'Ancestral Trails' 

by Mark D Herber 1997  An invaluable companion
A comprehensive study of most of the sources available to people researching their family history in England. Examples from the authors' own research help to illustrate the information available and the use that can be made of it. There are many illustrations of the different types of documents discussed. Perhaps less suitable as the first, or only book, for absolute beginners due to the depth of coverage which can appear a little daunting. One of the two most useful (and reread) genealogy books that I have bought, the other being "The Family Tree Detective" by Colin Rogers.

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'Clan Tartans of Scotland' 

by Iain Zaczec - Hardback 1998  Scotland's clans number nearly 200, each with its own set of tartans. This splendid guide illustrates the various tartans as it retells many of the histories of the clans and families. It begins with a brief overview of the clan system and the tradition of wearing tartan; the clans are then organized alphabetically, with special features on the major clans, such as the Stuarts, Camerons, Campbells, and Gordons. In addition, there are dramatic color photos throughout of the Scottish landscape as well as its castles and landmarks. Clans and Tartans of Scotland is complete with maps of clan origins and a listing of clan associations around the world. Iain Zaczek is the author of The Art of Illuminated Manuscripts, Ancient Scotland, Celtic Art and Design, and Chronicles of the Celts.

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'Collins Dictionary of Surnames'  

by Leslie Dunkling  -Paperback 1998  An A-Z companion to the study of names of the British Isles, including the oldest varieties of British names as well as recent arrivals such as Patel. As well as individual entries, the reference includes collective entries on topics such as names which derive from the same first name, or names ending in -ton.

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'Collins Gem Clans and Tartans' 

 by Robert Bain - Paperback 1998  The antiquity of tartan is amply proved by the many references to it in early Scottish literature and in the written accounts of travellers who visited Scotland several hundreds of years ago. This volume is an introduction to this integral part of Scotland's turbulent history. It includes: the histories of over 100 Scottish clans, together will full-colour illustrations of their tartans; the crest, motto and Gaelic name for each clan; a list of clan septs; and a history of tartan and a map delineating the geographical distribution of the Scottish clans.

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'Collins Pocket Reference: Clans and Tartans' 

by George Way - Paperback 1995   This is an introduction to the rich heritage of Scotland's clan and family history. This book features: the histories and heraldic details of over 130 of Scotland's most renowned clans and families; the tartan and crest badge of each clan; and essays on the history of clanship and of tartan. Appendices include regimental tartans, list of septs and a heraldic glossary.

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'Collins Pocket Reference: Scottish Surnames'

 by David Dorward - Paperback 1995   This pocket dictionary gives the derivations of over Scottish 1000 surnames plus their variants. The alphabetical entries give not only the meaning of each name, but also its history, showing how its form may have changed in the course of time and produced variants over the years and in different localities. The areas of Scotland where the name is chiefly to be found nowadays are listed, and the early bearers of many of the names are mentioned.

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'Collins Pocket Reference: Tracing Scottish Ancestry' 

by Rosemary Bigwood  - Paperback 1999   With an emphasis firmly on the practical, this volume is designed to be used as a reference guide while actually working in record offices and other repositories of genealogical information. It provides detailed guidance on the variety of religious, governmental and other records available and is packed with hands-on advice on navigating the different types of records and on problem-solving when the trails run cold. The book also features helpful information for those of Scottish descent living outside Scotland, particularly in North America and the Antipodes, who are beginning the search for their ancestors from their own country. It also includes advice on using the Internet for genealogy which is increasingly becoming a major tool for researchers.

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'Concise Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors'

 by Brian Loome  - Paperback 1992  Provides a step-by-step guide to genealogical research, explains how to set objectives, research archives and registers, handle and interpret old documents, understand the role of heraldry, and make accurate notes, pedigrees and records. The author also wrote "Concise Guide to British Clocks".

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' Debrett's Guide to Tracing Your Family Tree'  

 by Noel Currer-Briggs  - Hardback 1999

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'Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue from the Twelfth Century to the End of the Seventeenth ' 

'Discovering Your Family Tree' 

 by David Tredale  - Paperback  1985

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'English Genealogy' 

 by Anthony Wagner -Hardback 1983

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                          "Reader's Digest" Explore Your Family's Past

