New titles for 2012

One problem of being fussy about the quality of what we publish is that if we don't get the manuscripts we get very quiet, as we have been for the past year or so. But that is about to change with three new titles in process.

Firstly The Struggle for the Cornwall Railway, by Hugh Howes, is an account of the epic and arduous efforts needed to build Cornwall's main line railway. The leading engineers of the day were involved, as were Cornwall's landowners and business people, and much of the story is told in their own words. This book and the next will be available by mid-year.

A common feature on many west country railways and canals was the incline but it is often over-looked. Martin Bodman's Inclined Planes in the South West will put that right with descriptions of over 200, copiously illustrated with photographs and maps.

Towards the end of the year we will publish Michael Messenger's The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway, a full account of this pioneering steam railway drawn almost exclusively from archive sources. The wealth of material has enabled an intimate story to be told of the running and operation of an early railway.

Details of all these books will be in these pages when available and will be sent to those on our mailing list. We will be happy to email you when they are available if you let us know your email address.

Postage Rates

The recently announced rises in postal rates is a serious blow to any business like us that relies on the Royal Mail for distribution. We have always endeavoured to send books post free but may have to reconsider this in the light of experience. One wonders if Royal Mail is on a suicide mission.

Hevva!

Published in July 2010 is Hevva! Cornish Fishing in the Days of Sail, by Keith Harris. This is not a romantic story but is of ‘hard men bred by hard conditions’ sailing in vessels ‘built to last and built to work’. The author's own personal experience in the industry shines through, bringing it to life, and the book is illustrated with his own delightful drawings.