‘Shire’ publications

So far, in this series of posts looking at various books pulled from my book shelves, there have been a number of slim little volumes scattered through the larger books present. I have been voluble in my praise for them as, invariably, they maintain a high standard and fill those annoying little niches of curiosity which so few other books seem to cover.

Twenty years ago I was lucky enough to meet John Rotheroe, the man who, with John Hinton, founded Shire Publications in 1962. He was a lovely chap, amiable and justly proud of how niche some of his titles were. Small, well priced, non-fiction and written by experts in their field, there have been an astonishing number of subjects covered in over a thousand books published. I am fortunate enough to have been asked to write on two subjects myself (of which I have snuck in a single volume here). John has long since retired (2007) and the Shire volumes are now published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Following our meeting in c1992, Shire Publisher John Rotheroe was kind enough to send me a small gift, a bibliography of the Shire publications, it has expanded dramatically in the intervening years

Many of the books published cover subjects of interest to anyone that travels through this country and has even a vague interest of what he or she sees. I show above just a few from my shelves that have helped answer my questions hiking in Britain. Such is the appeal of many Shire books to me that I find I frequently snap up a title if I am in any way intrigued or interested in a subject. Long may they continue in order that I can carry on doing so.

Somehow, a non-Shire title slipped into this post. Place Names of the Lake District is an equally good read and is listed below.

Books from my shelves:

Quarries and Quarrying, Shire Album 134, Peter Stanier, Shire Publications, 2000 reprint. ISBN 0 85263 728 4

Telephone Boxes, Shire Library 303, Neil Johannessen, Shire Publications, second edition 2010 reprint. ISBN 13; 978 0 74780 419 2

Old Letter Boxes, Martin Robinson, Shire Publications, second edition 2000 reprint. ISBN 0 7478 0446 X

The Village Shop, Shire Library 466, Lin Bensley, AShire Publications, 2008. ISBN 13; 978 0 7478 0675 2

Milestones, Shire Album 401, Mervyn Benford, Shire Publications, 2002. ISBN 0 7478 0526 1

Canal Narrowboats and Barges, Shire Album 427, Tony Conder, Shire Publications, 2004. ISBN 0 7478 0587 3

Dry Stone Walls, Shire Album 114, Lawrence Garner, Shire Publications, second edition 2005 reprint. ISBN 0 7478 0620 9

Fields, Hedges and Ditches, Shire Library 21, Nigel Harvey, Shire Publications 1976, Print on Demand 2014. ISBN 978 85263 868 2

Tins and Tin Mining, Shire Album 139, R L Atkinson, Shire Publications, 1989 reprint. ISBN 0 85263 733 0

Prehistoric Henges, Shire Archaeology 66, Aubrey Burl, Shire Publications, 1997 reprint, ISBN 0 7478 0123 1

Roman Roads in Britain, Shire Archaeology 90, Hugh Davies, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016 reprint, ISBN 13: 978 0 74780 690 5

Prehistoric Stone Circles, Shire Archaeology 9, Aubrey Burl, Shire Publications, fourth edition 2005. ISBN 0 7478 0609 8

Making Sense of the Place Names of The Lake District, David Watson, Photoprint Scotland, 2009. ISBN 978 0 9559438 4 3

Post Offices, Shire Library 594, Julian Stray, Shire Publications, 2010. ISBN 13: 978 0 74780 785 8

Kitchen Walled Gardens, Shire Album 339, Susan Campbell, Shire Publications, 2002 reprint. ISBN 0 7478 0369 2

Road Signs, Shire Album 402, Stuart Hands, Shire Publications, 2005 reprint. ISBN 13; 978 7478 0531 8

Capability Brown, Lifelines 33, Joan Clifford, Shire Publications, 2001 reprint. ISBN 0 85263 274 6

Funicular Railways, Shire Album 240, John Woodhams, Shire Publications, 1989. ISBN 0 7478 0040 5

Bricks and Brickmaking, Shire Library 75, Martin Hammond, Shire Publications, 2009 reprint, Print on Demand 2012. ISBN 978 74780 067 5

Limekilns and Limeburning, Shire Library 236, Richard Williams, Shire Publications, 2004 second edition, Print on Demand 2011. ISBN 978 74780 596 0

Pillboxes and Tank Traps, Shire Library 787, Bernard Lowry, Bloomsbury Publications, 2014. ISBN 13; 978 0 74781 356 9