Local history Books
The Francis Frith Collection Margate
Book Synopsis
£13.50
Granta Books The Plot: A Biography of My Father's English Acre
Book SynopsisMadeleine Bunting is one of the most high-profile commentators in Britain. Her father was deeply conservative, with romantic, old-fashioned views about England. After his death, and wanting to understand him better, Bunting began to explore his passionate, lifelong attachment to a small plot of land in North Yorkshire. Delving deep into the rich history of this acre, she uncovers traces of its Neolithic inhabitants and of the Cistercian monks; she learns of the medieval battles and considers the changing face of agriculture and leisure. The result sheds a fascinating light on what a contested, layered place England is, and on what belonging to a place might mean to all of us. The Plot is an original, heartfelt and deeply political book.Trade ReviewAn intriguing and elegant chronicle of a wild and woolly patch of England ... Bunting is on finest form dealing with recent history, particularly when she exposes the modern "cultural myth of the rural idyll" and the very English idiocy of preserving this view while the environment dies. Her scholarship ultimately produces a persuasive argument for a more potent sense of place in rootless, mobile Britain * Sunday Times *Bunting's exploration of the relationships between place and people is wide-ranging, researched with great intelligence and richly supported by detail * Guardian *A startling, willed, one-off book ... What she sets out to do is to look at the acre of land "in the middle of nowhere", with scholarly zest, until it becomes no longer a nowhere but a somewhere, known and minutely understood. She is an exemplary guide ... Her greatest achievement is to work a single acre to produce a more general portrait of England ... Above all, she questions what belonging is and discovers that it is about "commitment rather than possession" * Observer *Madeleine Bunting's multidimensional chronicle is among the very best pieces of non-fiction to have been published in a long while about what it is like to be English -- Simon Schama * Financial Times *Madeleine Bunting writes angelically about a place that embraces so much history -- Nicolas Bagnall * Sunday Telegraph *Delightful and fascinating, it also includes a particularly excellent chapter on the many unexpected medieval uses of sheep * Metro *Well researched and beautifully written, Bunting's story builds, stone by stone, to offer a historical narrative about England, an environmental analysis of the effects of industrial agriculture, and a meditation on belonging -- Jo Littler * Guardian *Madeleine Bunting in her haunting and supple book The Plot offered what she called a biography of an English acre" ... Bunting sought to discover its significance in her family history and, inseparably, the cross-winds of English history that have shaped it * New Statesman *
£10.44
Amberley Publishing Paranormal Suffolk: True Ghost Stories
Book SynopsisA fabulous collection of ghost hauntings in Suffolk, from the infamous Black Dog of Bungay to the headless Anne Boleyn stalking visitors at Blickling Hall. The serene, low-lying countryside of Suffolk, with its scattered farms, water-meadows and extensive coastline, seems an unlikely area to be associated with ghosts and demons. Yet, a motley array are said to haunt the region. The most famous is the Black Dog, a spectral hound, which in the year 1577 terrorised and killed parishioners in the churches of Bungay and Blythburgh, and continues to exert a strong presence today. Other strange phenomena include phantom coaches, rattling through the countryside at night, drawn by spectral horses and driven by a headless coachman, and the freshwater mermaids who lure young children to their deaths in pools and rivers. Tobias Gill the black drummer haunts the crossroads near Blythburgh where he was hanged for the murder of a servant girl, and Mrs. Short, the 'Queen of Hell', can still raise the hairs on your neck if you wander in the region of Boulge Hall near Woodbridge. Famous characters such as Anne Boleyn, Earl Hugh Bigod, and St. Edmund add an additional lustre to folk tales of the area, and strange happenings occur in many of the churchyards, Suffolk having more churches per acre than almost any other county. This fascinating account of local 'sightings' deals with all the traditional historical legends as well as modern day sightings, and investigates their relevance and significance for the modern age.
