The World's First Weather Journal

Another of our autumn 2010 titles will be a new edition of the very first weather journal ever written. Weather Diary, 1337-1344 is the work of William Merle, fellow of Merton College Oxford and rector of the parish of Driby in Lincolnshire. It's unique in that it predates all other known weather journals by two centuries, and also makes no mention of anything else except the weather. No portents, no omens, no religion. Just a lot of wind and rain. Few books provide a new glimpse into the Middle Ages. Weather Diary, 1337-1344 does, collapsing the 650 years between Merle's time and ours in an instant. Just goes to show, English summers have always been a washout....

The book will feature an introduction by Sean Martin, author of The Knights Templar: The History and Myths of the Legendary Military Order and The Gnostics: The First Christian Heretics.

Losses Three by Ian Stephen

We can now reveal the title of Ian Stephen's book of sea and folk tales. It will be called Losses Three and will be out in the autumn. The book will be in English, Doric and Basque.

For more info on Ian, please visit his website.