Books on Hertfordshire

The Francis Frith Collection

and related publications

Francis Frith embarked on three pioneering photographic expeditions to the Nile and Holy Lands between 1857 and 1859. The resulting photographs established his reputation, and in 1860 he founded the world's first specialist photographic publishing business; by the 1880s this had become the greatest photographic publishing company in the world. Frith and his team of photographers travelled all over Britain, aiming to photograph every town and village.

After Frith's death in 1898 his sons and grandsons continued the business; by 1970 its collection contained over a third of a million pictures depicting 7,000 British towns and villages. The archive Frith founded now illustrates a range of successful local history books and other products published by The Francis Frith Collection. The company continues the Frith tradition of publishing photographs from its own archive and other photographers where appropriate, and is also commissioning new photographs to illustrate the changes that have taken place in our towns and cities over the last century.

A number of different "standard format" series of picture books, with varying amounts of supporting text, have been published - in part at least as an advert for the prints they sell (there is a voucher to allow you to order a free print with many of the books, A number of Hertfordshire places have been published in various series and I did not keep in touch with them as they came out. Some are linked to particular book shop chains. This page is being established record which ones I know about. If you know of a Hertfordshire volume not listed below please send me publication details.

There is a CD of Frith's Photographs covering the whole of the UK, including the following places in Hertfordshire: Baldock, Berkhamsted, Bishops Stortford, Borehamwood, Buntingford, Bushey, Chorleywood, Codicote, Harpenden, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Kimpton, Knebworth, Letchworth, Rickmansworth, Royston, Sawbridgeworth, St Albans, Stanstead Abbots, Stevenage, Tring, Waltham Cross, Ware, Welwyn Garden City. Copies are available from S&N Genealogy Supplies and probably elsewhere.

The current in print list is given on www.francisfrith.co.uk

See also Frith's Postcards

Hertfordshire  
Hertfordshire   Francis Frith's Hertfordshire
[Photographic Memories]
by Keith Howell
Frith Book Company Limited, 2000
ISBN 1-85937-247-3 (paperback)   ISBN 1-85937-079-9 (hardback)
 
North & East Hertfordshire
[Francis Frith's Photographic Memories]
by Tom Doig
Frith Book Company Limited, 2002
ISBN 1-85937-546-2 (hardback)
  North and East Hertfordshire

Berkhamsted

  Berkhamsted
A History & Celebration
by Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005
ISBN 1-84589-195-3 (hardback)

  

Bishop's Stortford
A Photographic history
of your town
by Russell Thompson
Black Horse Books, 2002, for WHS
[using Frith pictures]
ISBN 1-904033-62-8 (paperback)
 
  So You Think You Know?
Bishops Stortford

The Francis Frith Collection, 2004 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-84567-020-5 (paperback)
Bishops Stortford
An Illustrated Miscellany

The Francis Frith Collection, 2004 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-90493-865-5 (hardback)
 
  Walk Around Historic
Bishops Stortford

by Ruth Stratton
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-84567-631-9 (paperback)
Hemel Hempstead
A History & Celebration

by Elizabeth Buteux
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005
ISBN 1-84589-206-2 (hardback)
 
  So You Think You Know?
Hemel Hempstead

A Quiz & Miscellany
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005
ISBN 1-84589-236-4 (hardback)
Hitchin
A Photographic history
of your town
by Simon Walker
Black Horse Books, 2001, for WHS
ISBN 1-904933-10-5

revised and reissued as

Hitchin
[Town & City Memories]
by Simon Walker
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005
ISBN 1-84589-041-8 (paperback)

 

  Hitchin
  Around St Albans
[Francis Frith's Photographic Memories]
by Kate Morris
Frith Book Company Limited, 2001
ISBN 1-85937-341-0 (paperback)

 

St Albans
A History & Celebration

by Tom Doig
The Francis Frith Collection, 2004 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-90493-845-0 (hardback)

 

 
  Walk Around Historic
St Albans

by Kate Morris
The Francis Frith Collection, 2005 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-84567-666-1 (paperbackback)

 

Stevenage
A Photographic history of your town

by Hugh Madgin
Black Horse Books, 2001, for WHS
[using Frith pictures]
ISBN 1-904033-31-8 (paperback)
 
  Stevenage
A History & Celebration

by Hugh Madgin
The Francis Frith Collection, 2004 for Ottakar
ISBN 1-90493-847-7 (hardback)  

 

Locating Books
At the time this page was last updated second hand copies were available online

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Page created July 2007