BOOKS WRITTEN BY MICHAEL CLEMENS.
In addition to the miles and miles of cine film taken by my late father and me there are also thousands and thousands of still pictures - both colour and black & white.
The format of the books since 2013 (Fonthill Media) are approx 128 pages of colour and black & white photos mostly from the late 1950s and through the 1960s up to the end of steam, each with an informative commentary. The emphasis is mainly on long closed lines and stations.
Book 14 - 1960s Iberian Railway Holiday - The author’s holidays as a child with his parents in the 1950s and 1960s were as much, if not more, about railways than about ‘normal’ holiday pursuits, and with the decline of British steam by the mid-1960s, thoughts turned further afield. From 1965 until 1969, family summer holidays became 2 weeks in either Spain or Portugal: Sitges, about 25 miles to the south of Barcelona, Spain, in 1965; Benidorm, about 30 miles to the north of Alicante, Spain, in 1966; Ofir, about 30 miles to the north of Oporto, Northern Portugal, in 1967 and 1968; and Tarragona, about 60 miles to the south of Barcelona, Spain, in 1969. The book explores Iberian broad- and narrow-gauge railways with an emphasis on steam, although diesel and electric power locomotives also feature, as also trams and trolleybuses. All the photographs (colour & monochrome) were taken by the author and his late father, and virtually all have never previously been published. Due to be published in September 2023.
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 13 - Worcester - using material solely from the photographic archive of the late R. E. (Ellis) James-Robertson (one of my late father's old pals).The majority of the photographs are taken within the County of Worcester, nearly half within a few miles of the City itself; nevertheless, there are examples form the surrounding counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Salop, and Warwick. The time period covered is from 1957 to 1965. Published in May 2022 (delayed due to coronavirus, it was meant to be published in 2020 and before Book 12 - North Wales).
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 12 - North Wales - also using material solely from the photographic archive of the late R. E. (Ellis) James-Robertson (one of my late father's old pals). The time period covered is from the mid-1950s through to the mid-1960s with steam being the predominant motive power; it includes excellent colour photographs from as early as 1955. Much of North Wales is visited and in addition to BR standard-gauge lines, the narrow-gauge Penrhyn and Padarn (Dinorwic) slate systems are covered in some detail. Published in July 2021 (delayed due to coronavirus).
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 11 - Scottish Railways in the 1960s - includes:Alloa, Alva, Auchtermuchty, Ayr, Ballachulish, Beattock, Brechin, Burghead, Dumfries, Callander, Carstairs, Castle Douglas, Coalburn, Douglas, Drongan, Duns, Edinburgh, Elgin, Fort William, Georgemas Junction, Glasgow, Gleneagles, Greenock, Hawick, Helmsdale, High Blantyre, Inverness, Killin, Kilmarnock, Larkhall, Lennoxtown, Lesmahagow, Lugar, Montrose, Muirkirk, Paisley, Rannoch, Stonehouse, Stranraer, Thurso, & Turriff. Published in December 2019.
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 10 - The Last Years of Steam Across Somerset & Dorset - includes: Bath, Bournemouth, Bridgwater, Bristol, Burnham, Chard, Clevedon, Dorchester, Dulverton, Evercreech Junction, Frome, Shepton Mallet, Swanage, Taunton, Templecombe, Wells, Weymouth, Yatton & Yeovil. The Somerset & Dorset Railway is covered in some detail. Published in 2018.
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 9 - The Last Years of Steam Around The East Midlands - includes: Banbury, Bicester, Nuneaton, Northampton, Buckingham, Towcester, Olney, Newport Pagnell, Bedford, Leicester West Bridge & Belgrave Road, Loughborough Derby Road, Burton-on-Trent, Stoke Bank, Sutton Bridge & South Lynn. The Great Central including Aylesbury, Brackley, Woodford Halse, Rugby, Leicester, Loughborough & Nottingham. Ironstone railways including Irchester, Finedon, Corby, Nassington, Byfield & Charwelton. Published in October 2017.
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 8 - The Railways of Devon & Cornwall - includes: Exe, Culm and Teign Valley branches, Lyme Regis, Seaton and Sidmouth Junctions, Barnstaple, Halwill, Bude plus its harbour branch, Launceston to Plymouth, Looe, Bodmin, Newquay, Falmouth, & Helston. Published in August 2016.
-----------------------------------------------------
Book 7 - The Last Years of Steam Around Central Wales - coverage inside the area bordered by Aberystwyth, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Brecon & Carmarthen and will also include lines in the Marches such as Kington and Presteign. Published in May 2015.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Book 6 - The Last Years of Steam in Shropshire and The Severn Valley - including the Severn Valley Railway in the pre-preservation era and such gems as Clee Hill Incline, Cleobury Mortimer & Ditton Priors, and Shropshire & Montgomery. Published in June 2014.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Book 5 - The Last Years of Steam Around The Midlands - With coverage across the entire Midlands using material solely from the photographic archive of the late A. J. Maund (one of my late father's old pals). Published in April 2013.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contracts have been signed for 4 more books:
Book 14 - 1960s Iberian Railway Holiday (2023), Book 15 - Northern England (2023).
Book 16 - Midlands (2024), Book 17 - South Wales (2025).
The books can be purchased by mail order from my local bookshop - Sedgeberrow Books, 25 High Street, Pershore WR10 1AA - Tel: 01386 751830 - or by the website/email below:
www.sedgeberrowbooks.co.uk
sales@sedgeberrowbooks.co.uk
They can also be purchased from bookshops throughout the UK, from the publisher direct by clicking on the cover pictures above, or worldwide via the internet.
The four Ian Allan books are all now out of print.
Book 1 - Cotswolds & South Midlands. Book 2 - The Withered Arm.
Book 3 - North Wales & Borders. Book 4 - Scottish Lowlands & Borders.