£14.39
Whittles Publishing The Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs: The story
Book SynopsisThe Dunbars of Ackergill and Hempriggs emerged in the late 1600s as one of the largest landowners in Caithness. As such they played a major part in the history of the county, a role revealed in the family papers with their wide variety of documents, including personal letters and legal missives. Readers will learn about the Dunbars selling Caithness grain in the Lowlands, coping with the effects of the last Jacobite rising, handling disputes with their neighbours, arranging elections, dealing with debt - and that is just in the 18th century. During the Napoleonic wars the Dunbars recruited a fencible regiment called the Caithness Legion that saw action in Ireland. At the same time the British Fisheries Society acquired land from the family and began to develop Pulteneytown as a major herring fishing port. An agricultural revolution swept over the estates, leading to the enclosing of fields, disputes over common land, evictions and refurbishment of farms. In the mid-19th century, when the family home at Ackergill Tower was refashioned by the architect David Bryce, the Dunbars adopted the lifestyle of the Victorian country gentry as well as finding careers in the Empire. With family trees, photographs, maps and documents, the book presents an absorbing, intriguing and, at times, amusing account of the social and economic life of the Dunbars over more than three hundred years, using unique messages from the past, never before made public. A fascinating insight into life in northern Scotland during centuries of change.
£18.04
Brewin Books Teme Over Time
£15.95
Carnegie Publishing Ltd The Lancashire Witch Craze: Jennet Preston and
Book Synopsis'Jennet Preston lies heavy upon me', cried Thomas Lister on his deathbed. We are told that his corpse bled when she touched it...and Jennet was convicted of witchcraft. Was there really a satanic coven on Pendle side? Or was Jennet framed by Lister's son? And were the other 'witches' actually caught up in a much broader and more disturbing pattern of religious persecution? Jonathan Lumby presents a remarkable series of new insights. By placing the events in their wider European context, he explains far more satisfactorily than ever before exactly why these disturbing events occurred.Trade Review'... this book comes as a complete revelation ... Jonathan Lumby has done himself proud. This is a fascinating book, well written, and is above all a highly intriguing read.'
£9.99
Frith Book Company Ltd. Southport
Book Synopsis
£13.50
Halsgrove Dorset History in 101 Objects
Book Synopsis
£17.99
Carnegie Publishing Ltd Lost Farms of Brinscall Moors The Lives of
Book SynopsisA unique and engaging book about the farms and farming communities of Brinscall near Chorley, Lancashire, that were broken apart in the name of progress. It takes the reader back in time, on a journey into the forgotten lives of Lancashire's lost hill-farming communities.
£11.95
Snake River Press Ltd The Shaping of the Sussex Landscape
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Bristol Books CIC The Bristol Ideas Book of Walks
Book SynopsisFollow in the footsteps of the Romantic poets and Brunel. Learn about Bristol's council housing, commerce and public life. Discover the myths people tell about the city. Experience arts, music and nature. And see how the city might have looked if some projects had gone ahead. This book brings together a series of walks to help you explore the city.
£12.60
Fircone Books Ltd Walking the Old Ways of Radnorshire: The history
Book SynopsisThe History in the Landscape explored through 26 circular walks. The walks in this book have been chosen with the aim of exploring Radnorshire''s past, with each walk passing or visiting features about which some background information is given. The walks range from 3.5 to 10.5 miles in length, with the majority being between 4 and 7.5 miles.
£12.34
History Compass Mill Girls of Lowell
Book SynopsisThe pre-Civil War textile industry in Lowell, Massachusetts exemplified the American industrial revolution and heralded a nationwide shift from farm to factory. During this time, technological innovation, investment capital, entrepreneurship, new methods of industrial organization, and labor provided by mill girls propelled large-scale manufacturing in an important U.S. industry. Mill Girls of Lowell gives insight into the role of mill girls in the story of modernization and industrialization.
