Madeleine Bunting talks about her new book The Seaside at Scarborough's Books by the Beach

The Seaside is Madeleine Bunting's exploration of England’s great seaside resorts

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside ... with Madeleine Bunting, who will be talking about her new book – The Seaside – England’s Love Affair at Scarborough’s literature festival next month.

Books by the Beach will be held at Queen Street Methodist Church Hall and the YMCA Theatre on Saturday June 10 and Sunday June 11.

The Seaside is Madeleine’s exploration of England’s great seaside resorts – a written journey to understand their origins and their heyday, their ongoing influence and their current economic struggle and failure to attract the crowds.

The first chapter of the book is on Scarborough and moves on to Skegness, Brighton, Bognor, Weston-Super-Mare, Folkstone, Margate, Morecambe and Blackpool.

Within the book she sets out to understand our resorts of pleasure, entertainment and adventure.

At her festival event she will recount how she journeyed clockwise around England from Scarborough to Blackpool to understand the enduring appeal of seaside towns and discover what has happened to the golden sands and cold seas of childhood memory.

Developed in the early 18th century as spas for medicinal bathing – on the cliffs and pebbled shores – England’s great holidays resorts grew up.

They soon morphed into places of pleasure and entertainment. Once thriving places of adventure, many are now struggling with deep deprivation and ill health.

Taking in 40 resorts, staying in hotels, caravans and holiday camps, she swims from their beaches and talks to their residents to discover their memories and how things have changed.

Madeleine is the author of several works of non-fiction, including Labours of Love: The Crisis of Care, which was shortlisted for the Orwell Price.

She has also written two novels: Island Song and Ceremony of Innocence.

She will be appearing at Books by the Beach on Saturday June 10 at 5pm.

The full programme runs:

All events at Queen Street Methodist Central Hall.

Friday June 9 – bonus event.

7pm: BBC art historian James Fox. He will be talking about his new book, The World According to Colour.

Saturday June 10

10.30am: Luke Jennings – author of Killing Eve discusses his latest novel.

1pm: Catherine Curzon – The World of Bridgerton.

3pm: Rachel Joyce – author of Harold Fry trilogy – discusses the third in her series.

5pm: Madeleine Bunting – a journey round England’s seaside resorts, beginning at Scarborough.

7.30pm: Alan Johnson – former Home Secretary – discusses his latest novel.

Sunday June 11