These two books were published in 1906 and 1908. Volume I being entitled "Richmondshire and the Vale of Mowbray", and Volume II being entitled: "Richmondshire, an account of the History and Antiquities, Characters and customs, and Legendary Lore." There are some 434 pages in Volume I, and 703 in Volume II.

To quote from the preface of Volume I:

"If any excuse be needed for a Preface, it must be found in the Writer's desire to draw attention to the compelling motive for this work--that love of the Beautiful and the Fugitive in Nature and Man's handiwork which he would have others enjoy . Scenery, remains, and the glories of Earth and Sky repeat themselves with the pageant of the Seasons ; but much of ancient monument, and more of Local Custom and Tradition pass away . A Chronicler's labour, before it is too late, is never all " Love's Labour Lost".

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A short review of the CD by Nancy McLaughlin:

Those with a love for old and rare books on Yorkshire and its history will be thrilled with this CDrom version of Edmund Bogg's "Richmondshire (1908), and its earlier companion volume entitled "The Vale of Mowbray" (1906).

I have always regarded Harry Speight as the early 20th century "oracle" of Yorkshire history; Edmund Bogg must surely run a close second. In these two volumes he presents many facts, anecdotes, and legends of people and places over the centuries.

As well as being fully machine searchable, this CD has "Active Links" on all listings of Contents, Indexes and the many Illustrations - and this is important when it is realised that there is in excess of 1300 pages, all crammed with information. These navigation links are a joy to use.

Many thanks Colin, for making this readily available.

A short review of the CD by Glenys Marriott:

There are two key indicators that I use when considering buying any new item - it has to be either beautiful or useful. This publication is both. The new reader is immediately drawn into the web that Bogg weaves by this wonderful introduction.:

'If any excuse be needed for this volume on Richmondshire it will be found in the charm and romance of the subject as well as in the favorable reception accorded to the first 'The Vale of Mowbray'. In truth, the production of both has been a 'labour of Love' and over it has been expended the leisure hours of quite four years! The original estimate was for a book of some 300 pages instead of which the wealth of material furnished by this old Shire - comprising the 3 beautiful river valleys of Swale, Tees and Yore, has expanded them to some 700 - more than double.

The CDrom is superbly produced, with enhanced photographs enlarged for easier identification. Easy to navigate, with an excellent index, the whole production is first rate. It is especially easy to produce good quality printouts.

A quick search on most of the well known search engines shows that a reasonable copy of this production ranges from £95 - £130 - so not only is the CD offering a beautiful and useful copy of a very special set of books, it is also cost effective!

Glenys Marriott
Bishopdale
29th November 2003

Indexes and contents etc.:

There is an index and list of illustrations for each Volume, but there is no contents for Volume I. The transcribed contents, indexes and lists of illustrations can be found below:

• Richmondshire and the Vale of Mowbray (Vol I) List of illustrations.
• Richmondshire and the Vale of Mowbray (Vol I) Index.
• Richmondshire (volume II) Contents
• Richmondshire (volume II) List of illustrations.
• Richmondshire (volume II) Index.

The list of illustrations from Volume I is as follows:

The Index to Volume I:

The contents of Richmondshire - Volume II :

List of Illustrationsof Richmondshire - Volume II :

The index for Richmondshire Volume II :