AUTHOR: Clive Aslet
PUBLISHER: Fourth Estate
YEAR: 1999
ISBN: 1-85702 - 825 - 2
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating - OK.
The Phantom Says:
This is one of my favourite general books about Greenwich. The editor of Country Life doesn't sound like the first choice for a book about a largely urban area, but this is well-researched, beautifully written and very nicely illustrated. Everyone should have a copy. Sadly long-gone are the days when you could find it in the Greenwich remainder bookshops, but Amazon claim that it's only temporarily out of stock.
TITLE: Blackheath - The Story of the Royal Hundred
AUTHOR: Gerard L. Baker
PUBLISHER: The Morden Society
YEAR: 1925
ISBN: none
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Bloomin' hard.
The Phantom says:
To be honest the text in this slim volume isn't much cop - standard historical fare which is flimsy at best and skimmed-over at worst - but you wouldn't get this book for the words. The illustrations, by the author himself, are priceless - gorgeous line drawings of Greenwich and Blackheath in the 1920s, populated by flappers and men in homburgs. If the illustrations are worth having, the adverts are even better. Every one of them a gem.
TITLE: Greenwich and Blackheath Past
AUTHOR:Felix barker
PUBLISHER: Historical Publications LTD
YEAR: 1993
ISBN: 0948667192
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: harder than it should be
The Phantom says:
Just why is this book out of print? Virtually every other town in Britain seems to have one of these general history books in print but the Greenwich one is very rare indeed.
Which is a pig because it's really really good. Much more intense than it first appears and with stories I hadn't read elsewhere. Come on HP - pull your socks up!
TITLE: Remember Greenwich
AUTHOR: Iris Bryce
PUBLISHER: Greenwich Community College Press
YEAR: 1995
ISBN: 1 874678 10 3
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK - find it in the Pepys Visitor Centre
The Phantom says:
I love this book. It has the passion and plot development of a novel, and yet this is very much a memoir. The story of a young girl growing up in East Greenwich in the 1930s and 40s, this is what all memoirs should be and usually aren't.
TITLE: A Tree In The Quad
AUTHOR: Iris Bryce
PUBLISHER:
YEAR:
ISBN:
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK - find it at the Pepys Visitor Centre
The Phantom says:
While not quite as gripping as Remember Greenwich, there is still a lot of spark in Iris Bryce's sequel. This follows her life among the beatniks of Woolwich (no - really) during the 1950s. You don't have to grow a goatee and sport a beret to read this but it might help...
TITLE: The Queen's House
AUTHOR: Sir Geoffrey Callender
PUBLISHER: Various
YEAR: 1937
ISBN: various
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Average
The Phantom says:
This little companion to the Queen's House looks very pamphlety at first sight, but it's actually beautifully written and repays a closer look than most guidebooks. A slim, flimsy thing (the ones produced during the war are particularly delicate) if it's to be found, you'll usually discover it in the cardboard box by the door of secondhand bookshops marked "Everything 50p." Take my tip. Spend 50p.
TITLE: A View of Christ's College, Blackheath
AUTHOR: A.E.O. Crombie
PUBLISHER:Meresborough Books
YEAR:1980
ISBN:0905270223
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK
The Phantom says:
For anyone who's not an Old Boy of Blackheath, this will probably prove quite heavy-going. If you ARE an Old Boy, though, it's essential reading. For the rest of us, definitely specialist only.
TITLE: Sold As A Slave
AUTHOR: Olaudah Equiano
PUBLISHER: Penguin
YEAR: 1789
ISBN: 978 0 141 02544 5
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy - In Print
The Phantom says:
I didn't really know where to put this little volume - an extract from Olaudah's memoirs, but since he spent some time in Greenwich it's here. An important little book, it's the voice of a slave from 200 years ago, and although just a slice of the whole thing, a real glimpse into part of Greenwich's murkier past.
