Neil Anderson (author)


Neil Anderson is a Sheffield-based author and journalist. He first came to prominence in the mid-1990s with the Dirty Stop Out's Guide to Sheffield, which was published at the height of the dance club explosion of the era. This tour around the highlights and lowlights of Sheffield at night attracted critical acclaim from titles including The Rough Guide to England, DJ Magazine and The Times.
His Take It to the Limit book about legendary venue The Limit, which ran on Sheffield's West Street from 1978 to 1991, became a best-seller in 2009. Launched by Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, the book's launch party was attended by members of the Human League, Pulp, Artery, Vice Versa and other bands who played early gigs at the venue.
Sheffield's Date With Hitler was published in 2010 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz. The book formed the basis of BBC1's Sheffield The Forgotten Blitz documentary and followed over a year of research and attempts to explain why the city's munitions works were largely missed by the Luftwaffe on 12 and 15 December 1940.
Also in 2010, Anderson wrote Signing on for the Devil which chronicled Sheffield's heavy metal music dominance in the 1980s.
His Dirty Stop Out's Guide to 1970s Sheffield became known countrywide as the book that reunited Chris and Ann Jackson and inspired them to get remarried after 26 years apart.
Anderson is a regular contributor to the international music magazine Vive Le Rock. He is working on projects including citywide plans to mark the 75th anniversary of the Sheffield Blitz and the Dirty Stop Out's Guide to Working Men's Clubs.
He also runs PR/publishing company Neil Anderson Media.

Background

Sheffield-born Anderson has been a music and entertainment writer/journalist since leaving Sheffield Hallam University in the mid-1990s.
He was a Sheffield Telegraph columnist for over a decade and has written for titles spanning The Independent to The Big Issue.
Anderson originally started out as a hairdresser but landed a job in Sheffield City Hall's publicity office whilst still at university and never looked back.
He was soon promoted to Sheffield City Council's press office and made a name for himself with campaigns to develop the city's Cultural Industries Quarter and getting magazines like The Face and Kerrang! to feature his council promotions. He left in 2000 to pursue his media career.

Books written by Neil Anderson