While in London at Who Do You Think You Are, Live I was one of several hundred people who picked up the 13th edition of The Family and Local History Handbook. That's in advance of the official release on 30 May 2011.
The Handbook is rather like a genealogy magazine, but a bumper one, an annual edition. At 450 pages and weighing 800 grams (1-3/4 pounds) its a sizable volume.
The first 232 pages, 60 articles, run the gamut from straightforward information such as "General Register Office – Certificate Services", to descriptions of institutions such as "The Jews' Free School" and events such as "The Wreck of the Royal Charter", to the saga of "Henry Jenkins" who lived to see a total of nine monarchs on the English throne.
The next three short sections are on Welsh, Scottish, and Irish research respectively, a total of 36 pages. Then there's a section of five articles on digital genealogy, set off by being printed on blue paper, followed by 12 articles on military history.
The last major section, printed on yellow paper and comprising 90 pages is the Genealogical Services Directory. It has contact information for family history societies in the UK and overseas, libraries, record offices and archives, registrars of births deaths and marriages, probate records registries and sub registries, cemeteries and crematoria, museums, military museums, and police records and museums. The information given is usually the organization name, mailing address, website, and sometimes e-mail address.
A full table of content is at http://www.genealogical.co.uk/flhh13.html
The cover price is 10 pounds, plus 12 pounds for p&p outside Europe. Order at www.genealogical.co.uk
If there's nothing new to you in this volume you're probably ready for that family history credentials examination.
Why isn't this available on CD?
ReplyDeleteThe handbook can also be pre-ordered at Amazon.ca for $15.98 & is eligible for free shipping (for orders over $25).
ReplyDeleteYes, it is cheaper at Amazon.ca but it has not been released yet. If you are depending on timely directory entries, this may be a concern for you. The articles, however, in these handbooks are always excellent. For my birthday/Christmas my husband got me the CD Omnibus set of editions 1 - 10 and I love it. I agree with DWP. Gosh, I wish this came out annually on CD or as a download as well.
ReplyDeleteH, just to let you know, there's a Twitter account for this as well - http://twitter.com/#!/FamHistHandbook, maybe it's worth lobbying there for a CD copy. :)
ReplyDelete