Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths In and Around Rotherham - From Wakefield to Towton - Four Anglian Kings of Northumbria - On your Bike - Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire - Searching for Surnames - Derbyshire Villages

Judging by the number of related programmes on the television and the book shelves in our public libraries, as a nation we have a fascination with crime, and murder in particular. Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths In and Around Rotherham by Kevin Turton, brings this interest nearer to home with an examination the cruellest of deeds from Victorian Street Crime to 1940 and murders where passion, jealousy or social deprivation have brought unexpected violence.

Seventeen cases each receive a chapter, from mysterious death to murder and manslaughter. True stories providing an insight to people and their motivation and into the society that moulded and shaped their lives. 160 pages for the crime enthusiast or anyone with an interest in our social or local history.

‘Foul Deeds...’ is published in paperback by Wharncliffe Books price £9.99 ISBN 1-903425-27-1 and is available direct from the publisher on 01226 734 241.

The campaigns of 1460/61 proved decisive ones in the medieval Wars of the Roses, and appropriately as England’s largest county, Yorkshire was scene to decisive engagements, culminating in the Battle Of Towton, in which more men died than in any other battle on English soil.

From Wakefield to Towton by Philip Haigh, sets out to cover the military aspects of the conflict against the background to its political origins. Each of the major engagements are covered in detail with maps, drawings and photographs of arms etc. Courage, foolishness, intrigue and treachery all play their part, in an age we mistakenly associate with chivalry rather than bloody reality. Helpfully the book also provides detail on exploring each battlefield today and lists appropriate museums and reinactment societies.

Whether for those interested in military history or simply wishing for an insight into the realities of the age, this is a worthwhile read. From Wakefield to Towton is published in paperback by Pen & Sword Books Ltd price £9.95 ISBN 0-85052-825-9 and available direct from 01226 734 241.

Another booklet concentrating on the area we now know as Yorkshire is Four Anglian Kings of Northumbria by Raymond Ella, who shares a surname with some of the Anglo-Saxon kings covered. This is a confusing period of our history, branded the Dark Ages, more from a lack of written records than real evidence. Indeed as more information comes to light it may well turn out to have been an age of technical innovation, achievement and political/religious change. This little 30 page booklet, price £2.95, sets out some of the facts we do have on the period and is available direct from Amazon.co.uk or via local bookshops. ISBN 0-9533762-3-0

Cycling is becoming more and more popular as a healthy form of exercise, for beating the traffic jams and as a leisure pursuit. On your Bike - Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire is aimed at those cyclists wanting to get out and explore the countryside enjoying the sights and scenery along the way.

Produced in a handy ring bound format, the book contains details of 20 circular routes of from 9 to 31 miles in length. Each has a description of the route and terrain, with notes on refreshment stops, local maps and even short cuts for the less energetic. Some of our most beautiful areas are included, providing plenty to enjoy for leisure cyclists, family groups and even seasoned riders. On your Bike - Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire is published by Countryside Books price £8.95 ISBN 1-85306-732-6

If you are setting out to trace your family tree, the surnames of your parents and grandparents are the prime starting point. But what about surnames. How did they evolve in the first place and have they changed with time, especially in the melting pot of immigration and conquest. Searching for Surnames by John Titford sets out to provide a working guide to surname identification, covering their history, and the languages and circumstances they derive from. After all it was not until the 19th century that surnames became more formalised, while before then the spelling and pronunciation of names was liable to change over the generations.

Chapters in the book cover useful resources including CD-Roms and the Internet, along with surname surgeries and even surnames which are not what they seem, such as Spong which is not Chinese but refers to ‘a dweller by the narrow strip of land’. In all 250 detailed pages, a must for anyone interested in or intrigued by our surnames. Searching for Surnames is published by Countryside Books price £11.95 ISBN 1-85306-765-2

Most of us may live in towns today, but many will still hanker for the idyll of life in a quintessential English village. Derbyshire Villages contains descriptions of over 100 Derbyshire villages written by local members of the Women’s Institutes across the County. History, architecture, anecdotes, people and events of their own village, those things which give each one its own identity. Nearly 100 pages with over 50 colour photographs capturing the spirit of Derbyshire.

This is a fascinating gazette to dip into at random. Take Earl Sterndale with its 400 year old Quiet Woman Inn, seen in the Peak Practice TV programme, and said to derive its name from the too talkative wife of the landlord who was decapitated as a in consequence! Or did you know there has been no new building in Tissington since 1900?

Derbyshire Villages is published by Countryside Books price £8.95 ISBN 1-85306-748-2

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