Pennine Perspectives is a collection of essays about the township of Midgley, near Halifax. They will interest all those concerned with local history as well as those living in the area. They have a wider interest too. Bearing upon themes well beyond the township boundary, they illuminate not only the history of the Calder valley but also important aspects of the history of Northern England. The book is the result of a research project funded by the Local Heritage Initiative and the essays have been researched and contributed by twenty-five of the participants in the project.

Topics covered range from prehistory to reminiscences of shopping in mid-twentieth century Midgley. In between are chapters on settlement, farming, population changes, use of the commons and moors, folklore, religion, the Luddenden Valley Railway and of course various aspects of industry and the growth of the factory system. The book is illustrated throughout and contains a fold out map of the township made in 1834-5 by J.F. Myers