£7.21
Little, Brown Book Group Yorkshire
Book SynopsisIn Yorkshire: There and Back, Andrew Martin celebrates Britain''s most charismatic county, looking back at the Yorkshire of his 1970s childhood and as it is today.Journeying to every historic corner, Martin writes affectionally about its past, present and peculiarities. York is an evolving city of chocolate, trains, pubs and tourists. Scarborough should be viewed as the posh place it once was, with surprising secrets pertaining to Adolf Hitler and the sea. Leeds is seen as the ''hard'' town with its party goers and late-night provocateurs, but its indoor market never fails to offer a sense of quintessential Yorkshireness on a rainy Saturday afternoon, with milky tea served in beakers and the Leeds United result coming through by osmosis. And the Moors and Dales continue to boast beauty and danger alike.Effortlessly entertaining and wonderfully detailed, Yorkshire: There and Back is a memoir, guide, and all-round appreciation of ''God''s own countTrade ReviewThere is no one else who is writing like Andrew Martin today...unique and important * Guardian *Iconoclastic, entertaining and often devastatingly witty -- Barry Forshaw on Andrew Martin * Independent *He can stop you in your tracks with a well-turned phrase * Sunday Times *A genuinely funny writer...also a daring one * The Times *Very funny and touching... Martin is a journalist and novelist with splendid observational skills and a warm, comic touch, and he spots regional characteristics others have missed...Delightful and unexpected facts abound: who knew that the London Tube map was allegedly inspired by York's medieval street pattern? * Daily Mail *Martin guides up through the geography of "God's Own Country", but also writes amusingly about the blunt pithiness associated with a place that shows 'the merest glimmer of humour, like a small spark struck from a flint' * TLS *
£12.34
Wayne State University Press Spirography
Book Synopsis
£17.99
Amberley Publishing Cornwall in Photographs
Book SynopsisIn this book, photographer Gabriel Fuchs takes the reader on a journey around one of the most beautiful regions of the UK â Cornwall.Trade Review'Breathtaking photographs illustrating the emerald landscapes of Cornwall have been released just as the fourth series of hit period drama Poldark begins filming across the county.' -- Mail Online by Sadie Whitelocks"Spectacular scenes from around county" -- Cornish Times Article
£16.19
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the
Book SynopsisScotland is a land with a proud and centuries long history that far pre-dates its membership of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Today in the 21st century it is also a land that has done much to make its historical records accessible, to help those with Caledonian ancestry trace their roots back to earlier times and a world long past. In Tracing Scottish Family History on the Internet, Chris Paton expertly guides the family historian through the many Scottish records offerings available, but also cautions the reader that not every record is online, providing detailed advice on how to use web based finding aids to locate further material across the country and beyond. He also examines social networking and the many DNA platforms that are currently further revolutionising online Scottish research. From the Scottish Government websites offering access to our most important national records, to the holdings of local archives, libraries, family history societies, and online vendors, Chris Paton takes the reader across Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands, through the Central Belt and the Lowlands, and across the diaspora, to explore the various flavours of Scottishness that have bound us together as a nation for so long.
£13.49
Birlinn General Night Falls on Ardnamurchan: The Twilight of a
Book SynopsisSince its first publication in 1984, Night Falls in Ardnamurchan has become a classic account of the life and death of a Highland community. The author weaves his own humorous and perceptive account of crofting with extracts from his father's journal - a terse, factual and down to earth vision of the day-to-day tasks of crofting life. It is an unusual and memorable story that also illuminates the shifting, often tortuous relationships between children and their parents. Alasdair Maclean reveals his own struggle to come to terms with his background and the isolated community he left so often and to which he returned again and again. In this isolated community is seen a microcosm of something central to Scottish identity - the need to escape against the tug of home.Trade Review'Funny, moving, and full of intriguing factual knowledge' * Scots Magazine *
£9.99
Amberley Publishing Dorset in Pictures
Book SynopsisA stunning collection of images from photographer Matthew Pinner revealing the beauty of Dorset in all its many faces.
£16.19
HarperCollins Publishers Whisky
Book SynopsisThe perfect stocking filler for lovers of Whisky. An excellent introduction to the world of Scotch whiskies. It includes the major Scotch whiskies and the distilleries that produce them.
