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Bristol Books

A not-for-profit company publishing important and untold stories about lives, communities, places and events with significance and interest in the Bristol

Bristol Books, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company was formed by four people with a passion for Bristol to meet the huge demand for local stories about the city and the South West through the years. There is a huge appetite for stories about Bristol and the surrounding area. Bristol has been the home of some fascinating characters and the venue for some amazing events. Our aim is to capture these untold stories and help enrich the culture of the city.

22/09/2026

Out now! 🎉
💚 Bristol Green Walks
💚 12 easy walks around Bristol’s green spaces
by Sue Cullimore

Immerse yourself in Bristol’s green spaces and discover something new along the way.

This book brings together 12 short walks exploring the many green spaces across Bristol. From wooded valleys and wildflower meadows to reclaimed industrial sites now returned to nature, formal parkland and nature reserves.

These walks have been selected for relatively easy walking and accessibility, with options for shortcuts, detours and extensions. As well as detailed walk descriptions and route maps, each walk has information on history and heritage, nature notes, and activit for families and children. There are also suggestions for public transport links and nearby car parking, plus ideas for refreshment stops along the way.

📍Price: £14
📍Published by Bristol Books
📍Available from: www.bristolbooks.org/shop/bristol-green-walks

16/09/2026

A tribute to John Hudson

Former Bristol Books author, Manchester Guardian and Western Daily Press journalist and magazine editor, John Hudson, died at home in Chalford Hill near Stroud on August 4, aged 80.

John wrote two biographies for Bristol Books, including Adge: King of the Wurzels and Fred Wedlock: Funnyman of Folk, as well as more than 20 other books, many related to social history and working-class culture, a subject that fascinated him and which he wrote about with expertise and affection.

His friend Richard Jones (Bristol Books) has written a tribute to John which you can read in full on the Bristol Books website:
www.bristolbooks.org/news/author-tribute-john-hudson

10/09/2026

Congratulations 🎉👏to author Jane Duffus on the official launch of her new book 'The Women Who Built Bath'.

Great to see a packed audience at and hear Jane in conversation with the BBC's Laura Rawlings.

03/09/2026

Out Now! The Women Who Built Bath
by Jane Duffus

Previously untold stories of 200 incredible women from Bath’s history. Inside this book by Jane Duffus, author of the popular The Women Who Built Bristol series, you will discover the women who helped to shape Bath into the extraordinary city that it is today.

You can expect to find 26 suffragists, six artists, four doctors, two pioneering police officers and one big-hearted chicken… plus many more besides. Such as the woman who founded a community of almshouses for single women, the doctor who travelled to her patients by horse so as not to be late, and the homeowner who made her voice heard by sunbathing in a scandalously yellow bikini.

📍Price: £14.99
👉bristolbooks.org/shop/the-women-who-built-bath

27/08/2026

Martin Rieser launches his third Poetry collection The Coffin Path published by Bristol Books

📆 9th September 7.30pm
📍The Square Club, Berkeley Square, Bristol BS8 1HB

The poems in this volume were mostly written about a remote valley to the far west of Cornwall, in the area of West Penwith, which forms a granite near-island at the very tip of the country. The poet meditates on the continuity of memory in a landscape scarred by past industry and changing habitat, where the layers of history and geology are randomly strewn across its rugged topography and mortality is embodied in megaliths, walls and rocks of its ancient landscape.

“A book of poems and photographs that surge and pulse with life.”
– Alyson Hallett

Music:
The Fieldcaps Alt-Folk Originals and Traditions from the West Country

Supporting Poets:
Lizzie Parker
Agata Palmer
David Punter
Gillie Harries

21/08/2026

Book Launch: The Women Who Built Bath

📍Wednesday, 9 September 2026 – 7-9pm
📍Upstairs at the Townhouse, 18-19 Old Bond Street, Bath, BA1 1BP

You are warmly invited to the book launch for 'The Women Who Built Bath' by author . Join us for drinks in the bar, followed by Jane in conversation with BBC presenter Laura Rawlings, and then book sales and signings.

🎫Tickets: £5 (fully redeemable against a book purchase at the event)
👉https://wegottickets.com/f/23120

14/08/2026

Did you know…
The last coins to be struck in Bristol were during the reign of William III

Over the years, Bristol has had several mints. The first evidence for the existence of Bristol comes from a few small silver pennies struck during the reign of Aethelred the Unready (968-1016).

In 1272 it was recorded that there were ‘twelve furnaces in Bristol for melting silver, and hammering and stamping perfect money.’ Initially, the mint was probably within the castle precinct though in 1422 a new mint was set up in Norton’s Mansion – later St Peter’s Hospital, which was bombed in 1940 (pictured).

The last coins to be minted in Bristol were during the reign of William III (1689-1702). In 1696, there was a national ‘Great Re-coinage’ when old-style hand-hammered silver coins were replaced by new milled currency manufactured by a screw press. The milled edge of the coin was to deter fraudulent clipping. Branch mints were set up in Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Norwich and York. Bristol’s coins were recognisable by the letter ‘B’ under the head.

This is an extract from Manson’s Bristol Miscellany: Volume 1 by Michael Manson – A treasure trove of tales from the city’s rich and diverse history.

13/08/2026

The start of a new series of ‘A House Through Time’ on BBC2 tonight (Thursday 9pm).

David Olusoga, the presenter of ‘A House Through Time’ pictured here in Bookhaus on Wapping Wharf with a copy of 'Saints, Crooks & Slavers', the history of a Bristol house and its people, by Peter Cullimore.

Peter's house on Fairfield Road, Montpelier, made the final shortlist for the third series in Bristol in 2019. It inspired him to write his own history of the house.

Available now: £12
Buy online: www.bristolbooks.org/shop/saints-crooks-and-slavers

07/08/2026

COMING SOON…

The Women Who Built Bath
by Jane Duffus

Inside this book by Jane Duffus, author of the popular The Women Who Built Bristol series, you will find the previously untold stories of 200 incredible women from Bath’s history. They were all women who helped to shape Bath into the extraordinary city that it is today. A few of them you will know… but most of them will be new names to you.

You can expect to find 26 suffragists, six artists, four doctors, two pioneering police officers and one big-hearted chicken in here… plus many more besides. Such as the sisters who enjoyed wild swimming into their 70s, the woman who founded a community of almshouses for single women, the doctor who travelled to her patients by horse so as not to be late, and the homeowner who made her voice heard by sunbathing in a scandalously yellow bikini.

📍Pre-order now: This title will be released on 9th September, 2026

31/07/2026

COMING SOON… PRE-ORDER NOW!
Bristol Green Walks: 12 easy walks around Bristol’s green spaces

by Sue Cullimore

This new book brings together 12 short walks exploring the many green spaces within the Bristol city boundaries. From wooded valleys and wildflower meadows to reclaimed industrial sites now returned to nature, formal parkland and local nature reserves.

These walks have been selected for relatively easy walking and accessibility, with options for shortcuts, detours and extensions. As well as detailed walk descriptions and route maps, each walk has accompanying information on local history and heritage, nature notes, plus ideas and activities for families and children to help get the most out of your walk. There are also suggestions for public transport links and nearby car parking, plus ideas for refreshment stops along the way.

Pre-order now: This title will be released on 19th September, 2026
www.bristolbooks.org/shop/bristol-green-walks
Price: £14
ISBN: 9781909446519

Address

40 Woodborough Road
Bristol
BS251AG

Telephone

01275393933

Website

http://www.bristolbooks.org/

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