This is a special collector’s edition of Test Signal hand-finished by designer Luke Bird. Each copy has had the production cover removed and has been hand bound with a new cover featuring a bespoke Test Signal stamp before being individually signed and numbered. Only 20 copies were made for pre-sale offers and now we have a handful left for general sale. 

This book has been hand-finished and so will contain imperfections. 

A ground-breaking anthology of the best contemporary northern writing from Dead Ink and Bloomsbury, showcasing the wealth of literary talent in the North of England.

‘Test Signal … is testament to the fact that there is no singular prescription of what it means to be a northern writer and no such thing as a definitive northern voice; instead it celebrates a community of writers, each telling a different story in their own words’ JESSICA ANDREWS

bridges over the Tyne / crumbling coastlines / influencers’ online worlds / asylum applications / packed train carriages / forgotten village social clubs / family in Nigeria / holidays in Greece / shining university campuses / ghosts in city cemeteries / jobs in London / teenage explorations / monstrous graffiti / suburban woodland

We are the North

With ground-breaking new authors, a thriving independent publishing scene and vibrant grass-roots networks, the North is driving a revolution in new literature. This anthology showcases the best of its talent, from every corner of the region and across all its vibrant genres. Some contributors are well-known established names, others are newcomers; all of them are part of the new northern writing scene.

This is Test Signal

Adam Farrer / Andrew Michael Hurley / Amy Stewart / Carmen Marcus / Crista Ermiya / Désirée Reynolds / Jane Claire Bradley / Jenna Isherwood / J. A. Mensah / Kit Fan / Lara Williams / Laura Bui / Matt Wesolowski / Melissa Wan / Naomi Booth / Rebecca Hill / Robert Williams / Sammy Wright / Sara Sherwood / Sharon Telfer / Tawseef Khan / Tricia Cresswell

‘There’s nothing too obviously Northern about these trenchant stories – in their content or form – beyond that stubborn refusal to blend in, to stay still, to be complacent’ TOM BENN