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…
By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Review by Sylvia Ann Minns Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall began the River Cottage concept in Dorset in1998 and has since extended the idea with the addition of other successful centres. These centres still have the same values – less dependence on the outside world, food integrity and the consumption of local,…
By Sarah-Jane Forder Roving Press A book full of children’s favourite places in Dorset has been compiled by Sarah-Jane Forder. She says, “Having a young daughter myself, I know how hard it is to inspire them with a walk or visit to ‘some boring grown-up place.’ But just let them choose somewhere out of Kids’…
By Ian Thorp Archive Publishing 2011 Illustrations by Ian Thorp Review by Sylvia Minns Using the device of a time-traveller named ‘The Captain’, whose vessel resembles an 18th century sailing ship rather like HMS Victory, the author seeks to reveal how our planet has been observed and understood by human beings since they first appeared…
By Roger Lane Published by Frances Lincoln Limited The Gardens of Dorset is a portrait of thirty-seven of the best gardens in Dorset. There are delights and surprises aplenty, including a Roman temple in the suburbs of Bournemouth; a folly nestled within the fern garden of an ancestral manor; a classic cottage garden festooned with…
By Natasha Solomons Published by Sceptre Inspired by the author’s grandfather and an actual advice leaflet that was handed out to Jewish German refugees, ‘Mr Rosenblum’s List’ is an endearing book. Jack Rosenblum flees Berlin with his wife Sadie to arrive in England in 1937. Fifteen years later, Sadie is still dreaming about home but…