£6.99
HarperCollins Publishers The Official History of Britain
Book SynopsisA wonderfully written and entertaining book which places Britain under the microscope and asks who we are today and how we've changed as a nation.Entertaining and absorbing' The Sunday Times In 1841 there were 734 female midwives working in Britain, along with 9 artificial eye makers, 20 peg makers, 6 stamp makers and 1 bee dealer. Fast forward nearly two centuries and there are 51,000 midwives working in the UK and not an eye maker in sight! For the past two centuries, the National Census has been monitoring the behaviour of the British: our work-lives, homes lives and strange cultural habits. With questions on occupation, housing, religion, travel and family, the Census is a snapshot of a country at any given epoch, and its findings have informed the economy, politics and every other national matter for decades that followed.Now, for the first time ever, the Census findings of the past two centuries are collected in to a wonderfully written and entertaining book which places BritainTrade Review'This book feels like an early stocking filler. It is entertaining and absorbing… the statistical detail can be illuminating.’ The Sunday Times ‘A statistical history of Britain fit for the census year…short, readable and rigorous.’ The Financial Times
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Quartz and Feldspar
Book SynopsisGranite, a tough composite of quartz, feldspar and mica, is the stuff of Dartmoor, the most formidable of the five granite bosses punctuating Britain's southwest peninsula. A miserable place of rain and bog or a sunny upland of exquisite natural beauty, here the elements are raw, the sky huge and nature seems ascendant.But it is no less a place made by human beings. Stone circles, crosses, dwellings and boundaries speak of the ancient, medieval and modern people that extracted a living from the moorscape and created what it is today. Where convicts are incarcerated, backpackers roam freely; where commoners graze livestock, the army is trained; where the National Park Authority exercises control, the Duchy of Cornwall claims ownership. And Dartmoor remains a place that provides. Reservoirs hold the water drunk by local people. China clay is extracted from its mineral reserves. Not long ago granite was quarried from its hillsides. What is modern Dartmoor and what shoulTrade ReviewKelly’s fine book, with its rigorous deconstructionist approach, acts as a better guide to the moor than any hikers’ map. -- Philip Marsden * Spectator *Will give you plenty to think about...covers subjects including biodiversity and social history, [and] conveys this mysterious moorscape's story from ancient rights to rewilding. -- Max Liu * Independent *Impressively researched, and passionate… A valuable, heartfelt, well-written work. -- Joanna Briscoe * Guardian *Elegantly written, shrewdly observed, and a perfect read for those “staycationing” [at Devon and Cornwall] in particular. -- Neil Gregor * Times Higher Education *An imaginative cultural history, exploring with élan geological, literary and historical associations. -- Roy Foster * Times Literary Supplement *
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd On Brick Lane
Book SynopsisBrick Lane today is a place of extremes a street that''s constantly reinventing itself. Blending history and reportage with personal testimony and urban myths, and interspersing these with maps and photography, On Brick Lane is a one-of-a-kind chronicle of one of London''s most remarkable streets.Bringing to life the memories and realities of Brick Lane''s many communities, Rachel Lichtenstein harnesses the voices of the famous, the infamous and the obscure, merging memoir, reportage, poetry, photography and local history. The result is as vibrant and fascinating as the neighbourhood it so movingly celebrates.Trade ReviewA collage of beady-eyed topographical study, family history and oral testimony… an intriguing, vivid memorial * Seven/ Telegraph *…a comprehensive, deeply researched portrait of the street… affectionate, absorbing * New Statesman *…a comprehensive, deeply researched portrait of the street… affectionate, absorbing * New Statesman *
£10.44
The History Press Ltd Nuneaton Memories From the Reg Bull Collection