TITLE: The Palace And The Hospital - Chronicles of Greenwich (two volumes)
AUTHOR: The Rev A G L'Estrange
PUBLISHER: Hurst & Blackett
YEAR: 1886
ISBN: None
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Bloomin' hard. I found one copy on Abebooks - at £71.74
The Phantom says:
The Reverend and I enjoy an uneasy relationship. Perhaps it's just that we come from different times and different worlds, but I often find myself fascinated and wholeheartedly disagreeing with him at the same time. He's certainly full of anecdotes (if apt to go off on tangents from time to time - but then don't we all...) and when I found this by happy accident at somewhat less than seventy quid (cough, fourteen, tee hee) I read both volumes straight through, stopping only to eat, sleep and visit some particularly annoying relatives. Not a must-have - but an interesting read if you can get one at a sensible price.
TITLE: Grandfather's Greenwich
AUTHOR: Alan Glencross/ The Spurgeon Collection
PUBLISHER: Conway Maritime Press
YEAR: 1972
ISBN: 0851770614
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Pretty easy
The Phantom says:
Try to ignore the dodgy 1970s layout and just enjoy the photographs of Greenwich's poor and working class, taken from a collection commissioned between 1884 and 1887 by the Rev Charles Spurgeon. They may look spontaneous, but because of exposure times, each of them would have taken several minutes to take (the one of the bobby clipping the ear of a small boy must have been particularly uncomfortable for said urchin...
TITLE: The National Maritime Museum
AUTHOR: Basil Greenhill
PUBLISHER: Philip Wilson/ Summerfield
YEAR: 1982
ISBN: 0856671339
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Peasy
The Phantom says:
This will, apparently, cost you 82p on Amazon. Money well spent if you like colourful guides with just the right information about exhibits. Probably horribly out of date, since it's over twenty years old and goes back to the days when the Maritime Museum actually had exhibits rather than large amounts of empty space surrounding the greatest hits. I particularly like the bit about water transport archeaology.
TITLE: America Began At Greenwich
AUTHOR: Nigel Hamilton
PUBLISHER: Poseidon
YEAR:1976
ISBN: 0 905242 01 7
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Hard
The Phantom says:
A very slim volume, but essential if you want to know more about America's surprisingly strong links with Greenwich. From the very first discoverers to Transatlantic Cables, Hamilton charts the connections with a few pictures for good measure. This is a pig to find - I got mine from a bookshop in Eastbourne for pennies, but Amazon Marketplace's best offer is nearly sixty quid. Trust me - it's not worth it. Take a trip to the Heritage Centre. If you really have cash to burn, here's the widget:
TITLE: Guide to Greenwich
AUTHOR: Nigel Hamilton
PUBLISHER: The Greenwich Bookshop
YEAR: 1969
ISBN: 900 293 047
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Average
The Phantom says:
Nigel Hamilton today is one of the biographical big-hitters at Random House - but he started out as a bookshop owner in Greenwich who wrote a guide book because there wasn't one. It stands up pretty well to time and although the photos are (necessarily) B&W they are clear and concise, Hamilton's style is fresh and clear. An excellent introduction, though, of course, somewhat out of date these days...
TITLE: Royal Greenwich
AUTHOR:Nigel and Olive Hamilton.
PUBLISHER:The Greenwich Bookshop
YEAR:1969
ISBN:900293 01 2
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating:Average
The Phantom says: As far as I can tell this is an expanded, hardback version of Hamilton's Guide (above.) It includes excursions and stuff about the monarchs related to the area. If you only get one of the two, get this one.
TITLE: History of Kent - Blackheath Hundred
AUTHOR: Hasted; ed. Henry Drake
PUBLISHER: Mitchell & Hughes
YEAR: Mos common edition: 1886
ISBN: You must be joking...
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Very hard.
