CANAL BOOKS By Bill Davies I first became interested in canals, inland waterways and boats some few years ago. I've always been a booky person, so it seemed natural for me to build up a collection of waterways books. This collection has given me a great deal of pleasure, and I hope that this article will enable readers to share in some of that pleasure. In some ways I am a little hesitant about writing this article, as, inevitably, I am going to include books that ought to have been excluded, and to exclude books that ought to have been included. These latter give me particular concern, as I have no wish to offend their authors. May I offer these authors my immediate apologies - the list is mine, and mine alone. I compiled it (in the main) by including those books most often referred to by other authors, and adding some little idiosyncrasies of my own. First, a word about buying books. Most canal side shops, heritage centres and museums stock the standard books that are still in print. Remaindering shops are always worth looking at, especially for the "coffee table" type of books. "Remaindering" shops, incidentally, sell (very cheaply) the remaining stocks of a book left over when the book is removed from the publishers current list. The canalaholic is served very well by some specialist shops and dealers. Transport Booksellers in Stamford, Patterson and Liddle in Bath, Baldwins in Shropshire and Shepperton Swan Ltd in Shepperton all advertise regularly in Waterways World. Waterways World sell some books, concentrating on maps and guides. The Inland Waterways Association has a mail order book list. British Waterways have some interesting publications, though I have never managed to extract a complete list from them. Waterways World have a regular "Reviews" feature which is well worth looking at. "Reviews" cover not only "mainstream" books, but also the many excellent publications that are often only available from the publishers, and are often of a very local nature. Finally, the dedicated canalaholic / bookaholic will always rifle through any pile of second hand books - it's where the real bargains are to be found. CANAL GUIDES I guess this is where most collections start. For the canal system, "Nicholsons" is the name to remember. I still have a set of the 2 inches to one mile series. They have lasted well, mainly because I had them hard bound when I bought them. The spiral binding makes the newer series easier to use, but the smaller scale detracts from them. The Waterways World series is very popular, covering the seven most popular cruising canals. Older maps of canals and canal systems are very collectable, but I concentrate on books. GAZETTEERS ETC "A General History of Inland Navigation, Foreign and Domestic; containing a Complete Account of the Canals already Executed in England with Considerations on those Proposed" by John Phillips, first published in 1792 (the last, and fifth edition published in 1805 by B. Crosby & co, London). This book is both rare and expensive. Luckily it has been reprinted as "Phillips' Inland Navigation" in 1970 by David and Charles, Newton Abbot. Even this reprint is not easy to find. This lovely book gives an outline of the history of canals, including those of ancient Egypt, China and Europe. It gives up to date examples of estimating the amount of income that a canal could generate, and some estimates on the costs of building a canal. It then looks at each canal then in operation. The enabling Act is named, whilst details of the share issues and any unusual powers are explained. Length, width and depth are usually given, together with details of some of the more important works "Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain" by Joseph Priestley, published in 1831, reprinted as "Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals" by David and Charles in 1969. Again, these books are expensive and rare. I have a first edition (the star of my collection) that is in pretty poor condition, and cost 120 pounds some six or seven years ago. I have only recently found a copy of the reprint - it is an ex-library copy, and cost 10 pounds. The original book was published as a gazetteer to accompany a map, though it stands perfectly well on its own. For each canal, the various Acts are listed. Share authorisations are also listed, together with the various tonnage, wharfage and warehousing rates. A general description of the canal is given. Serious researchers find this book invaluable for tracing the legal history of navigations. For example, 38 acts are listed for The River Thames, ranging from 1423 to 1829. "Bradshaw's Canals and Navigable Rivers of England and Wales" by Henry de Salis. It was published in 1904 by Henry Blacklock, the publishers of the railway Bradshaws. Further editions followed in 1918 and 1928. The first edition was reprinted in 1969 by David and Charles. de Salis was a director of the famous canal carrying company Fellows, Moreton and Clayton. He wrote the book as a reference guide to traders, showing where, and under what circumstances cargoes could be sent. He spent 11 years travelling the system, and covered over 14,000 miles researching the book. The book lists each navigation, giving a general description and details of the proprietors. A distance table gives the distance between important points on the navigation (e.g. locks, bridges, wharfs etc). The locks are listed, together with their