Books on Coventry

Just in case anyone is looking for this book, Astley book farm seem to have 3 copies . They're in a locked cabinet so can't comment on price(s) or condition.

Come on, give us a clue. It reminds me of a Two Ronnies sketch in a library where all the books are sorted by colour or size and not by title or author. So is it a medium sized brown book?

Beg pardon, the miniature nature of the image seems to be unchanging however I try to upload. The white sign says 'Dr Troughton's Sketches of Old Coventry. Mary Dormer Harris/Dr. Nathaniel Troughton c. 1906 £59.00'

Thanks The price of this book varies. I paid £19 for a copy with a fairly stained binder. I see them for £30 now and then. A very good book but it depends if you want a collectable copy or not. I just wanted the pictures in it. General advice, if you see something you like, it's worth doing the rounds of outlets online to see if there's another copy. Sod's law says that if you buy a copy of any book, you'll see one a fraction of the price a week later. Beware some of the images as they are stripped from a full book and sold separately. Sometimes it's much cheaper to buy the full copy of the book. Beware books with the plates removed! Look for a very expensive copy as it will often list the number of plates the book should have. Then go back to the cheap copy and work out the value. Many very old books are now available for free online. Beware of reprints of old books. They often don't have the images and they are subject to copyright. They may even be more expensive than an original copy.

Just fished my copy out, it says £10 but I have had it a few years so add a bit of inflation on to that!

Anyone out there with a spare copy of "1000 years of Coventry Pubs" ?

Hi Mick. It's a good book but hard to get hold of. I was looking for about 3 years. Not that it's much use right now but there is a copy at the Herbert.

Mick, are you aware that Fred Luckett & John Ashby's great pub site is now hosted here by Rob?

Thanks, Neil, yes. I mailed John last night to ask if there was a possibility of a re-print and he guided me to it.

Does it have the Tavern of Berkswell in it, and where it was?

"Berkswell Tavern"

Thank you Midland Red, tried to trace but without luck.

Helen, Do you have any book you can direct me to about Vikings in Coventry at any time please, as I can't find them in an historical book. For that matter neither can I find any book that places Leofric in Coventry, or building anything in Coventry.

Here's a book that states Cheylesmore Castle was the residence of Leofric, but it was published in 1857, so not exactly a reliable source. Ladye Godiva (or Coventry in the days of Leofric, earl of Mercia) It does seem to be part comedy and part supposedly historic fact. I suspect you wanted something nearer a contemporary date.

As good as any is A History of Coventry * by David McGrory and I'd have referenced it before but I'd put books away for Christmas. He pulls together older theories and some more modern thinking and research. The problem is that there is very little detailed history of Coventry prior to the Leet Books. Much of the city's past is made up of snippets in books or documents made long after the events. Even understanding of Leofric and Godiva is limited by what's known, what's myth and what's mything... sorry missing. For instance, some theories put St Osburga's on Barrs Hill but I have my doubts that replacement monastery built by Cnut/Godiva would have been so far away from where St Mary's was built. The city has been built over many times and finding even the medieval stuff is difficult. David McGrory writes that St Osburga might be one of the Sisterhood of Barking, due to a single reference. That's not a criticism on my part, that's as good as it gets. As records get translated and/or uploaded, there may be a well of untapped evidence eg I've wondered what the Vatican's library might have on Coventry but I'll let someone else follow that thread. * The price varies a lot but it originally cost £18.99.