd. His public history appearances include the BBC television series Who Do You Think You Are?, Radio 4’s Start the Week, and The Rest Is History podcast. These contributions bring historical research to audiences through broadcasting, interviews, and general-interest writing as well as books.
His professional career has also included local public services and work as a director in the North East regional NHS. Schools North East’s speaker biography records an eighteen-year public-service career before that NHS role, along with his appointment as a trustee and vice-chair of Beamish Museum. Those positions sit alongside his writing rather than replacing it: his published work and public talks have continued to address the history of the region.
A Northumbria University lecture presented his research as an investigation of long-term patterns in North East culture. His interests include the relationship between collective identity and the experiences of ordinary residents. He was also a founding member of the Northumbria World War One Commemoration Project. His earlier academic book, Popular Opposition to Irish Home Rule in Edwardian Britain, examined political mobilization in another period of British history. His regional history considers the historical experiences of people living between the Tees and the Scottish border, tracing identity across generations and political changes.
Soccer Books
Howay the Lads!: A People’s History of Newcastle United: Jackson traces Newcastle United from its Victorian origins through the changing communities that supported the club. The history connects shipyards, mining districts, and matchday crowds with championship teams, famous players, and recurring hopes of success at Wembley. Colin Veitch, Jackie Milburn, and Alan Shearer feature alongside supporters and decision-makers, while the modern ownership era raises further questions about identity and belonging. Published in 2026.
The book’s historical range includes Edwardian success, later disappointments, and the relationship between the club and the city that surrounds it. Jackson considers rivalry in the North East as well as loyalty within Newcastle itself. The Saudi-led takeover forms part of the later story, bringing the club’s local significance into contact with the international ownership and commercial structures of contemporary soccer. Its account therefore follows changes in the institution and in the public meaning attached to supporting it.