Buy in your Royal Mail postage STAMPS before April 2nd


68950 A BOOK OF BRITAIN: The Lore, Landscape and Heritage of a Treasured Countryside by Johnny Scott with


photography by Christian Barnett Bound in tan leather, tweed patterned cloth and gold tooled, here is a collectable landmark tome. Divided into seasons and chapters that include farming and the landscape, woodland, weather and folklore, wildlife, wild harvest, crafts and country sports, the book starts with the amazing events at the birth of the author, now Sir Johnny Scott, in the Kent and Sussex Weald, when his father carried the midwife on his back through the snowdrifts of a great storm. From then on, there is never a dull moment as anecdote succeeds story succeeds lyrical description.


Interwoven with the


commemoration of our way of life are unexpected lively digressions such as how saints’ days prophesy the weather and how aphorisms predict what will happen during a certain month. For instance: ‘If Janiveer’s calends be summerly gay, Twill be winterly weather to the calends of May’. We loved the explanation of bat detectors which apparently are ‘to the chiroptologist (as we bat aficionados are known) what binoculars are to the bird watcher’, and the many other delightful excursions into the highways and byways of our culture. Here is a history of working with leather, including the news that, in the original story of Cinderella, the slipper was made of red squirrel skin, and there is an explanation of the craft of constructing dry stone walls - none of it dry and boring, or of falconry, breeding, hunters, sporting days by the river, wonderful wool, to riotous dining, all told with an energy and enthusiasm that instantly transfers itself to the reader. We were ignorant of the lovely collective nouns for a sounder of swine, a piteousness of doves, a paddling of ducks and a glint of goldfish, and we bet you were too! Our favourite is a melody of harpists. Altogether a book to be treasured forever, a vast work of nearly 600 large format pages very lavishly provided with hundreds of breathtakingly lovely colour countryside plates, woodcuts and line drawings, with list of relevant associations and silk bookmark. £50 NOW £22.50


67071 LONDON FRAGMENTS: A Literary


Expedition by Rudiger Gorner Ten walks through the capital take the reader in the steps of literary giants who have found themselves unable to shake off the capital’s embrace. Modern writers who have immortalised London include T.S. Eliot, who first visited the “unreal city” in 1914. Southwark has associations with Lancelot Andrewes and Shakespeare, while Bloomsbury, home to pigs and vines in the 11th century, is now associated with Virginia Woolf , Maynard Keynes, Ottoline Morrell and other literary luminaries. Westminster, Chelsea, Hampstead, the City - all have their secrets to reveal. 254pp. £12.99 NOW £2


67296 HIDDEN TREASURES OF ENGLAND: A Guide to the Country’s Best-Kept Secrets by Michael McNay


We are all familiar with Stonehenge, York Minster and the Tower of London, yet how many of us have seen the non-completed church of St Michael at Burrow Mump in Somerset? Or perhaps visited the Percy Cross in Otterburn, Northumberland, site of the Battle of Chevy Chase? Here Michael McNay pays tribute to England’s less-celebrated gems, highlighting the astonishing masterpieces hidden away across the length and breadth of the country. Each is lovingly described and its history and importance explained, along with how it fits in with the art, architecture, culture and history of England. Divided geographically by region, with a separate chapter for London, there are some 500 entries. Colour photos, heavy quality paper, 546pp. £25 NOW £9


68597 WISH YOU WERE


HERE: England On Sea by Travis Elborough Here is a gloriously breezy and original social history covering everything from Agatha Christie to the Prince Regent via Billy Butlin and Brighton Rock. Elborough argues that our national character, our snobbishness, grouchiness and willingness to laugh at ourselves, our attitudes to sex and fair play and our chequered relationship with


national pride has been forged against a backdrop of stormy skies and pebbly beaches. 240pp in paperback with illus.