The Phantom says:
This book is enormous - 18" x 12" - and a weighty tome in pretty much every sense of the word. But it is fabulous in its detail and Drake's notes to Hasted's original are worthy in themselves. Only really for dedicated scholars - but if you like antiquarian books, it's really rather wonderful. There are currently four volumes listed on Abebooks, at between £180 and £350.
TITLE: An Illustrated History of the University of Greenwich
AUTHOR: Thomas Hinde
PUBLISHER: James and James
YEAR: 1996
ISBN: 0907383637
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Loads of 'em around
The Phantom says:
This is clearly of most interest to university tutors, students and alumni. For the rest of us, it's only of passing note.
TITLE: Greenwich - The Place Where Days Begin and End
AUTHOR: Charles Jennings
PUBLISHER: Abacus
YEAR: 1999
ISBN: 0349 11230 4
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy - in print
The Phantom says:
An essential read for anyone needing an introduction to the town. Jennings is cool, erudite and crisp, and packs a lot into a small space. My grumble, if I have one, is that I get the feeling that Jennings doesn't actually like Greenwich very much. I sense no spark of joy at the place from his witty, sardonic prose, just the faintest whiff of sarcasm. Nevertheless, along with Aslett, one of the better modern books, even if very obviously written to cash-in on the millennium.
TITLE: The History of Morden College
AUTHOR: Partrick Joyce
PUBLISHER: Gresham Books
YEAR: 1982
ISBN: 0905418913
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Ok-ish
The Phantom says:
I'll be honest with you folks - I found this one hard work. It's got the information, but not the joy, that history needs. I can't fault its scholarship, but it seems bowed over with the college's sense of importance. One for facts, not enjoyment.
TITLE: Kent and East Sussex Underground
AUTHOR:Kent Underground Research Group
PUBLISHER:Meresbrough
YEAR:1991
ISBN:0948193581
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy - but you have to go to the right place.
The Phantom says: KURG is a fabulous thing to belong to if you like digging around in holes and caves. People contact KURG to investigate tunnels and caverns all over Kent (and beyond) - a sort of cross between Indiana Jones and a SWAT team. Greenwich doesn't play a huge role in this book, but it's worth a read as a whole - you might even find yourself joining...
As far as I know it's only available from KURG themselves at the extremely reasonable offer price of £3.50 ("offer-price" implies they're getting rid of the last few copies - perhaps thye'll be bringing out a new publication soon.) Email mike@mikeclinch.co.uk while stocks last...
TITLE: Greenwich
AUTHOR: Barbara Ludlow
PUBLISHER: The History Press
YEAR: 2008
ISBN: 978 0 7524 0045 7
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating - Easy - In print
The Phantom Says:
A fine collection of unusual photographs of not just Greenwich town but the whole borough. See my full review on the books section of the blog
TITLE: The Royal Greenwich Observatory
AUTHOR: W.H. McCrea
PUBLISHER:Her Majesty's Stationery Office
YEAR:1975
ISBN:0118806165
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy
The Phantom says:
A useful little volume created for the tercentenery of the institution. Quite scientific, but also with lots of facts and figures.
TITLE: Greenwich and Woolwich at Work
AUTHOR: Mary Mills
PUBLISHER:Simon Publishing
YEAR: 2002
ISBN: 0750930004
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Harder than you might think
The Phantom says:
This is an excellent book - mainly pictures, but the text that goes with them is insightful and well-paced. Look out especially for the Great Molasses Flood on the inside fly.
TITLE: Greenwich Marsh - The 300 Years Before The Dome
AUTHOR: Mary Mills
PUBLISHER: M. Wright
YEAR: 1999
ISBN: 0953524507
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK - it's on Amazon, but you'll pay for it.
The Phantom says:
A book that shouldn't have gone out of print. If you're interested in the history of Greenwich as a whole, rather than just the glamorous Royal bit, this book is a must. It's clearly laid out, in nice sections so that the eye doesn't get tired, and scrupulously researched. An important volume.
