Review - Devon Federation of Women's Institutes - "The Devon Village Book"

Publ: 1990
Helen & Ian's
ISBN: 1 85306 078 X
Genre: Non-fiction - geography
Pages: 256p
Found by Serendipity
Rating: ***** **

What led you to pick up this book?
Saw it in a charity shop and thought it would make a suitable gift for Helen and Ian. Especially as this would give me the opportunity to read it first!

Describe the book.
An account of the history and things to see in the Devon villages. Each village is succinctly covered and ignoring the recurring theme of how many local facilities and shops have disappeared in the recent past it is a most useful guide.

What did you think about the style?
Demonstrably put together from different local sources so that the style varies throughout but it is always readable.

What did you like most about the book?
The way in which each of the 200 or so villages is shown as having its unique identity.

Was there anything you didn't like about the book?
Yes - and it lost it two stars in my rating - the absence of a map. It was a real pain having to refer to Google Maps every couple of pages to see where a village was located. A good map would have got the book 9 stars.

Thoughts on the book jacket / cover.
An attractive photo.

Would I recommend it?
Yes - good background material for anyone visiting Devon. The sort ofr book to keep in the car and glance a each time you see a village name sign.