£8.99 NOW £3


67654 NORWICH: Archaeology of a Fine City by Brian Ayers


Originally published in 1994, this newly revised and updated edition presents an overview of the history and growth of the City of Norwich, beginning with its pre- urban days, examining the fundamental changes brought by the Normans, describing the thriving medieval commercial centre and continuing to post-medieval industrialisation, war-damage and post-war development. Norwich is renowned for its Norman castle, its cathedral and flint city walls, parts of which are still visible today. It is, and was, a fine city, the largest walled town in England during the Middle Ages, a rich provincial city, still with many well-preserved medieval buildings. 192 paperback pages with maps, plans, line drawings, b/w photos and colour plates. £16.99 NOW £7.50


67722 COTSWOLDS FROM THE AIR by David Goddard and John Mannion These beautiful photos are mostly taken in bright sunlight, accentuating the golden glow of the Cotswold stone and picking out the shapes of communities with strong light and shade. The white stucco of Cheltenham’s Georgian terraces gleams from the air, while Gloucester’s more haphazard town plan is dominated by the tower and high nave of the cathedral.


Cirencester nowadays has few signs of its Roman origins and looks like a typical Cotswolds wool town with the church’s Perpendicular spire proclaiming prosperity, as do those at Northleach, Chipping Campden, Winchcombe and Stow-on-the-Wold. Beautiful country houses take on an unexpected aspect when seen from the air, for instance Westonbirt and Highgrove, while Sezincote House, a rare British example of neo-Mughal architecture, is especially impressive with its copper-coloured minaret. Sumptuous photos on every page. 128pp. £20 NOW £7


67723 NORTH EAST ENGLAND LANDSCAPES by Graeme Peacock


North East England is regarded as a tough region where life is hard, but it is also one of the country’s most beautiful areas, with spectacular landscapes and a superb architectural heritage. Yeavering Hill Fort and Hadrian’s Wall are other ancient monuments set in spectacular countryside. Durham Cathedral is one of Europe’s great Romanesque buildings and has one of the most beautiful settings, together with the castle created by Durham’s Prince Bishops. The north east coast has many fortifications, none of them more picturesque than Bamburgh Castle, with its impressive keep keeping watch over a wide sandy beach and turbulent seas. Newcastle is a vibrant town with its numerous bridges, including the award-winning Millennium Bridge, while the Baltic Arts Centre in an old flour mill is a cultural focus for the whole of the north of England. 128pp, colour photos on every page. £20 NOW £7


67725 THE COTSWOLDS by Stephen Dory Home to many British celebrities, not to mention royalty, the Cotswolds offer unrivalled charm to the discerning visitor. Mellow Cotswold stone gives distinction to towns like Chipping Campden, whose high street is a textbook of different building styles: medieval cottages co-exist with grand houses in the classical style, the row of 17th century almshouses is still in use by Campden pensioners, while the old Silk Mill, now a museum, is where the Arts and Crafts designer C. R. Ashbee set up his workshop in 1902. Moreton-in-Marsh, Burford, Lechlade, Bourton-on-the Water and Stow-on-the-Wold are all worth a detour, while Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester and Stroud are major centres at the margins of the area. 96pp, colour photos on every page. £12.99 NOW £4.50


67728 DISCOVER TIMES PAST: LONDON by Jerome Monahan


London’s West End grew up to the west of the old Roman and medieval heart of the city, a healthier and more fashionable environment for the wealthy and those close to the royal centre of power at Westminster. Whitehall is now dominated by government offices, but it has a rich history including being the site of King Charles I’s execution in 1649. On foggy nights the number 15 London bus makes its way to Kew Green, a seven seater Armstrong-Siddeley limousine stands in front of Admiralty Arch, 1950. Industry, politics, social and sporting events and historic buildings have been carefully selected. Large softback. £6.99 NOW £3.50