TITLE: Greenwich Hospital - A Royal Foundation 1692 - 1983
AUTHOR: Philip Newell
PUBLISHER: The Trustees of Greenwich Hospital
YEAR: 1984
ISBN: 095098606
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy
The Phantom says:
When I got my copy of this, it was in absolute mint condition. I can only assume it was because it's such hard work to read. It's all there - pretty much any question you'd ever care to ask about the hospital will be answered in here - but it may take the rest of your life to find it. Not for the faint-hearted.
TITLE: 1851 Census Index For North West Kent - Vol VII - Greenwich Parish.
AUTHOR: North West Kent family History Society
PUBLISHER: NWKFHS
YEAR: 1999
ISBN: 0 9533040 19
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Available
The Phantom says:
A tedious read, for hardcore family-history nuts only. Some of the info at the beginning is useful, and I have looked up specifics for people in it, other than that, even for real dyed-in-the-wool family historians, this is a regular plough-through, for reference only.
TITLE: A History of Greenwich
AUTHOR: Beryl Platts
PUBLISHER: David & Charles
YEAR: 1973
ISBN: 0 7153 5903 7
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK. It's been out of print for years, but there are plenty of copies knocking about.
The Phantom says:
This book is a call-to-arms in all but name. Written in the early 70s, it was a response to the wholesale destruction that Greenwich was threatened with. It is romantic and whimsical, but thought-provoking and deeply enjoyable. Greenwich DID lose a lot of buildings during that time, but thanks to Platt and other concerned folks at the time, some was saved. A revised edition would be welcomed.
TITLE: A Year In The Life Of Greenwich Park
AUTHOR: Anthony Quiney
PUBLISHER: Frances Lincoln
YEAR: 2009
ISBN: 978 0 7112 2871 9
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating - Easy - In print
The Phantom Says:
A lovely book of nigh-on edible photos of Greenwich Park, with a short history at the beginning. Not an in-depth analysis, but beaurtiful nonetheless. See my full review here
TITLE: Greenwich - Centre of the World
AUTHOR: David Ramzan
PUBLISHER: Tempus
YEAR: 2007
ISBN: 978 0 7524 4260 0
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Easy - available in Waterstones and the Pepys Visitor Centre.
The Phantom says:
A lovely picture book with dozens of great photographs with good, long captions, written by someone with personal memories. Ramzan's own photos appear in it as well as classics, and these are easily the most touching.
TITLE: Maritime Greenwich
AUTHOR: David Ramzan
PUBLISHER: The History Press
YEAR: 2009
ISBN: 078 07524 4778 0
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating - Easy - In print
The Phantom Says:
Once again, a solid collection of photos, many of which I've never seen before, mainly (naturally) to do with Greenwich's maritime past. Not as personal as Ramzan's earlier work, but still well-written and fascinating to read. See my full review here
TITLE: Blackheath Village & Environs 1 & 2
AUTHOR: Neil Rhind
PUBLISHER: Bookshop Blackheath
YEAR: 1993
ISBN: 0 9505 136 5 2
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Vol I -Easy- currently in print; Volume II - hard - out of print.
The Phantom says: This is an intense study by local historian Neil Rhind, which goes into the minute history of Blackheath. This volume covers The Village and Blackheath Vale - and is presumably the one that The Bookshop have decided to take a gamble on reprinting. Volume 2 covers the peripherals - Wricklemarsh, Cator, Kidbrooke and Westcombe and hasn't, as far as I know, been reprinted.
You can find the first book easily enough - I even got my copy from Sisters and Daughters. If you see the second, buy it. I did notice that there was a notice at Reception in the Clarendon Hotel that they sold the books. Whether or not the notice is current is anyone's guess, knowing the Clarendon...
TITLE: The Heath
AUTHOR: Neil Rhind
PUBLISHER:Bookshop Blackheath
YEAR:1987
ISBN:0 9505136 44
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: hard-ish.