dimensions. Other detail is added as required, such as tow path and tidal information and details of the types of vessel using the navigation. The whole book is a treasure house - for example, of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Navigation "The Company is in the hands of the liquidator". "Inland Waterways of Great Britain" by LA Edwards, published by Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson of St Ives, Huntingdon. Imray's have several waterways publications on their list, but Edward's monumental work must be one of their most prestigious. A new edition comes out about every 10 years, so we can expect another one any time now. Us poor folks tend to buy remaindered copies of the previous edition when a new edition appears. After an edition has been on sale for a few years, an updating supplement is published. Luckily, Imray's are run by a rare breed of folk who take their work seriously. They don't just talk about quality, they get on and do it. Edwards is very much like an up to date Bradshaw. Each navigation has a general description, a note as to the name, address and phone number of the proprietors, a list of connecting navigations, distances, maximum length, beam, draught and headroom, details of locks, bridges tunnels and towpaths and a wonderfully detailed distance table that allows us to calculate the length from Stewpony Wharf (Lock No. 13) to Bumblehole Bridge and Lock No. 22 on the Staffs and Worcs Canal - vital information for both the summertime navigator and the wintertime armchair canaller! This lovely publication is an essential companion to a canal guide. A gazetteer of a slightly different type is "The Shell Book of Inland Waterways" by Hugh McKnight. This excellent publications gives a general introduction to the waterway system, with chapters on water supply, locks, tunnels, pubs, boats, museums etc. Then, for each navigation, a general description is given followed by notes about the places through which it passes. CANAL ARCHITECTURE ETC There is a journal called "The Architectural Review". In July 1949 a "Special Canals Number" was published. There were several articles written by Eric de Mare, and illustrated, in part, by his stunning black and white photographs. Four of the main articles were subsequently published as a book by The Architectural Press in 1950, under the title of "The Canals of England". This classic book was re-published as a paperback in 1987 by Alan Sutton of Gloucester. The photographic reproductions in this 1987 edition are a little flat compared to the Architectural Press editions. Nevertheless, the re-publication is most welcome, as both the journal and the original edition are very hard to come by. I have a copy of the third (1961) impression of the first edition. New, its cover price was 21/- (1.05 pounds). A couple of years ago, it cost 30 pounds! The 1987 edition has a cover price of 6.95 pounds. By chance, I came across another de Mare book called "Your Book of Waterways" published by Faber and Faber in 1965, with some more of his eyecatching photographs. "Canal Architecture in Britain" was published by the British Waterways Board. They did not bother to put a publication date on it, although it does have an ISBN - 0-903218-13-5. It came in two versions, one with a rather smart brown leatherette cover having the book and author's name (Frances Pratt) in gold block lettering, and a cheaper paperback that omits to give the author any credit for the publication (I wonder if there is an interesting story here!). The book has a commentary, some good drawings, and some excellent colour photos. Most of the other architectural type books are included in the section on photographic books. CANAL ART An article called "The Rose and Castle" by Barbara Jones appeared in the December 1946 edition of The Architectural Review. I have not seen it, but it is supposed to be very good, and complete with colour illustrations. "Narrow Boat Painting" by A.J. Lewery, published by David and Charles in 1987 is still the classic text. There are some useful "how to" hints, as well as some notes on the origins of some of the designs and motifs. "Simple Steps to Roses and Castles" by Shirley and Stephanie Ginger, published in 1986 by Ginger's Canal Stores, Long Buckby Wharf, Northampton is an excellent little "how to" booklet. "The Narrow Boat Book" by Tom Chaplin, published in 1978 by Whittet Books has a useful chapter on the decoration of narrow boats. HISTORIES Anyone taking canal histories at all seriously, ought to start collecting the entire "The Canals of the British Isles" series. The series is extensive, and individual volumes are occasionally updated, so keeping a complete collection must cost a pretty penny. At the moment I make do with the "Master Volume" called "British Canals - An Illustrated History". Most of the books are by Charles Hadfield (the Charles half of David and Charles, who, unsurprisingly, publish the series). The dedication, scholarship and research that has gone into the making of this series is a tribute to everyone involved. The books are both authoritative and readable. I have also enjoyed the three books in the "English Canals" series, written by Gladwin and White and published by the Oakwood Press in the late 1960's. Part 1 is "A concise history", part 2 is "Engineers and Engineering" whilst part 3 is "Boats and Boatmen". Although they lack the depth of the Hadfield master-pieces, they