Category: Books

Being one of those people who loves going to Pilates classes but then can never remember what to do when I get home, I was delighted to read this book.

Who They Were; What They Did; How They Lived By Sue Newman Published by Amberley Publishing 2010 Review by Sylvia Minns The author, Sue Newman, has written other books on the history of the ancient town of Christchurch and its inhabitants and therefore has a good understanding of the past lives of those who lived…

By Jackie Edwards Published by Natula Publications 2010 Review by Sylvia Minns The town of Bournemouth, set on the cliffs of southern England amidst pine trees, was founded in 1810 and quickly became a popular seaside holiday town from early Victorian times. The importance of Bournemouth as a resort became evident when affluent gentry and…

Written by members of the Bournemouth Natural Science Society Published by Wessex Books  2009 Foreword by Chris Packham and a further mention from Dr Simon Cripps (Chief Executive Dorset Wildlife Trust) Edited by Ray Chapman Bsc (Hons) Sponsored by The Bournemouth Natural Science Society and Dorset Wildlife Trust Review by Sylvia Minns This book supersedes…

By Jessica Fellows Published by Collins 15 September 2011 Foreword by the series creator Julian Fellows Photography by Nick Briggs Review by Sylvia Minns The book is written by Jessica Fellows, an author and freelance journalist in her own right, with a foreword by Julian Fellows. Julian Fellows created Downton Abbey which is now hailed as…

By Steve Wallis Published by Amberley Publishers 2009 Review by Sylvia Minns The author Steve Wallis, currently a senior archaeologist with Dorset County Council,  has produced this  splendid full colour representation of the history and memories of life in and around Dorchester. There are around 200 colourful photographs with many taken from old postcards. These…

By John Christopher Published by Amberley Publishing in 2010 Review by Sylvia Minns This colourful paper back is a lovely up to date history of the town of Bournemouth. Bournemouth, a relatively young town, is just 200 years old and there is a good introduction of how the town progressed from just before Victorian times,…

By Jane Drake Published by Wessex Books originally in 1997 Reprinted in current format in 2010 Review by Sylvia Minns This colourful paper back, an updated version of an original 1997 edition, is a delightful potted biography of the life and works of the Dorset writer Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy is loved for his writings…

By Colin G Maggs Amberley Publishing ISBN 978-1-84868-352-5 The branch lines of Dorset, shared almost equally between the GWR and LSWR varied from lightly built, rural railways carrying a low volume of traffic, to the Swanage branch, which at times carried main line express locomotives. Fortunately this line has been preserved and can still be…

By Della Galton Accent Press Review by Sylvia Ann Minns Moving On: From Short Story to Novel is written in Della’s informative and easy to understand style that she also applied to her book ‘How to Write and Sell Short Stories’ published in 2009. Della is a successful and experienced author whether it be short…