Today I want to mention some new books that will be of interest to UK researchers. Please notice that my title indicates that this post is not a book review (because I have not read the books) but only an alert to titles that you should explore further.
The first is Greater London: The Story of the Suburbs by Nick Barrett. This came out 17 Dec 2012, and thus we all may have missed it in the holiday rush. It is available at amazon.com and in Kindle form.
If you have ancestors in the London area, you know that most books that cover the history of London do not include information about the outlying areas, many of which are now absorbed into the city itself.
From amazon.com: “By looking at the whole of the greater London area from Roman times to the present…Dr Nick Barratt is not only able to show how areas as far apart as Hendon and Streatham, Ealing and Leytonstone developed over hundreds of years but also to demonstrate the crucial role they played in the creation of the capital.”
The author, NICK BARRATT, PhD, began as a researcher at the BBC where he is now a presenter, reviewer and commentator on all aspects of history, with a particular interest in family and medieval history.
Barrett's Greater London could give you the background you are seeking. For basic how-to, you might want to check out this recently published book, Tracing Your London Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians by Jonathan Oates. It was published by my old friends at Pen and Sword Books in July 2011. There is another book in the series, Tracing Your East End Ancestors by Jane Cox from 2011.
Jonathan Oates has a newer book that came out from the same publisher on July 2012 and could potentially help many, many genealogists. It is called Tracing Your Ancestors 1066-1837. The last three books are available also at amazon.com and in Kindle version for less than $8.00 each. Without many city folks in my family tree, I think this last one will be my next purchase.
