Portrait of (book series) explained

The Portrait of books is a series of topographical works describing the cities, counties, and regions of Britain and some of the regions of France. The series was published by Robert Hale from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s and is part of a genre of topographical books in which Robert Hale specialised.^[1]

Its immediate predecessors were the County Books and Regional Books series while the Regions of Britain series was published contemporaneously in the 1970s. There was also a Villages series. A number of the Portrait series were republished in new editions titled "The Illustrated Portrait of...".

Described variously as neither literature, a history, or a guide book, the works attempted to sum-up the atmosphere of their area, and "the lives of its people, past and present".^[2]

The artwork for a number of the series dust jackets were designed by illustrator Val Biro.

List of titles

This is an incomplete list of titles. Each title was prefixed with the words "Portrait of".

• Aberdeen and Deeside by Cuthbert Graham (1972)
• Argyll and Southern Hebrides by David Graham-Campbell (1978)
• Avon by John Haddon (1981)
• Bath by John Haddon (1982)
• Bedfordshire by David H. Kennett (1978)
• Birmingham by Vivian Bird (1970)
• The Black Country by Harold Parsons (1986)
• The Border Country by Nigel Tranter (1972) (Revised 1987 as The Illustrated Portrait of the Border Country)
• Brecon Beacons by Edmund. J. Mason (1975)
• Bristol by Keith Brace (1971) (2nd edition 1976)
• The Broads by J. Wentworth Day (1967) (later 1980 title Broadland by Stanley Arthur Manning)
• Buckinghamshire by John Camp (1972)
• The Burns Country and Galloway &c. by Hugh Douglas (1968)
• Cambridge by Charles Richard Benstead (1968)
• Cambridgeshire by Stanley Arthur Manning (1978)
• Caithness and Sutherland by James Miller (1985)
• Canterbury by John Boyle (1974)
• Cardiff and its Valleys by Brian Dicks (1984)
• The Channel Islands by Raoul Lempriere (1970)
• Cheshire by David Bethel (1979)
• Chester by David Bethel (1980)
• The Chilterns by Elizabeth Cull (1982)
• The Clyde by Jack House (1969)
• Cornwall by Claude Berry (1963)
• The Cotswolds by Edith Brill (1964)
• Coventry by E. B. Newbold (1972)
• Cumbria by J. D. Marshall (1981)
• The Dales by Norman Duerden (1978)
• Dartmoor by Vian Smith (1966)
• The River Derwent by Walt Unsworth (1971)
• Devon by D. St. Leger-Gordon (1963)
• Dorset by Ralph Wightman (1965)
• County Durham by Peter A. White (1967)
• Edinburgh by Ian Nimmo (1969)
• Epping Forest by Sir William Addison (1981)
• Essex by Stanley Arthur Manning (1977)
• Exeter by Bryan Little (1983)
• Exmoor by J. H. B. Peel (1970)
• The Fen Country by Edward Storey (1971)
• Glasgow by Maurice Lindsay (1972)
• Gloucestershire by T. A. Ryder (1966)
• Gower by Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1976)
• Hampshire by Noreen O'Dell (1979)
• Hertfordshire by Brian J. Bailey (1978)
• The Highlands by W. Douglas Simpson (1969)
• The Howgills and the Upper Eden Valley by Michael Ffinch (1982)
• Humberside by Ivan E. Broadhead (1983)
• The Isle of Man by Ernest H. Stenning (new ed. 1965)
• The Isle of Wight by Lawrence Wilson (1965)
• The Isles of Scilly by Clive Mumford (1967)
• Kendal and the Kent Valley by Michael Ffinch (1983)
• The Lakes by Norman Nicholson (1963)
• Lancashire by Jessica Lofthouse (1967)
• Leeds by Brian Thompson (1971)
• Leicestershire by Brian J. Bailey (1977)
• Limerick by Mainchín Seoighe (1982)
• Lincolnshire by Michael Lloyd (1983)
• Liverpool by Howard Channon (1970)
• London by Robert Clayton (1980)
• London River by Basil E. Cracknell (1968)
• The Lothians by Nigel Tranter (1979)
• Manchester by Michael Kennedy (1970)
• The Moray Firth by Cuthbert Graham (1977)
• The New Forest by Brian Vesey-FitzGerald (1966)
• Norfolk by David Yaxley (1977)
• North Wales by Michael Senior (1973)
• North York Moors by Nicholas Rhea (1985)
• North Yorkshire by Colin Speakman (1986)
• Northamptonshire by Peter Gorham Webb (1977)
• Northumberland by Nancy Ridley (1965) (2nd Edition 1968)
• Nottingham by Emrys Bryson (1974)
• Oxford by Hal Cheetham (1971)
• Oxfordshire by Christine Bloxham (1982)
• Peakland by Crichton Porteous (1963)
• Pembrokeshire by Dillwyn Miles (1984)
• The Pennines by Roger A. Redfern (1969)
• Penrith and the East Fellside by Michael Ffinch (1985)
• Perth, Angus and Fife by David Graham-Campbell (1979)
• The Potteries by Bill Morland (1978)
• Plymouth by J. C. Trewin (1973)
• The Quantocks by Vincent Waite (1964)
• River Medway by Roger Penn (1981)
• The River Trent by Peter Lord (1968)
• The Scott Country by Marion Lochhead (1968)
• The Severn by J. H. B. Peel (1968)
• The Shakespeare Country by J. C. Trewin (1970)
• Sheffield by B. Bunker (1972)
• The Shires by Bernard Newman (1968)
• Shropshire by Brian J. Bailey (1981)
• Skye and the Outer Hebrides by W. Douglas Simpson (1967)
• Snowdonia by Cledwyn Hughes (1967)
• The Solent by Barry Shurlock (1983)
• Somerset by Bryan Little (1969)
• South Wales by Michael Senior (1974)
• The Spey by Francis G. Thompson (1979)
• Suffolk by Allan Jobson (1973)
• Surrey by Basil E. Cracknell (1970)
• Sussex by Cecile Woodford (1972)
• The Thames by J. H. B. Peel (1967)
• West Yorkshire by Margaret Slack (1984)
• Wiltshire by Pamela Street (1971) (2nd edition 1980)^[2]
• Windermere by Christopher D. Taylor (1983)
• Wirral by Kenneth Burley (1981)
• Worcestershire by Peter J. Neville Havins (1974)
• Wordsworth Country by Roland Sands (1984)
• Wye Valley by Harry Luff Verne Fletcher (1968)^[3]
• York by Ronald Willis (1972)
• Yorkshire by Harry J. Scott (1965)
• The Yorkshire Ouse by Ivan E. Broadhead (1982)

See also

• County Books series
• Regional Books series

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=e-nNU3d368sC&pg=PA56 "Rural Mappings"
2. "Love of the country" by Mary Cosh, The Times, 30 May 1980, p. I.
3. "The trees, bushes and windows are alive", The Times, 30 November 1968, p. 22.