Bookshop
Welcome to the Guernsey Society Bookshop. Here you will find a select range of books relating to Guernsey and the Channel Islands available through amazon.co.uk and abebooks.com.
Nostalgia
Bloney Good Times: Memories of Growing Up in Guernsey in the 1950s and 1960s
The four friends who have compiled this pot pourri of memories met when working in a bank and would get together to reminisce about the way they lived their lives fifty and more years ago. This profusely illustrated book is the result of their joint personal memories, and those of their friends and relatives, coupled with free access to the copious files of "The Guernsey Evening Press" - as it then was.
Book Review - Guernsey Society Review, Spring 2010
History
Guernsey Merchants and their World by Gregory Stevens-Cox
This fascinating and highly-readable book summarises investigations made by Dr Stevens-Cox which focus on identifying the lesser-known merchants of the 18th century, chronicling their remarkable stories, their enterprise, their wealth and their rank. He describes the education and up-bringing of their young and, through their correspondence, provides an illuminating view into their lives, both ashore and afloat, together with accounts of their business successes and setbacks.
Book Review from Guernsey Society Review, Spring 2010
The author, Gregory Stevens-Cox, has also written St Peter Port - the History of an Internal Entrepot - also available here.
This book, which is not available through amazon, is available through the Guernsey Society at a special price of £28. For more details, please contact us.
Telling Tales: Guernsey News, Views, Ideas, Snippets and Gossip from the Early to Mid-1800s
Instead of being lost in time between the pages of old newspapers and books, these accounts and opinions of a bygone age are uniquely collected together into a compilation which shines a torch on the social history of Guernsey. Complemented by local prints of the era, this valuable contemporary study of Guernsey's heritage will please the reader, genealogist and historian alike.
The Author Susan Ilie was born in Guernsey and works as an independent family history researcher.
Guernsey Fiction
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
A novel set in Guernsey shortly after the German occupation. The story is told through a series of letters between an author living in London and members of the oddly-named Society.
This is a charming, often funny, book, and while, on occasion, it may not quite reflect the Guernsey we know or knew, it nevertheless recaptures brilliantly the atmosphere of those years, and weaves an enthralling tale which is difficult to put down
Review of the Guernsey Society, Summer 2008
Harriet and Edward, both only children, are brought up together on the small, beautiful island of Riduna, the ancient name for Alderney. Their relationship changes as they grow into adulthood and not only do they have to face the problems of falling in love on an island governed by the strict moral rules of the late nineteenth century, but also a realisation that they have conflicting desires for their future. Edward's dream has always been to travel and he sets sail with Harriet's blessing, because she believes that one day he will then be more content to share a quieter life with her. He joins a ship for faraway places and leaves her 'waiting' for him at home. Slowly the peaceful, unchanging life on the island gives way to a wider world as tragedy, poor communications and changing life expectations all play a role in their destiny.
Whilst her great grandmother, an Alderney girl, has been her inspiration, Diana stresses that her first novel Riduna is purely fiction. Hoping to take the reader to a time before the much documented World War II Occupation and Evacuation, she chose the name 'Riduna' to conjure up the mystery and beauty of an island which holds a special place in her heart.
World War II
Displaced Donkeys: A Guernsey Family's War by Suzanne Lang
The evacuation of Guernsey in late June 1940 impacted on every family on that peaceful rural island. Parents had only 24 hours to decide whether or not to send their children to Britain with their schools and teachers. Mothers with children under school age had to decide whether to flee Guernsey to Britain with their children, whilst men of military age had to decide whether to enlist in the British forces, or to remain on Guernsey to protect their homes and livelihoods under the coming Nazi Occupation. As numerous families were torn apart, the stresses of
war affected relationships between husband and wife and between parents and children. Many of the mothers who left Guernsey for towns in the North-West of England had little money and few possessions, and struggled to care for their children, both materially and emotionally. They also had to cope with the unfamiliar surroundings of industrial towns that were so very different to their rural island home.
Suzanne's book tells the story of one such Guernsey family. It details their highs and their lows, and shows how they coped in the unfamiliar surroundings of Glasgow and Stockport in the 1940s. As Dolly states, 'It's this bloody war Cliff, it's changed people's lives... It wasn't of our making but we've had to live through it and survive as best we could.'
Guernsey under Occupation: The Diaries of Violet Carey edited by Alice Evans
"Unique and unparalleled insight into the impact of the German invasion on the people of Guernsey".
The diaries kept by Violet Carey during the occupation of Guernsey show precisely how the German invasion affected the lifestyle of an upper middle class woman. Whilst never indulging in self-pity, she captures the misery caused by imprisonment and the lethargy and depression that many, including herself, suffered. What comes through most vividly is a valiant acceptance on the part of the islanders of their circumstances, together w+ith optimism that all would turn out well. The diaries also indicate the pressures experienced by the island's leaders as the writer is related to Bailiff Victor Carey and husband is Jurat of the Royal Court. An introductory section examines the language and content of the diaries and shows how, as the occupation lengthened and shortages became more acute, the veneer of civilisation could be stripped away and the privileges afforded by wealth, education and class rendered irrelevant.
Current Affairs
Planet Guernsey - Towards a Sustainable Future by Andrew Casebow (editor)
This booklet puts the global issue of Climate Change into a local context. It documents its effects on our lives and the Bailiwick's environment, and proposes ways in which we can respond to that challenge.
Natural History
Wildlife of the Channel Islands by Sue Daly
This book presents a vivid picture of the islands' rich and varied natural history. It examines the variety of habitats to be found in the islands. Illustrated with over 240 colour photographs, each habitat includes a description of the wildlife to be found there: Animals and Plants; Birds and Butterflies; Fish and Fowl; Mammals and Reptiles - including some of the unique species to be found in the islands.
Photographs of Guernsey
Guernsey Sark and Herm: A View of the Islands by Dallas Masterton
In Guernsey, Sark and Herm Chris Andrews has presented a fascinating portrait of these elusively handsome islands. The photographs have a poetic nature, capturing the tricks and mood of light and the construction of seascapes, harbours, boats and historical buidings. Sales of this book help the Guernsey Lifeboat Guild.
Victor Hugo
Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo
A new paperback edition of the novel written by Victor Hugo during his exile in Guernsey & dedicated to the people of Guernsey. It tells the story of Gilliatt, a Guernsey fisherman who falls in love with the daughter of a local shipowner.
"It is only now being recognised as an important moment in the history of the novel".
"Victor Hugo" Graham Robb
Films on DVD and VHS
Film set in World War II starring Peter Sellers and Charles Aznavour about seven slave labourers who hide in an underground network of tunnels, get sealed in and are not discovered for years. Filmed on location in a German bunker in Guernsey. A little-known film, with Sellers in a straight role.
Guernsey Society publications
in conjunction with
Over the years, the Guernsey Society has published a number of classic reference works on Guernsey. These are now out-of-print, but in conjunction with abebooks.com, many of them are now available second hand.
electronic & online books
The Man Who Loved Islands by DH Lawrence
A short story written by DH Lawrence that Compton McKenzie was convinced was an attack on him.