67730 YORK: City Beautiful by Alistair and Jan Campbell


One of the most visited and popular of British cities, York has much to offer visitors of all kinds. Fabulous architecture, the Minster, innovative museums, historic remains, works of art, shops, pubs, bars, cafes, theatres and the River Ouse winding its languid way right through the middle of things, there truly is something for everyone. This superb collection of nearly 400 carefully selected colour photos of the very highest quality is all the invitation you need to visit in person, or by armchair. Each step reveals another facet of York’s exciting 2,000 year history, from the exquisite Minster and the medieval city walls, the ancient streets and award- winning visitor attractions. 255pp. £14.99 NOW £6


67834 DIALECT AND FOLK PHRASES OF THE COTSWOLDS by John Smyth, Richard Webster Huntley and G. F. Northall


The book brings together the work of three pioneer historians who took the trouble to record what they heard in the area of the Cotswolds. In chronological terms the first was Smyth of Nibley (1567-1641), steward to the Berkeleys (1589-1640). His manuscript is dated 1605 and he made amendments throughout his life, the last of which are dated 1639. The manuscript was published in 1885. The second was a scholarly work by Huntley (1793-1857), whose ‘Glossary of the Cotswold Dialect’ was published posthumously the year after his death. Not least is G. F. Northall’s ‘Folk Phrases of Four Counties’ (1894), which builds on Huntley’s work and reminds us that many familiar phrases such as ‘sticks and stones may break my bones’ had their root in this area. Fascinating for all verbophiles. 125pp in large softback, illus and pen and ink drawings.


£12.99 NOW £4.50 67840 DURHAM CATHEDRAL CITY FROM


OLD PHOTOGRAPHS by Michael Richardson A selection of glorious archive photographs from a huge collection focussing on the people of Durham City between the 1850s and 1960s. See a captured German Messerschmitt in Durham Market Place during War Weapons Week November 1940, the fleet of the YMCA during World War Two, the behatted crowd at Market Place during Peace Day 19th July 1919, Native American Indians in full war dress as part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show 1904, hay time on a race course 1895, horses, carts, delivery vans, school children practising for the May Day festival, road improvements, winter scenes, the annual Miner’s Gala. 128 page large softback.


£12.99 NOW £5


67845 VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN NORTH RIDING by David Gerrard


Packed with country curiosities, old ways and customs, superstition, dancing in the kitchen, the characters of local manor houses to market places, miners, society humorists, the circus visiting Richmond, places where ‘moisture stood like peas on the walls’, beach watchers and birds’ egg collectors at Ravenscar, boiled boot shops, clogs from Gunnerside, Victorian women in long dresses with bonnets on the stepping stones at Hutton-le-Hole, sheepdogs fierce as wolves, not only in nostalgic sepia photographs which number nearly 100 but in a marvellous text. 124pp in large softback. £14.99 NOW £5


Bibliophile Books Unit 5 Datapoint, 6 South Crescent, London E16 4TL TEL: 020 74 74 24 74 LIVERPOOL


69606 LIVERPOOL 800: Character, Culture and History


edited by John Belchem The city of scallies and dodgy perms? This is also the hometown of George Melly, Rita Tushingham, Bill Sefton, Brian Jacques, Simon Rattle, Jeremiah Horracks, Annie Quigley, Robert Rankin and


hundreds of other names embossed on the beautifully designed jacket of this superb anniversary publication. A warts-and-all portrait, elegantly designed with 300 illustrations, many in colour of interiors, work and play, wartime, industry, maps, charts and tables, housing, ships, mercantile trade and the changing urban scene. BBC History Magazine’s book Liverpool 800 provides a long overdue reappraisal of Liverpool’s chequered history. In 2007, Liverpool celebrated its 800th anniversary and this book was published to coincide with the celebrations. From obscure medieval beginnings, Liverpool rose to become one of the world’s greatest sea ports, partly as a result of the infamous slave trade. By 1907 Liverpool was proclaimed the proud second city of empire, at the pinnacle of fame and fortune, as its rich cultural heritage attests. Thereafter, events took a sharp turn for the worse and Liverpool came to be stigmatised. After a brief Merseybeat florescence in the 1960s, the city enjoyed a renaissance in the early years of the 21st century and has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. There is even a song to Liverpool on page eight, but we won’t sing it now. 532 large heavy pages. £16.50 NOW £7