contain some interesting details and several unusual photographs and drawings. "River Navigation in England 1600-1750" by T.S. Willan, published by Frank Cass in 1964 is an authoritative, and much referenced book. It details the many improvements made to river navigations, and emphasises the importance of rivers in the economic life of the country. It sets the scene for the canal era. "Stone Blocks and Iron Rails" by Bertram Baxter, published by David and Charles in 1966 gives a good grounding to the subject of waggonways and tramways. The comprehensive gazetteer in the second half of the book helps the canal enthusiast to establish interconnections. COMMENTARIES AND VOYAGES First, a commentary. "Our Canal Population" by George Smith, 1875, Haughton and Co, London. The 1878 edition was reprinted in 1974 by EP Publishing Ltd of East Ardsley, Wakefield. This book recounts the living and working conditions of the canal population. It is sub-titled "A cry from the boat cabins". Smith was a reformer, and he can take his place alongside Wilberforce (slaves), Fry (prisons) and Higgins (lunatic asylums). All these people devoted their lives to the improvement of the conditions of minority groups. The end result of this book was The Canal Boats Act of 1877, which went a long way to alleviate much of the misery and distress detailed in it. "A Grand Tour of the Grand Junction Canal in 1819" written and published by John Hassell, reprinted in 1968 by Cranfield and Bonfiel Books. This is one of the first canal travelogues. It is a mixture of descriptions of the canal itself and nearby houses and churches, together with comments on topics such as farming and hunting. The original was illustrated with some watercolours which are reproduced in black and white in the 1968 reprint. "The Thames to the Solent" by J.B. Dashwood was first published in 1868 by Longmans, Green and Co. It was re-published in 1980 by Shepperton Swan, London. It tells the tale of the journey by Mr and Mrs Dashwood, and their dog "Buz". It is a nicely told story, illustrated by some nice pencil drawings. If the Wey and Arun restorers have their way, it will be a voyage that others may yet enjoy. "Rowing Holiday by Canal in 1873" by A. Farrant, first published in 1977 by The Oakwood Press. Mr Farrant travelled in a great circle from Oxford, northward along the Oxford Canal, down the Avon to Tewksbury, via the River Wye and the Great Western Railway to Bristol, through the Avon Navigation and the Kennet and Avon Canal to the Thames, and hence back to Oxford. His log of the journey was a private diary, not written for publications. It was found by his grand-son, who submitted it for publication, but who, sadly, died shortly before its publication. This little booklet is very nicely illustrated. Places mentioned in the text are illustrated with photographs taken in 1976, enabling interesting comparisons to be made between the written record of yesterday and the visual record of today. "The Flower of Gloster" (yes, that is how it was spelt) by E. Temple Thurston was first published in 1911 by Williams and Norgate of London. It is a rather romantic, not to say sweet and sickly account of a journey up the Oxford Canal, down the Avon and Severn to the Thames and Severn Canal and hence back to the Thames. I have not seen a first edition. There is a 1972 edition by David and Charles, with an introduction by L.T.C. Rolt, who also had the opportunity to look through Thurston's photograph album, and to include some contemporary photographs. Another edition was published in 1987 by Alan Sutton, more profusely illustrated with some wonderful photographs unearthed by David Viner. BOOKS OF PHOTOGRAPHS I love looking at old photographs, and luckily there are some very good books of old canal photos. Moorland Publishing published a series of books under the generic title "Historic Waterway Scenes". Michael Ware has a couple to his credit - "A Canalside Camera 1845-1930" published in 1975 by David and Charles and "Narrow Boats at Work" from Moorland Publishing in 1980. D.D. Gladwin put together "Victorian and Edwardian Canals from Old Photographs" published in 1976 by Batsford as a volume in their extensive "Victorian and Edwardian" series. Some photos appear in several of these volumes. One in particular, of a horse, a man and two women working a boat down the Foxton flight on a cold and wet winters day does a lot to dispel the romantic myth of the working boats. L.T.C. ROLT I guess Tom Rolt deserves a paragraph of his own. His book "Narrow Boat", describing his voyages in "Cressy" initiated the modern canal era. "The Inland Waterways of England" is a lovely general introduction to canals, whilst "Green and Silver" describe the pleasures to be found on the Irish system. "Landscape With Canals" is his autobiography of that part of his life that was involved with canals. FINALLY....... I knew I would be embarrassed at this point, as some of my favourite authors have not yet been mentioned. To make a few amends..... John Gagg writes books that are always worth dipping into it. Ronald Russell writes authoritatively about rivers and lost canals Anthony Burton has written several highly readable books, whilst Hugh McKnight writes, publishes and sells book at Shepperton Swan. Then there is Edward Paget-Thompson, David Owen, C.J.Aubertin, ........ We are, indeed, very lucky that our interest has generated such a rich literature.