 
Hardcover - 360 pages (October 2000) 
If you are just starting researching your British family history, or you want a good general guide, grab a copy of the newly published Explore Your Family's Past from Reader's Digest. With a list of contributor's that reads like a Genealogical Who's Who, this book is a highly readable, beautifully presented and comprehensive reference guide.The book is presented in eight sections, covering topics from starting out, through to Military and Poor Law Records, and Mediaeval Research and Heraldry. Every section shows where the most important records for the topic can be found, including Internet links. Details of how to do further research in each subject is also included.The text assumes no prior knowledge, and includes handy tips on record-keeping and note taking, together with lists of commonly used abbreviations. On the downside, for information on the widely used Chapman County codes, rather than giving a list of frequently used codes or providing an Internet link, it refers you to a chapter of another book. The language is simple, straight forward and jargon free, with good explanations of technical terms. The many pictures and photographs, illustrate the topics being discussed, and pictures of documents such as census returns and civil registers are clearly shown. The photographs graphically portray rare glimpses of past lives, such as little boys in dour uniforms, playing on a seesaw at Crumpsall Workhouse.
This book emphasises that Genealogy is not just about names and dates, but also about the way people lived and worked. Education, crime, punishment and migration are discussed not only for the wealth of records they provide, but also in the context of people's lives.At the back, a comprehensive directory of sources gives names, addresses, telephone and Internet sites of all record and information sources mentioned in the book. However, this is the one part of the book that could soon be out of date, as the Internet is a very volatile resource and addresses and telephone numbers are always subject to change. A Dictionary Of Surnames is also included with their origins and meanings. Don't expect to find out what your more unusual surnames mean. Of all the names I am researching the Dictionary only includes two.Overall, a good general guide for both beginners and more experienced family historians. The Directory of Sources on its own is invaluable for most researchers.

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'Family History and Local History in England'  

by D Hey - Paperback 1987 

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'Family Trees: Design, Layout and Display'  

by Marie Lynskey - Hardback 1996

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'Genealogical Services Directory' 

 by Robert Blanchford  - Paperback 1999 

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by Arthur J Willis  - Paperback 1997

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'In Search of Scottish Ancestry'  

by Gerald Hamilton-Edwards  - Hardback 1983

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'Latin for Local and Family Historians' 

by Denis Stuart  - Hardback 1995

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'Lines of Succession'  Jiri Louda  - Paperback 1999  This is a revised and updated edition of a book that was first published in 1981. Starting in the 11th century, the book offers a comprehensive account of the heraldic and genealogical history of European royalty.

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'Local History: A Handbook for Beginners' 

 by Philip Rider  - Paperback 1998

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'Making Use of The Census' 

by Susan Lumas  - Paperback 1997   This text shows readers how to make the best use of the Census Rooms. It describes what the records contain and how to find what you want in them, and includes a list of registration districts for each census year, together with a list of street indices available in the Census Room. This edition includes full details of the 1891 census and describes the improvements that have been made in the Census Rooms.

        £4.79

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'The Means of Naming' 

 by Stephen Wilson  - Paperback 1998     Stephen Wilson has written a scholarly, but always interesting book about the origins and meanings of names, displaying great breadth of historical knowledge.

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'Military Records'  

by Tracy Park  - Paperback 1996

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'Naval Records for Genealogists' 

 by N. A. M. Rodger  - Paperback 1998   This new edition of a standard work provides a comprehensive guide to the official records of the Royal Navy in the Public Record Office which concern named individual officers and ratings. It covers significant sources revealed since the 1980s.

          £12

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'Our Scots Noble Families' 

 by  Tom Johnston  - Paperback 1999

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'Oxford Companion to Local and Family History'

 by David Hey  - Paperback  1998     

     £10.39

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'The Oxford Dictionary of Local and Family History' 

 by David Hey  - Paperback  1997     With the increasing interest in family history, this portable and authoritative dictionary provides both amateur and professional local history and family historians with quick answers to questions of terminology that may arise in the course of research. For instance: * what does boon work mean? * what is pontage? * who were the Premonstratensians? * what is outfangtheof, escheat, and berewick? * who were the Inghamites? * what are Quo Warranto enquiries? * who lived in a prodigy house? * how could you be half-baptized? * what would you find in the Register of Sasines? Over 1,500 clear and concise entries cover: * legal and other specialist terms, from amercement to yardland * types of documentation * sources of information * social and religious groups * institutions and organizations * historical and political events * official functions and occupations * authors and scholars Designed to be taken to libraries and record offices, or kept on the desk at home for quick reference, The Oxford Dictionary of Local and Family History also contains a guide to family history records, lists of regnal years, saints' days, weights and measures, further reading, and a complete location guide to all national and local record offices in the UK. This book is intended for the general reader interested in the growing subject areas of family and local history; students of social, family, local history; amateur researchers in the field.

