My latest book...

Mostly Joy
A Dales family down the ages

A truly absorbing account of David Joy’s farming ancestors and his life in the Dales. Penned as a continuous narrative, it will appeal to all with a kindred love of the Wharfedale countryside in times past and present. It also fulfils a need for family historians and especially those scattered far and wide with Joy ancestors. Putting people before things, it is a highly readable story of feuds and failure, strife and success.
Mostly Joy begins at one of the most remote of all farmhouses in the Dales on wild moorland high above Hebden in Upper Wharfedale. Here Joy farmers eked a living for almost two centuries before their better land was lost under the first Grimwith Reservoir. Forced to move down to Garnshaw Farm, nearer Grassington, there was a bitter dispute between three brothers that led to all possessions being auctioned. Other members of the family escaped hardship in the Dales by keeping cows in the middle of Liverpool!

Paperback, 108 pages, 82 photographs. Published in a limited edition of 100 copies. £17.50

Men of Lead

Miners of the Yorkshire Dales

Miners gave their all in an age when lead was hard to find, dangerous to extract and yet capable of producing wealth beyond their wildest imagination. The mineral they sought may have been grey rather than glistening gold, but that mattered little in the pursuit of an elusive dream. This much-needed book is a portrayal of miners rather than mining. It looks at a fascinating range of individuals from rich aristocrats to men who only ventured underground because they were utterly poverty-stricken. Their homes, health, religion and occasional leisure receive full coverage, as does the role of women and children. Emphasis is given to key mining communities – most villages in Swaledale as well as Greenhow, Grassington and Hebden in Upper Wharfedale.
A ‘people index’ of some 200 names associated with lead mining makes this book especially valuable to those researching their family ancestry. Out-of-print for several years, it has been reprinted in a limited edition in response to growing demand.

Paperback, 128 pages, 70 illustrations. £17.50

A Passion for The Dales

A superbly illustrated large-format book that will delight both local dales people and the many visitors to this magnificent countryside. The many varied themes include:

• The Limestone Wonderland – storm and tempest at Gordale Scar.
• Wild weather – snowed in for weeks on end.
• Climbing the remotest peak.
• The timeless country railway.
• Dalesfolk – their humour and their resilience.
• Farming – especially at lambing time and haymaking.

‘A beautiful book in every sense, reflecting a lifetime’s experience of someone who is part of the land and the communities he describes. From the pen of a born writer, it is also highly readable, at times even poetic, with much personal detail.’ – Yorkshire Dales Review

Hardback, 160 pages, 172 photographs. £19.95

Railways and The Dales

A book that is both informative and richly illustrated, capturing how railways serving the Dales have changed from the 1950s through to the present day. Coverage includes the legendary Settle to Carlisle railway, as well as many other lines ranging from forgotten branches in Nidderdale and Wensleydale through to electrified routes carrying commuters into the heart of Leeds. Also featured are the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway as well as the Wensleydale Railway serving both Bedale and Leyburn.
A collaboration with Gavin Morrison, one of Britain’s most experienced railway photographers, who has gained the highest reputation for the quality of his work. His images capture how lines to the Dales have come to play a key part in an age of leisure with virtually all surviving routes offering their best-ever services.
Overall, this is a nostalgic and evocative depiction of railways in a glorious corner of what has become known as ‘God’s Own County’.

Hardback, 128 pages, over 150 photographs. £19.95

Discover Your Woods

Trees in The Dales

There are hundreds of books on trees and woodland but this is the first one to set the subject in the context of the Yorkshire Dales. This is an area of striking contrasts: open, exposed sweeping fells and expansive views above deep, sheltered valleys. Trees and woodlands are a scarce but important part of the unique character of this protected landscape. Many individual trees have stood for hundreds of years and are a living link to times past.
This book looks at such issues as the lack of broadleaved woodland in the Dales and the problems caused by ash dieback. The main chapter focuses on 21 of the area’s best-known species and there is also a detailed portrayal of six very different woods. Complementing the text is a superb selection of photographs, many of which could be taken nowhere else.
Published in association with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

Paperback, 144 pages, 132 photographs £17.50