'Dudley in Old Advertisements' Features in Black Country Bugle

Our latest book has received a full page write-up in the Black Country Bugle today:

Book featured in Penkridge magazine

A small excerpt from 'Crime & Chaos in Victorian Penkridge', dealing with an instance of child neglect, appears in this month's 'Penkridge Advertiser' magazine(which you can read online).

Dudley in Old Advertisements

This new title will appeal to those with an interest in the social, local and family history of Dudley. It's a slim volume, of around 70 pages, described as follows:


"Take a look back at the shops and industries of Dudley in Victorian times, through dozens of advertisements. Fascinating facts about each business, the people involved and the products they made or sold serve to conjure up a unique view of the town at the heart of the Black Country."

The book is available now at lulu.com and will soon be available on Amazon.

South Staffordshire History Books Special Offer

That happy (?) time of year is once again approaching and if you're stuck for a present for someone with a local connection, why not consider one of our SPECIAL OFFERS?

We're offering a discount on two local titles when purchased individually and an even bigger saving if you buy both. Take a peek at our Facebook page for details of this special offer.


Offer only available when buying direct (see our Facebook page for details). FREE local delivery in Brewood or Coven, please contact us for other delivery options. Offer ends 17/12/17

Another Dudley Book On Its Way

A new book delving into the lives of people who ran the shops, industries and businesses in Dudley in the 1800s is nearing completion. The book contains dozens of advertisements from traders in the town, accompanied by fascinating facts about the people concerned and their occupations. We expect the book to be available by mid-November... watch this space!

Dudley Book Available At Canal Trust Portal

'Tales of Old Dudley' is now available at the magnificent new 'portal' at Dudley Canal Trust

Drawing of Dudley Fire Disaster Shop

This drawing has just emerged, showing the premises of Dudley boot-maker Joseph Russell. The shop was the scene of a fatal fire, more details can be found  in the book 'Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune'.

The book is also available at Saturday Books, Tower Street, Dudley.

Fascinating Story Now Available As eBook

The remarkable life story of one man from the Victorian era may have remained shrouded in mystery forever, were it not for our research. James Fairweather published an anonymous account of a decade or so of his life but intense detective work in more than one country enabled us to discover his identity and reveal his entire life story.

His amazing tale is recounted in our book 'The Rise, Fall and Redemption of James Fairweather' which is also now available as an eBook. The first half of Fairweather's life was spent in and around Dundee and our eBook has proven very popular with people interested in that city and especially the history of Broughty Ferry.

This attractive suburb has its own Facebook page which is well worth a visit. Contrasting the images of that place with the grim exterior of Woking invalid prison, where James Fairweather spend around a decade, will give a hint of the transformation his life underwent.

Annual Local History Day

Due to prior commitments we were unable to attend Tipton Library's annual Local History Day although 'Tales of Old Dudley' was featured on posters and leaflets at the event.

Book Featured in County Newspaper

We're a little late to the party in spotting this one, but the Malvern Gazette has also recently reviewed 'Tales of Old Dudley'.

The connection may seem obscure to some, but though Dudley is now just a part of the Black Country conurbation, in the past it was one of Worcestershire's major towns and still has an affinity with many places in the shire.

Great Malvern, surrounded by rather more greenery than Dudley!

Dudley Book Available For Research

For those interested in using 'Tales of Old Dudley' for their own research, it is now available on the shelves of Dudley Archives.

Housed in an ultra-modern building, the Archives is located beside the Black Country Living Museum. The building is also home to the offices of the famous 'Black Country Bugle' weekly newspaper.



More details can be found on their Facebook page.

Penkridge Title Now Available As eBook

'Crime & Chaos in Victorian Penkridge' has just been made available on Amazon as an eBook - Kindle users can find the product page here.


The title is also now available for iPhone, iPad and Mac via the iBookstore - point your device to this page.

Book description:


This collection of stories from nineteenth century Penkridge covers a diverse range of events, from drunken brawls to burglary, drownings, railway accidents, child neglect and animal cruelty. It includes surprising revelations about poverty and neglect in the village, tragic loss of life and a number of gruesome and unexplained deaths.

Read about the activities of the village fire-fighters and policemen, and how the local courts and workhouse dealt with those who wouldn't obey the law or couldn't look after themselves. Meet brazen fraudsters, runaway husbands, feuding families and the foul-mouthed fighting women of Penkridge past!


Map: CC BY-SA licence released historical digital boundary and map data from the Great Britain Historic GIS Project, University of Portsmouth.

"This work is based on data provided through www.VisionofBritain.org.uk and uses historical material which is copyright of the Great Britain Historical GIS Project and the University of Portsmouth".

Dudley Book featured as main story on Dudley News website

Our latest title has made the front page of the Dudley News website today and is amongst the most read stories from this week's edition.

The book is available on-line but locals can also pick up a copy at Saturday Books on Tower Street in the town.

Free Dudley Surname Index

For those with an interest in researching their family tree and who might have ancestors in Dudley, we present the full name index from the book Tales of Old Dudley

The index include the names of over 600 individuals involved in accidents and crimes in the Dudley area in the approximate period 1830-1900.

