Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8466 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 840 pages

Synopsis
'a defining work ...I confidently predict that, in future years, the phrase "according to Herber" will be used to confer authority on deliberations about family history research' Family Tree Magazine This new edition takes account the many changes in the field since Ancestral Trails was first published in 1997, and is the most comprehensive and up to date guide to tracing British ancestry. It guides the researcher through the substantial British archives with a detailed view of the records and published sources available. Research in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands is also covered, as are the latest developments in information technology applications on CD and through the internet.

Customer Reviews

Family History "Must Haves"
As a fairly recent - but rapidly becoming obsessed - family historian I have either acquired or borrowed a fair number of the leading books on Family History available at the moment. However Ancestral Trails outshines them all. Whilst being very readable in its own right it gives a wealth of background information on sources and advice on how you might make progress if you hit a brick wall, and has the most comprehensive coverage I have found. This and The Genealogist's Internet by Peter Christian have become my two bibles. I run two Family History Groups and I would strongly recommend both of these books to any serious amateur family historian.

Outstanding coverage and depth of knowledge
Whilst echoing all the comments already made, this phenomenal tome is and is likely to always be the definitive reference. Despite the extensive movement towards Internet sources, this book has the insight into 'why' you move through certain classes of records whereas the (also essential) Internet guides tell you where these are.

Beyond that the illustration with examples from the authors research, the many examples of why you need to double check every assumption, and the wealth of ideas for gleaning more insight into the lives of ancestors are frankly astonishing, and it astounds me that one person could both know so much, find so much and still have time to update this masterpiece.

If you haven't bought it, you're not serious about family history.

the undisputed bible of family history - get it!
Having been involved in family history research for thirty years, and being completely self-taught by trial and error, I have sometimes been tempted to invest in expensive reference books, but found many of them cumbersome, badly organised, or rapidly outdated. Genealogy is constantly developing but even so this book, in any edition, is an absolutely invaluable longterm reference. It is written in a hugely informative way, exciting and never patronising, and the sheer quantity and quality of information in it is breathtaking. You couldn't make a better investment if you're researching your family history (especially with the superb Amazon discount!) Can't fault it! BRILLIANT!!!