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'The Oxford Guide to Family History' 

 by David Hey  - Paperback 1998     Leading family historian David Hey offers practical guidance on how to trace family origins on the basics of research -- how to get started, where to find records, and how to decipher early styles of handwriting. He also uses social history to suggest where to begin this search: such as in the networks of kinship and inheritance, and the stability or mobility of certain families. Containing more than a hundred black and white illustrations showing family groups, houses, monuments, archive records, and family trees, this book is essential reading for those interested in tracing their lineage. 'remarkable value for its combination of social history, gracefully told, and lucid instruction' Antonia Fraser 'marvellous book' Daily Mail 'a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, finely researched and well written.' Family Tree Magazine 'This book is an invaluable how-to-do-it guide'

      £7.99

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'The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames'  

by Basil Cottle  - Paperback  1967     An analysis of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish surnames, including the 100 most common in the United Kingdom, the British Commonwealth and the United States. As well as those that are rare, meanings are given, along with the language stock from which names derive and, wherever possible, their present distribution. Entries are assigned to the four broad classes of surnames: first-names; localities, occupations, nicknames.

      £6.39

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'RAF Records in the Public Records Office' 

 by Simon Fowler  - Paperback  1994     Designed for beginners, this is a guide to the collections of aviation records in the Public Record Office. Subjects covered include: aircraft and airships; operational records; organization of the air services; records of individuals; women in the RAF and Air Transport Auxilary; honours and awards; crashes and casualties; and photographic reconnaissance. The records date from the origins of military flying in Britain (1900) to 1964.

         £7.16

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'Records of Merchant Shipping and Seamen' 

 by Kelvin Smith   - Paperback  1998     A guide to merchant ships and seamen from the 16th century onwards, this book explains and illustrates the complex registration records for both ships and men, together with Crew Lists and Agreements which are now scattered throughout a number of repositories in Britain and abroad. It also includes chapters on fishermen and fishing vessels, the Royal Navy Reserve and War Service, and shows how to look for information about maritime disasters such as those which happened to the "Titanic" and "Lusitania".

          £5.59

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'Register Offices of Births, Deaths, Marriages in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland'  

by Victor J Price - Paperback 1993

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'Scotland's Heraldic Heritage : The Lion Rejoicing'  

by Charles Burnett  - Paperback  1997     A survey of the major aspects of Scotland's history and culture. Each volume in the series explores a single theme, presenting information on a distinctive facet of the country's rich heritage whilst encouraging the reader to discover more.

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'The Scottish Clan and Family Encyclopedia' 

by George Way - Hardback 1998

  £24

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'Scottish Clan and Family Names' 

by Roddy Martine - Paperback 1992     This book provides a guide to the surnames of Scotland. Each entry covers the history, areas of family lands, castles and tartans (ancient and modern) associated with the powerful clans of the Highlands - and the great families of the Lowlands. The author's extensive introduction puts clan development into historical context. There are 240 tartan patterns and over 70 photographs of clan and family lands and their castles in full. Additional photographs highlight famous clan personalities. The clan armorial crest illustations and the designs for the Matriculated Standards of the Clan Chiefs of Scotland are the work of the late heraldic artist, Don Pottinger. Malcolm Innes of Edingight CVO, Lord Lyon King of Arms, has contributed a foreword. The six pages of maps indicating spheres of influence of families about the turn of the 18th century were compiled by the late Sir Iain Moncreiffe and are supplemented by an extensive cross-index of sept names. Recent years have seen the revival of clan and family societies throughout the world and this book provides a comprehensive guide to all those who wish to know more about their Scottish ancestors.

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'Tartans Identifier' 

 by Blair Urquhart - Hardback 1994 Tartans, with their unique combinations of colours and intricate designs, are universally popular. They have a long history linked to Scottish clans and familes, and suvive today as symbols of Scotland's rich heritage.

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'Teach Yourself - Tracing Your Family History' 

 by Stella Colwell - Paperback 1996     This text provides a guide to tracing family histories, both in the UK and overseas. It gives advice on planning research and establishing what information is required, as well as explaining how to interview relatives effectively and draw up a family tree.

        £6.39

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'Tracing Your Ancestors in Northern Ireland' 

 by Ian Maxwell - Paperback 1997     A tool for anyone tracing their Northern Irish Ancestry, this guide provides a survey of the material held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. It covers national and local government, Northern Ireland's churches, law courts and private families and business, as well as detailing how to research records of births, deaths and marriages.

        £7.99

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'Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Records Office'  

by Amanda Bevan  - Paperback  1998     For historians, the records produced by government and the courts, and held by the Public Record Office, can provide a treasure trove of information. This guide helps readers find their way through the census and service records, the wills, the law suits, the court rolls and the hearth taxes, where traces of the lives of their individual forebears may still be found.

        £10.39

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'Tracing Your Irish Ancestors'  

by John Grenham - Paperback 1999   This guide to Irish genealogy has been revised and updated to include more broadly relevant material, such as a listing of copies of Roman Catholic records, covering dates, locations and formats. This edition also includes details of the Family History Centres of the Mormon Church.

        £10.39

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'Track Down Your Ancestors' 

 by Estelie Catlett - Paperback 1997

      £3.19

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