69260 ANFIELD VOICES by David Paul


“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you that it is much, much more important than that.” Bill Shankley’s oft-paraphrased quotation sums up succinctly the passion that supporters of Liverpool FC feel for their club. Founded in 1892 it is one of the oldest clubs in


the world and, just as there are millions of Liverpool supporters around the world, there is at least an equal number of tales told by those supporters, some happy, some funny, some bizarre and, regrettably, some tragic. The aim of this book is to attempt to convey the some of the fervour that Liverpool supporters feel for their club by means of these transcripts of taped interviews from fans both young and old. Find out about Shanks’ Japanese Rolls Royce, lobster in Lisbon, Fred Morris playing against Barnsley, Liverpool’s classic half-backs, famous managers, going to Wembley (with your sisters!) in 1950, games with Everton and the psychology of ’65. Down the years the club has reached the highest heights, winning every accolade in domestic and international club football, but has also hit some of the lowest depths of depression, with Hillsborough and Heysel still fresh in people’s minds well over two decades later. Over 200 tales with b/w photos, program covers, etc. 128pp softback. £12.99 NOW £6


69600 A GALLERY TO PLAY TO: The Story of the Mersey


Poets by Phil Bowen A warm, gossipy read which gives an unpretentious account of three good poets, by a poet writing about poets. In the summer of 1967, the then Poetry Editor at Penguin Books devoted one tenth of the highly prestigious Penguin Modern Poets series to three unknown and relatively unpublished young writers


from Liverpool. The book featured Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten and would have its own generic title, The Mersey Sound. It would be something of a leap in the dark that became a big break for the three writers. The print run, as large as 20,000, would guarantee status, and steady sales were expected over the next ten years. Within three months it had sold out and the rest, as they say, is history. This book is an intimate account of the lives and careers of the poets themselves and also a critical survey of an unashamed celebration. First published in 1999 and now updated, Phil Bowen pinpoints the enormous social and cultural changes that post-war Britain, and Liverpool in particular, has undergone. Packed with memories for locals and


68784 THIS LITTLE BRITAIN: How One Small


Country Built the Modern World by Harry Bingham


Our tiddly little island off the northwest coast of Europe has always punched way above its weight. Who invented all forms of transport except the car and the pogo stick? Whose literature is the most translated in the world? Who has won more Nobel prizes per capita than anyone else? Whose native tongue is the world’s standard? Who made the rule of law the “gold standard” for civilisation? An entertaining, argumentative and opinionated romp through our history, this is full of surprising facts and humour. 360pp with drawings and maps.


£12.99 NOW £5 67862 GETTING YESTERDAY RIGHT:


Interpreting the Heritage of Wales by J. Geraint Jenkins


The last 25 years have seen an unprecedented growth in the number of establishments concerned with presenting the economic, social and cultural history of Wales. Preserved industrial sites have proliferated. The author of this book argues that the heritage of Wales is being


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Great Britain 15


writers interested in the era. 198pp in paperback with photos, including a funny one entitled ‘A meeting of Beards’ - Adrian Henri with Allen Ginsberg in Holland Park, 1967. 198pp in paperback. £12.95 NOW £4


