Liverpool is a cosmopolitan city populated by people and communities from all over the world. One of the least known components is the Greek community.

Greek people have created colonies and communities around Europe and the wider world since ancient times. This book describes two hundred years’ history of the Greek community in Liverpool, a story that has not previously been told.

The community was originally developed by merchants fleeing appalling persecution and massacres on one island, Chios. These people built incredibly successful trading companies in Liverpool. Over time, they were joined by other Greeks.

Since World War Two, the community has been based mainly on Cypriots, who came to run fish and chip shops and then went on to many other enterprises.

This book features people such as Constantine Cavafy, perhaps the most famous Greek poet since Homer. It tells the stories of people who went on to have great influence in high politics, in introducing Buddhism to the UK, in cracking the Enigma code, and in science, the arts and business.

This book will appeal to anyone interested in Liverpool local history, maritime and commercial history, Greek history, Cypriot history, and the history of ethnic and minority communities in the UK.