New year, new read
Above: 'Finding Me' by Deborah Trenchard
Above: 'Family History on the Net' by Colin Waters
Above: 'Hertford: A History' by Jacqueline Cooper
Above: 'Blood Sport: Hunting in Britain Since 1066' by Emma Griffin
Finding Me
Deborah Trenchard, originally from Barbados and now living in Hertfordshire, tells her story from living in New York in the 1970s to putting down roots in England and starting a family in the 1980s. But as Deborah points out, life is never simple or the fairytale dream of ‘happily ever after’. In this account of her life she recalls how she overcame the challenges and difficulties that life has thrown at her. These include caring for her disabled daughter, divorce, her own life threatening illness and consequent heart surgery, all of which she has used as opportunities to grow and find her own true identity. A heart-warming and inspiring personal history.
Finding Me
By Deborah Trenchard
Published by Author House
ISBN: 9781434342331
Priced £10.99
Available from Life Books
Family history on the net
The social historian Colin Waters has written this book, which will help trace your family’s history through the internet. He has compiled a huge list of websites that have been categorised so that you can not only trace your ancestors but also find out from other records what they did. For example, there are sites for passenger and crew lists, records of the East India Company, clan systems worldwide, census returns, and records for almost everything at the National Archives at Kew, and easily available on your computer. Even if you did not wish to trace any specific individual, many of the sites are interesting in their own right and give real insights into life as it was once lived.
Family History On The Net
By Colin Waters
Published By Countryside Books
ISBN: 9781846740626
Priced £6.99
Available from Life Books
Hertford: A History
The wonderful old buildings remaining in Hertford today reflect the town’s rich historical heritage documented as far back as AD673. The town grew beside the river Lea and was made a royal borough in 912, while the rich surrounding farmland supported its population. Many famous people are associated with the town such as Dr Thomas Dimsdale who successfully pioneered a vaccine against smallpox in 1767. Several acclaimed politicians also came from the area including Arthur Balfour the prime minister from 1902-1905 and later Shirley Williams and Eric Heffer, to name but a few. Jacqueline Cooper, the author has written this well researched account of Hertford that brings alive its fascinating past.
Hertford: A History
By Jacqueline Cooper
Published by Phillimore
ISBN: 9781860774690
Priced £15.99
Available from Life books
Blood Sport: Hunting In Britain Since 1066
Hunting has been a contentious issue since William the Conqueror made all wild animals property of the Crown in 1066. Since then hunting for sport has represented nobility, power and wealth, and was often a favourite with royalty.
Elizabeth I was renowned for her love of hunting deer, which she learnt while living at Hatfield House and she continued to hunt on horseback into her old age. The author, Emma Griffin, reminds us that the hunting debate has raged on for almost 1,000 years, although it was fox hunting that was hotly debated more recently in Parliament. Politicians spent more than 700 hours debating before the thrill of the chase was somewhat curtailed with the Hunting with Dogs Act finally being passed in 2004. The book presents the fascinating cultural history of hunting and a balanced view from both sides of the argument.
Blood Sport: Hunting in
Britain Since 1066
By Emma Griffin
Published By Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300116281
Priced £19.99
Available from Life Books
All listed titles are available from LIFE BOOKS.
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