69607 LIVERPOOL ACCENTS: Seven Poets and


a City by Peter Robinson A rare opportunity for seven poets all with a biographical link to the city of Liverpool, of different ages and affiliations, to introduce their poetry. All have been influenced by the city’s history, culture and spirit and each presents a selection of their own poetry and an introductory prose piece focussing


on their lives and work in relation to Liverpool. The poets are Elaine Feinstin, Adrian Henri, Grevel Lindop, Jamie McKendrick, Deryn Reese-Jones, Peter Robinson and Matt Simpson. When Liverpool was just a village, the Tudor traveller John Lealand wrote about its chapel and its Irish trade. At the start of the 18th century, Daniel Defoe praised its ‘fineness’. Later visitors from Dickens to Hopkins described its architectural magnificence and human miseries. The list of those whose writing has been marked by Liverpool goes on through the ages. Here are several of the voices brought up beside the Mersey. 189pp in paperback. £9.95 NOW £3


69340 GREAT CHURCHES OF THE


NORTHWEST by Matthew Byrne St Helen Sefton, St John the Baptist Tuebrook, St Agnes Sefton Park and the Roman


Catholic cathedral of Christ the King Liverpool are just four of the 26 great churches chosen on the basis of architectural distinction in a series of captivating photographic portraits. The book covers churches from Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside and all have great beauty, quality of sculpture, carving or stained glass, historical interest or dramatic settings. They range from remote medieval chapels and grand Victorian houses, city centre landmarks in the cities of Manchester and Liverpool. In Middleton, Greater Manchester, its late medieval church is perched on top of a hill overlooking a landscape dotted with 19th century mills and factories that L. S. Lowry might have painted. From some of the small rustic churches of the Lake District are stunning panoramic views of the mountains. Norman architecture gave way to the very different Gothic style around 1200 and it is the architecture of the pointed arch, rib-vaulted stone roofs, flying buttresses, large windows and intricate stone tracery which are widely represented in this region, the best examples being in those parish churches that were formerly monastic-like Lanercost on pages 20-23 and Cartmel, pages 37-41. 126 large pages with map and


colour photos throughout. £14.99


NOW £6.50


68528 BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL by Helen Forrester


Now aged 17, Helen’s parents are as irresponsible as ever, wasting money while their children still lack adequate food and clothing. But for Helen, having won a small measure of independence, things are looking up. She has educated herself at night school and is now making friends in her first proper job and she meets a handsome seaman and falls in love for the first time. But the clouds of the Second World War are gathering and Helen experiences at first hand the horror of the Blitz and the terrible toll of the war exacted on ordinary people. 439pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £4.50


68530 TWOPENCE TO CROSS THE MERSEY by Helen Forrester


Twopence was the price of the ferry-boat between Liverpool and Birkenhead. A tiny sum, but an impassable barrier for the poor of Liverpool, desperate to escape the city’s grinding poverty. When Helen Forrester’s father went bankrupt in 1930, she and her six siblings were forced from their comfortable middle- class life into utter destitution in Depression Liverpool. The running of the household and the care of her younger siblings all fell to 12 year old Helen. In slum surroundings and with little food or support from her feckless parents, she was forced to rely on her own resources. 405pp in paperback.


£8.99 NOW £4.50


exploited and cheapened by the creation of tourist ‘experiences’ which trade on nostalgia. He calls for integrity and authenticity in the interpretation of Welsh heritage, emphasising the need for careful selection of sites and artefacts. 181 paperback pages with maps, an inventory of castles open to the public and a select inventory of museums and heritage sites in Wales. £17.99 NOW £5


68799 ANTIQUE MAPS PENZANCE: Sheet 95 published by David & Charles


From St Ives in the north, St Just to the west, Lands End, Porth Cruno to Penzance, engraved in the Tower of London by the Ordnance Map Office 1st January 1839, here is another large scale beautifully engraved map. Shows the lakes, hills, Trannock Downs, the raised beach at Merthen Point, the Runnel Stone out at sea, rocks and granite veins, Godolphin Hill, right up to Godrevy Island and Samphire Island to the north east. Apart from a small coastal strip covering Mount’s Bay and St. Michael’s Mount surveyed at 6" to one mile, the local typographical survey for the Penzance sheet was undertaken mainly in 1809 at a scale of 2" to one mile executed by the Royal Military Surveyors and


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