You can download the index in PDF format here.

Related individuals appear on the same line.

While many of those listed have very common names, there are quite a few distinctive ones that might just help you discover more about your Dudley ancestors!

Dudley History Book On-Line Coverage

The Black Country Bugle is featuring a number of stories from our recently published 'Tales of Old Dudley', including the amusing tale of a couple of Victorian era 'streakers'...

Black Country Bugle Feature

Tales of Old Dudley features across a double-page spread in the Black Country Bugle this week.

John Workman's excellent article summarises just a few typical stories from the book, illustrated with scenes of the town in the era concerned.

The end of the article states that the book is available on Amazon, as are most of the author's other titles, but it will be a few months before this is the case. In the meantime it can be bought at lulu.com or in Dudley at 'Saturday Books' on Tower Street.

The Bugle also has an active Facebook page, carrying articles and photos that can't be squeezed into the weekly printed edition!

New book now available in Dudley town bookshop

'Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune' is now available at Dudley's very own town centre bookshop, Saturday Books

While you can find almost any book on-line these days, there's just something about a book shop that adds immeasurably to the buying experience. Supporting an independent store like Saturday Books also means you can talk to a knowledgeable and friendly owner, who can try to obtain particular titles for you if required. As many of the books in stock are second-hand, they're also a fraction of the usual cover price.

Saturday Books
Tower Street
Dudley
DY1 1NG
   
Phone: 01384 481455 or 07977 162201

Fascinating Riches to Rags Tale Now Available as eBook

Only after months of careful detective work was the author able to unravel the incredible tale of James Fairweather.

This ambitious young man created a virtual fortune and saw it all collapse in spectacular style. Fêted by his peers and given an important international role by the government of the day, his downfall was instantaneous, leading to the loss of his beautiful young wife, his reputation and his liberty. After many years in the harsh prison regime, and having his leg amputated, he was finally released with nothing but the hope of redeeming himself and regaining his self-respect.

A truly fascinating story (equivalent to 200+ printed pages), yours for the princely sum of £2.79 at lulu.com and soon on Amazon and the iBookstore.

Penkridge Title Now Available As eBook

Digital format fans will hopefully be pleased to see that 'Crime and Chaos In Victorian Penkridge' has just been released as an eBook.

Priced at £4.99, the book is currently available at lulu.com in ePub format but will appear on Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes & Noble etc for the Kindle, Nook, iPhone, iPad and just about any other device in the next few weeks.

More coverage in local magazines

Our newest title, 'Tales of Old Dudley', is also featured in this months' Penkridge Advertiser. Those who prefer to buy in person rather than on-line will be glad to hear that this book will soon be available at Penkridge Hardware:

https://www.facebook.com/PenkridgeHardware/

New title features in Express & Star's 'Chronicle ' newspaper.

'Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune ' is featured in this week's edition of the Sandwell Chronicle newspaper:

https://www.expressandstar.com/free-editions/

Tales of Old Dudley - Free Sample!

Read a couple of extracts from our latest title on this page

Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune

Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune, is now available at lulu.com

This fascinating book details hundreds of crimes and accidents that happened in Dudley and its neighbourhood during the nineteenth century. It includes accounts of explosions, fires, floods and other accidents, in industrial and residential settings, as well as mishaps on the roads, canals and railways.

Separate chapters deal with murders, suicides, robberies and issues of public health, with the words of the individuals concerned used where possible. Information about locations and the people involved have been cross-checked with various sources and comprehensive references are included to assist family historians and other researchers.

While famous criminal cases and accidents in the Black Country have been retold many times, the vast majority of the events in this book have not appeared in print since they were first reported and therefore represent a fresh source of information for those with an interest in the history of the town.

New Dudley Book in Production

Tales of Old Dudley - A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune is now in production and will be available very soon via lulu.com and elsewhere. The book has just under 200 pages packed with stories about goings-on in Dudley and the surrounding area - here's an expanded view of the contents to whet your appetite...

Dudley Title Imminent

Here's a preview of our upcoming title which should be available within the next two weeks on lulu.com:

Tales of Old Dudley

A Catalogue of Crime, Accident & Misfortune

"This fascinating book details hundreds of crimes and accidents that happened in Dudley and its neighbourhood during the nineteenth century. It includes accounts of explosions, fires, floods and other accidents, in industrial and residential settings, as well as mishaps on the roads, canals and railways. Separate chapters deal with murders, suicides, robberies and issues of public health, with the words of the individuals concerned used where possible. Information about locations and the people involved have been cross-checked with various sources and comprehensive references are included to assist family historians and other researchers. While famous criminal cases and accidents in the Black Country have been retold many times, the vast majority of the events in this book have not appeared in print since they were first reported and therefore represent a fresh source of information for those with an interest in the history of the town."

Local History Books Make Front Page

Our books about Coven, Brewood and Penkridge are featured on the front of this month's Wolverhampton Village News magazine.

The current issue of the magazine can be read here : https://issuu.com/jkarnold/docs/village_news_april_2017