Book SynopsisNUNEATON MEMORIES is sure to fascinate anyone who has grown up or lived in Nuneaton over the past fifty years. It shows the enormous changes that have taken place in the town since the Second World War, as it adapted to the needs of increasing car ownership and changes in social and economic conditions. The photographs come from the huge collection taken by Reg Bull and deposited at the Warwickshire County Record Office after his death in 1999. Reg Bull came from a local family; in fact his grandfather founded the Nuneaton Chronicle in 1868. Reg worked for the Coal Board but from 1950 his passion was photography. He collected local pictures from other sources, and took thousands of his own. John Burton is well known for his books and slide shows. In this, his fifth book, he has selected over 230 pictures from the Reg Bull Collection, and arranged them to show the changing face of post-war Nuneaton. He provides a commentary and interpretation of the photographs to accompany the changes
£13.29
The History Press Ltd Kinver and Enville The Photographic Collection
Book SynopsisToday's village of Kinver first made an appearance in 736 AD as Cynibre. Despite being close to the Black Country and having a flourishing iron working industry from the seventeenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, the village avoided the spread of industry and housing. Even today much of the village lies within a conservation area and is surrounded by green belt land. The neighbouring village of Enville, its hall the seat of the former Earls of Stamford and Warrington, has also escaped the seemingly relentless spread of suburbia, and has retained its unspoilt individuality. Chapters cover canals and rivers, pubs, prominent properties, churches, the Kinver Light Railway and tourism. This attractive volume will evoke nostalgic memories for many people, and will give pleasure to residents and visitors alike.
£16.14
The History Press Ltd Curious Edinburgh
Book SynopsisThis fully illustrated book explores the treasures of Scotland''s capital city and unlocks the meaning of landmarks that have become familiar. It tells the reader how to find and understand the citys nooks and crannies, and includes information on the location of and access to all the sites covered.
£16.19
The History Press Ltd Around Oswestry
Book SynopsisOswestry is an ancient market town, just to the west of Shrewsbury and close to the Welsh border. Not much has happened here since the Battle of Maserfield in 642, which is perhaps why the town is so popular among discerning tourists and those in search of a quiet life. For his new book, David Trumper has teamed up with Ray Farlow, Shropshire postcard collector extraordinaire, for a feast of photographs that illustrate bygone days in Oswestry and the surrounding villages. Featured here are numerous scenic images of Oswestry''s centre, its streets and buildings, photographs of locals at work and play, pubs, people and the stunning countryside around and about. It is sure to appeal to all those who know and love the town.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Winchester Curiosities
Book SynopsisWinchester, ancient capital of Wessex, is a crucial part of Britain''s heritage. In his latest book, David Hilliam condenses the city''s long and fascinating history into a collection of memorable ''curiosities'' that are still to be seen today. Visitors - and even residents - frequently walk by some of these age-old fragments of the past without fully realising just what they are, or how they relate to Winchester''s memorable past. For more than two thousand years Winchester has been one of the most important cities in Britain: important for William the Conqueror, who built his first castle here; for the Saxons, who buried their kings here; for the Romans, who first laid out its streets - still used by twenty-first century traffic; and for the Celtic tribe the Belgae, who traded in Winchester and thus provided its ancient name - Venta Belgarum - ''market-place of the Belgae.'' Winchester Curiosities is an intriguing collection of historical facts and legen
£999.99
The History Press Ltd The AZ of Curious Suffolk
Book SynopsisThis book romps through the rolling countryside and along the shingled coastline of Suffolk, unearthing the curious along the way. The A-Z of Curious Suffolk is a book to dip into, unless of course you can’t wait to turn the page and read more!
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Stokes Croft and Montpelier
Book SynopsisCandid street photography that catches the essence of life and culture in Stokes Croft and Montpelier
£16.20
The History Press Ltd Londons Labyrinth
Book SynopsisA new, paperback edition of Fiona Rule's fascinating history of the city beneath London's streets
£10.44
The History Press Ltd The AZ of Curious Wales
Book SynopsisStrange stories of Welsh mysteries, crimes, characters, achievers, inventors, folklore and legends
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Archaeology and Early History of Angus
Book SynopsisA unique overview of a part of Lowland Scotland, with its own, very different, archaeological record.
