Shire Books: Discovering Surnames.

Author: J.W. Freeman

Your surname can tell you a lot about your ancestors. Not all names are what they at first sight seem to be: if your name is Farmer, then an ancestor was a tax-collector; if it is Alabaster, then you are descended from a crossbowman. This work includes about 1500 surnames, and if your name is not amongst them then probably a very similar one is.

Price £7.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering First Names.

Author: S.M. Jarvis

This popular and handy guide includes some two thousand three hundred first names in use in Britain today, set out in alphabetical order. It gives, whenever possible, the meaning of each name with its derivation and language of origin. In cases of unusual names, mention is made of the famous people who have borne them. This book will be a valuable source of reference for perplexed parents-to-be, as well as for people interested in the whys and wherefores of names in general and their own in particular.

Price £7.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Dowsing and Divining.

Author: Peter Naylor

Dowsing and divining - the tracing of underground water, minerals, pipes or cables. This book sets out to prove that anyone can dowse, and it also dispels the commonly accepted myth that dowsing is a gift enjoyed by a few practitioners.

Price £5.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering English Folk Dance.

Author: Hugh Rippon

There are not many countries where the traditional dances, songs and music of the past have become so successfully integrated into modern everyday life as they have in England. This book tells the uninitiated where they may see folk dancing in England and how they may join in if they wish.The history and evolution of the dances that have survived and their regional variations are described, and an attempt is made to explain the origins and meanings, for example the handkerchiefs and bells in the morris dance and the lock of swords in the sword dance, and what difference there may be between English and Scottish country dancing. The book also covers such well-known folk-dance celebrations as the Padstow and Minehead hobby horse dances and the Helston Furry Dance.

Price £7.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Period Gardens.

Author: John Anthony

This book is a fascinating survey of the development of gardens in Great Britain from their medieval origins in monasteries and castles, through the Tudor period and the seventeenth century when formal designs from France and Holland were prevalent, to the great age of English landscape gardens in the eighteenth century, produced by such landscape designers as Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. John Anthony goes on to explore the variety of gardens of Victorian Britain and how they have evolved into those of the present day. With advice on creating and restoring period gardens, and comprehensive listings of the diverse range of plants of each period, this is an ideal introduction to the evolution of period gardens, and the features and plants that defined the distinct periods in history

Price £7.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Corn Dollies.

Author: M. Lambeth

Corn Dollies have played a significant part in rural folklore all over the world. This book explores some of the ancient myths behind the making of straw figures, such as the belief that making offerings to the gods would ensure a plentiful harvest. Key techniques of straw plaiting are explained and illustrated, and many of the traditional designs of the dolly, as well as some modern examples, are described.

Price £5.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Epitaphs.

Author: Geoffrey N. Wright

Inscriptions on gravestones yield fascinating information about the dead, their lives and occupations and the way they lived.

Price £5.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Ghosts.

Author: Leon Metcalfe

Although the evidence for ghosts is largely inconclusive, there has throughout history always been a widespread belief in paranormal beings and to this day the telling of ghost stories continues to intrigue and disturb us. With black and white photos of some of the old buildings that claim to be haunted and locations of where these lurking spirits can be seen, Discovering Ghosts aims to reveal some of the most interesting and persistent of all British ghost stories and will provide an abundance of unsettling tales to frighten and excite the reader, or even entice the brave to track down these ghosts for themselves.

Price £7.99 (includes postage)

Shire Books: Discovering Church Architecture.

Author: Mark Child

In most towns and villages the parish church is the oldest and most interesting building. No two churches are quite alike; each one is a unique work of art, worth visiting for its beauty and character and its fittings as well as for the special atmosphere of peace and holiness that that all churches seem to possess. More people than ever are visiting churches, but they are often baffled by the architectural and technical terms that abound in guidebooks. Where should one look for the reredos or the lucarnes? What is an arcade and why might it be described as Tuscan? What is the purpose of a hagioscope, a rood loft, or a mass dial? What is the difference between a mullion and a transom? This book helps to break down the mystique that surrounds ecclesiastical architecture. It is a dictionary explaining in simple language over 600 terms likely to be encountered on a visit to a church and is illustrated with more than 300 drawings. Used in conjunction with the guidebook it will enable you to see a church through new eyes, to understand where before you would only have looked.

Price £7.99 (includes postage)