Once the second city of empire - now descended into seemingly irreversible economic and demographic decline - Liverpool defies historical categorization. These essays in cultural history reconstruct the city's past through changes in image, identity and representation. Among the topics considered are: Liverpool's problematic projection of itself through history and heritage; the belated emergence of scouse - an accent now exceedingly rare as a cultural badge and signifier; the origins and dominance of Toryism in popular political culture; Merseyside militancy; and an investigation of the crucial sites - the Irish pub and the Catholic parish where the Liverpool-Irish community was constructed. The final section offers comparative methodological and theoretical perspectives embracing North America, Australia, and other European second cities.