The Phantom says: Neil Rhind covers the history of the heath in the kind of detail he lent to his tomes on Blackheath. Some fab pics and a map too. Not wildly easy to find but Amazon have a couple of copies.
TITLE: A Fair Estate
AUTHOR:Neil Rhind
PUBLISHER:The Blackheath Cator Estate Residents Ltd
YEAR:2007
ISBN: 978 0 955 62 19 0 1
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: OK
The Phantom says: This is Rhind's latest book - and I suspect a bit of a halfway house where he couldn't get a reprint on the second volume of Blackheath and Environs. Very specialised, it covers the Cator Estate only - but with Rhind's easy-going style is still an enjoyable enough read. I bought my copy from the man himself after a talk, but you can find them online at the Cator Estate's Webpage
TITLE: A Pageant of the Sea - The Macpherson Collection of maritime Prints and Drawings in the National maritime Museum, Greenwich
AUTHOR:M.S.Robinson
PUBLISHER:Halton and Company
YEAR:1950
ISBN: none that I can find
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Out of print but available. Rather expensive - I would only get it as a supplement once my library was established.
The Phantom says:
This is a sumptuous book of prints, as it says, from the National Maritime Museum. There's also a short maritime history to put the pictures in some sort of context. It's a good looking book - but rather pricey.
TITLE: The First Railway In London
AUTHOR:Alfred Rosling Bennett, MIEE
PUBLISHER:Conway Maritime Press
YEAR:1912/1971
ISBN: 0851770460
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Not Bad.
The Phantom says:
I love this book because, having been written in 1912, there is a wealth of first-hand memories and opinions as well as the historic stuff. It's a very 1970s-packaging (unless you're lucky enough to find an original 1912 copy, of course) in a nasty orange colour, but it's just great...
TITLE:Discover Greenwich and Charlton
AUTHOR: Darrell Spurgeon
PUBLISHER: Greenwich Guide Books
YEAR:1991
ISBN: 095156241X
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Pretty easy
The Phantom says:
At first glance this looks to general to be much use - but it's actually full of the sort of detail that many other (and more trumped-up) books leave out. Spurgeon doesn't go into huge depth on anything - but just feel that width, folks - especially if you're in Charlton and feeling a bit left out. I would recommend this book for all Greenwich lovers' shelves.
TITLE:The Underground Passages, Caverns, &c., of Greenwich and Blackheath
AUTHOR: John M. Stone. M.A.
PUBLISHER:Charles North, The Blackheath Press
YEAR:1914
ISBN:Forget it
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating:An utter pig. If you see one, get it - but it won't be cheap. I was lucky to find one at eighteen quid - a pound a page.
The Phantom says:
A little gem that starts out with the tantalising phrase "many of you will have been in the undreground passages leading from Greenwich Park under Crooms Hill..." - and just gets better. A very slim volume, but with huge amounts of info about a subject virtually forgotten these days.
TITLE: London's First Railway
AUTHOR: R H G Thomas
PUBLISHER: Batsford
YEAR: 1972
ISBN: 0 7134 5414 8
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: Average to hard
The Phantom says:
A thoroughly researched and intricate history of the railway line between London Bridge and Greenwich - and beyond. A toughie to find - try Abebooks and railway history specialists.
TITLE: Greenwich Park, Its History and Associations
AUTHOR: A D Webster
PUBLISHER: Lewis Reprints
YEAR: 1902/reprinted 1971
ISBN:0 85177 036 3
HOW TO FIND IT: Difficulty rating: A bugger. It may have been reprinted in 1971, but it's still very hard to find.
The Phantom says:
A superb book by a chap who really knew and cared about Greenwich. Webster had first-hand knowledge of the archaeological dig in 1902 and an minute interest in all aspects of the park. He has not been surpassed. That this book has not either been reprinted or updated is a disgrace.