£17.09
The History Press Ltd Haunted Middlesbrough
Book SynopsisThis creepy collection of true-life tales takes the reader on a tour through the streets, cemeteries, alehouses and attics of Middlesbrough and surrounding towns including Redcar, Guisborough, Yarm and Great Ayton. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, it unearths a chilling range of supernatural phenomena, from poltergeists in Stockton Town Hall and ghostly gardeners at Albert Park to Victorian spirits in Linthorpe Road. Illustrated with more than fifty archive photographs, this book will delight anyone with an interest in the paranormal history of the area.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Brierley Hill Brockmoor Bromley and Pensnett
Book SynopsisBrierley Hill is one of the heavily industrialised towns that make up the region known as the Black Country. Like many such towns it can easily be divided into many smaller communities that, while being part of Brierley Hill, have quite an independent existence and identity of their own. This book sets out on a journey across Brierley Hill that begins at the parish church and ends at one of the principal crossroads in the town centre, and then we make our way around the satellite communities of Brockmoor, Bromley and Pensnett. We find ourselves in a world that was dominated by many local pits where coal and fireclay were extracted, much of this coal being used in the manufacture of iron. When steel came along, Brierley Hill became the home to a large and important steelworks at Round Oak. Other companies came into the area to manufacture products using steel and some became very large local employers and integral parts of the community. Large scale industry and mining may have gone but
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Voices of LeighonSea
Book SynopsisThis book comprises the memories of more than fifty people who lived and worked in Leigh between 1914 and 1960. They have personally witnessed its transformation from a small fishing village into a bustling commuter town. However, here is the evidence that these now respectable ladies and gentlemen were, in fact, the children who roller skated down Church Hill, rode runaway donkeys, fell into Prittle Brook and flooded the headmistress's study. They are also the people who were wage earners at fourteen and air-raid wardens at twenty. They went to war for their country, answered the call for help at Dunkirk, and supported soldiers before D-Day. Individually, these stories are interesting; together they create a fascinating picture of a Leigh that has long gone.
£11.69
The History Press Ltd The Rossendale Coalfield
Book SynopsisCoal mining is the second oldest industry in Britain after agriculture. These small, private coal mines were often worked on a shoestring budget, and the miners themselves toiled in extreme conditions using methods of mining hundreds of years old.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Lincoln
Book SynopsisBuilt by the Romans, looted by the Danes and conquered by King William I (who devastated the town to build a castle and a cathedral), the city of Lincoln has had a long and most dreadful history. Containing medieval child murder, vile sieges of (and escapes from) the castle, the savage repression of the Lincolnshire rising by King Henry VIII (who had the ringleaders hanged, drawn and quartered) and plagues, lepers, prisons, riots, typhoid, tanks and terrible hangings by the ton, you'll never see the city in the same way again.
£13.49
Halsgrove The Book of Happisburgh
Book Synopsis
£22.49
PiXZ Books Spirit of Highland Cattle
Book Synopsis
£6.78
Alan Godfrey Maps South Shields 1895 Tyneside Sheet 9 Old Ordnance
Book Synopsis
£6.11
Willow Publishing,Timperley Underground Manchester Secrets of the City
Book Synopsis
£16.10
Willow Publishing,Timperley Below Manchester Going Deeper Under the City
Book Synopsis
£17.05
Atmosphere Publishing A Little Book of Big Cornish Achievements
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Mark Davison More Memories of Old Chessington
Book Synopsis
£11.97
Christopher Goddard The Sowerby Bridge Industrial Heritage Walk
Book Synopsis
£7.49
Christopher Goddard The Calder Woodland Way
Book Synopsis
£7.49
Amberley Publishing 50 Gems of Guernsey
Book SynopsisAn illustrated collection of 50 favourite and lesser-known locations reflecting Guernseyâs history, culture and scenic splendour.
£14.39
