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Author: Vic
Copyright: 1892

Description: Privately printed for the author. 113 pages plus preface xxiv, a most unusual work, the full title is Odd Ways In Olden days Down West or Tales Of The Reformation In Devon And Cornwall.

These stories are supposedly taken from the original records and registers of Courts and Corporate Bodies of Devon & Cornwall, and are dated from 1505-1600. As no specific sources are given, it is not possible to vouch for their authenticity, so further checking is recommended. Detail ->

Item: BB011
Price: $ 15.00

Author: Joseph Thomas
Copyright: 1895

Description: 139 pages plus preface xii. Joseph Thomas lived at St. Michael's Mount, Marazion; he took the greatest interest in the dialect of his native Cornwall. More importantly he was a writer and collector of comic prose perhaps unequalled in Cornwall.

This book has 55 pages of rhymes, which are known as Randigal Rhymes, randigal being the dialect word for nonsensical. This is followed by a few pages of charms as used by local pellars. Next comes a few pages of local proverbs and phrases and rhymes used by children whilst at play. A very exhaustive Cornish dialect glossary of 70 pages follows, these are words that Joseph Thomas met with personally rather than gathering them secondhand. Lastly is a list of subscribers. Detail ->

Item: BB012
Price: $ 15.00

Author: T. F. G. Dexter
Copyright: 1926

Description: 90 pages (including pages missing in some facsimile editions)

The title of this book is a little deceiving, for it is far more than a mere glossary of Cornish surnames, although it covers these admirably. More than 1600 Cornish surnames and place-names are covered, but Dexter gives us a thorough knowledge of the Cornish language, the meanings of individual words, the way they are put together to form a meaningful phrase, the gender and mutations are also covered in detail. Detail ->

Item: BB013
Price: $ 15.00

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Author: Henry Jenner
Copyright: 1904

Description: 208 pages, + 14 page catalogue of Celtic literature. This is a must for all students of the Cornish language, a classic.

Henry Jenner is the man who could rightly be called the Father of Cornish Revival, Jenner undertook researches throughout Cornwall, interviewing people who still recalled the language. He also became fluent in Breton and was made a Bard in the Breton Gorsedd in 1901, this was the same year he created the first Celtic Cornish Society. In 1903 he delivered a speech in Cornish to a Breton audience and was astonished to find that much of his speech was understood! The following year he submitted Cornwall's application for membership in the Celtic Congress, not an easy task, as many claimed Cornwall was not Celtic. Jenner's case was powerful and Cornwall was accepted. The following year he produced this classic work. Detail ->

Item: BB014
Price: $ 15.00 

Author: Ralph Dunstan
Copyright: 1929

Description: 144 pages; the nice thing about this book in Adobe Acrobat format is the ability to simply click [PRINT] and presto a nice copy of the sheet music, need 10 copies for a little sing-song, no problem. Heck you could even have a laptop mounted on top of the organ or piano and play along whilst reading it from the screen. Music instructors could project it onto a screen for a whole choir to see! Great idea for your next Cornish gathering, about 175 songs in all. These songs have been scanned with a new technique which should result in a cleaner printed copy than either B&W or normal grayscale. Detail ->

I've included a free song for you to try out. Download now 383KB.  

Item: BB015
Price: $ 15.00

Author: C. Lewis Hind
Copyright: 1907

Description: 409 pages; Perhaps my favourite book in my personal library, C. Lewis Hind captures Cornwall in a way few can. This is a great guide to walking in Cornwall even today almost 100 years since it was published. The author begins his journey by walking the length of the Tamar to its source then on to & along the north coast to Land's End then right around along the south coast round the Lizard arriving eventually back at Saltash. Not content with just doing the well-known coast route, he then tackles inland Cornwall, Launceston to St. Erth valley, the last section is devoted to inland explorations of West Penwith. 16 beautiful paintings by William Pascoe as well as 20 photographs. Detail ->

Item: BB016
Price: $ 15.00

Author:  T. F. G. Dexter
Copyright: 1932

Description: 63 packed pages; Cornwall is often called the Land of the Saints, but according to historian T. F. G. Dexter this should be the Land of the Gods. When Christianity came to Cornwall it replaced earlier pagan beliefs, often the stories of the saints was in fact a sanitized version of this pagan religion. This is the most far reaching study ever written about pagan Cornwall.

Item: BB017
Price: $ 10.00

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Author:  Cyrus Redding
Copyright: 1842

Description: 264 pages; Wonderful book, very well-researched and written and copiously illustrated with wonderful engravings. Drawing upon a vast amount of written sources as well as his own personal travel experiences, Cyrus Redding paints a vivid and detailed portrait of Cornwall at around the time of the 1841 census. Detailed section full of statistics, population, longevity, Stannary officers, justices of the peace, poor law unions, incumbents and much more.

Much of the material found in these pages is unique to this book, a must have for any serious student of Cornwall as well as the arm-chair traveller. Detail ->

Item: BB018
Price: $ 15.00

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Author: Edited by A. T. Quiller-Couch
Copyright: 1899

Description: 80 pages + 8 pages of adverts; Step back in time to 1899, what were the important stories and events of the time, what shaped our modern Cornwall.

Articles include: The Bishop of Truro, The Western Daily Mercury, Mount Edgcumbe, Cornish Boroughs, The First Cornish Methodists, A Discussion on the Revival of Cornish Tin Mines. There are also poems, Cornish legends, a page of Cornish jokes. All in all a well rounded magazine with something to delight all readers, well illustrated too.

Item: BB019
Price: $ 10.00

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Publisher: Simpkin, Hamilton, Marshall, Kent, & Co
Copyright: 1891

Description: 168 pages + 6 pages of adverts; This is the great blizzard that your grandparents or great grandparents may have told you about. The blizzard occurred on the night of March 9th 1891 in Cornwall, Devon & Somerset. Many rare B&W photographs, you won't believe your eyes, this normally mild area was instantly transformed by the hurricane force winds and driving snow. 

Individual chapters treat the following subjects in great detail; Indications & Observations (prior to the storm), The Blizzard; The Railways; At Sea; In Town & Country; In Park & Forrest; After The Storm; Some Strange Experiences. Many people are mentioned by name, as are the names of ships lost, a vital addition to your library.

Item: BB020
Price: $ 15.00