Bibliography - Pomegranate Press
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The Sussex Story, by David Arscott, published November 1992 (96 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0951987607 & ISBN-13: 9780951987605) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Living Sussex, by David Arscott, published 16 September 1994 (96 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0951987615 & ISBN-13: 9780951987612) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

In Praise of Sussex, by David Arscott and illustrated by David J. Marl, published 1 September 1996 (128 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0951987623 & ISBN-13: 9780951987629) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Lucky Sussex: featuring records and photographs from the H.S. Toms Archive of Flint and Folklore, Booth Museum on Natural History, the Royal Pavilion Libraries and Museums, Brighton and Hove Council , by John Behague, published 1 March 1998 (96 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0951987658 & ISBN-13: 9780951987650) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

What the Vicar Saw: Gloriously Indiscreet Gleanings from the Sussex Parish Registers, by David Arscott, published February 1999 (55 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0951987666 & ISBN-13: 9780951987667) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Trimingham's Brighton, by Adam Trimingham, published 6 May 1999 (80 pp., Westmeston: Pomegranate Press,, ISBN-10: 0953349322 & ISBN-13: 9780953349326) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

An insider's view of the town from the celebrated Evening Argus columnist

Sussex Millennium Book, by David Arscott, published October 1999 (24 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0953349349 & ISBN-13: 9780953349340) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Sussex Gardens Book, by David Arscott, published March 2000 (24 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0953349365 & ISBN-13: 9780953349364) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Wild Orchids of Sussex, by David Lang, published 1 July 2001 (144 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0953349330 & ISBN-13: 9780953349333) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Brave New City: Brighton & Hove, Past, Present, Future, by Anthony Seldon, published 9 September 2002 (160 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0954258711 & ISBN-13: 9780954258719) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Lewes 1952-2002: Fifty Years of Change, by The Friends of Lewes Society, published 21 March 2004 (96 pp., Lewes: Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 095425872X & ISBN-13: 9780954258726) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Trail of the Serpent: The True Story of a Victorian Murder on the London-to-Brighton Railway Line, by James Gardner, published 18 November 2004 (192 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0954258762 & ISBN-13: 9780954258764) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502147] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Dead and Buried in Sussex: Incorporating What the Vicar Saw, by David Arscott, published 23 April 2007 (148 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0954897552 & ISBN-13: 9780954897550) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Here we have two successful books brought together in one binding.
Dead & Buried in Sussex is the first ever book on the county's abundant churchyard heritage. It traces the colourful history of our epitaphs and memorials, discovering a wealth of striking examples - many of which would never be allowed today. The chapter headings include Words to the Wise (dire warnings), Many a Slip (masons' mistakes), A Pride in the Job (trades and professions) and Gripes and Grievances (memorials with a grudge).
The copious photographs include gruesome death scenes, a smattering of Sussex dialect, some poignant verses and memorials to animals.
What the Vicar Saw is a collection of remarkable marginal comments in the parish records of yesteryear. Vicars often treated the birth, death and marriage registers as if they were their own personal diaries, scrawling witty or contemptuous comments that would have astounded their unsuspecting flock. These secret scribblings reveal a vivid cast of characters gamely struggling against life's adversities - cruel accidents, ghastly diseases and the lurid temptation of sex and drink.

A Sussex Kipling: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose, edited by David Arscott, published 27 April 2007 (164 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 095489751X & ISBN-13: 9780954897512) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

This is the first comprehensive anthology of Rudyard Kipling's prose and poetry for many years. It includes practically all his Sussex verse, several short stories, excerpts from his autobiography and a sprinkling of his amusing and idiosyncratic letters.
Kipling lived in Sussex for the greater part of his life, and this illustrated collection is saturated with a profound love of what he called "the most marvellous of all foreign countries that I have ever been in".
We first meet him in Rottingdean, and we follow his escapades as one of the country's pioneer motorists, but it is the Bateman's period which dominates. Here he created the writer's haven we can still visit today- immersing himself in the life of Sussex, telling its history through the children's stories of Puck of Pook's Hill and fashioning a potent literary myth from his study of the Sussex people and their colourful past.

Out of the Shadows: A History of Mental Health Care in Sussex, by Adam Trimingham, published 24 September 2008 (112 pp., Westmeston: Pomegranate Press,, ISBN-10: 0954897587 & ISBN-13: 9780954897581) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502163] & British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

City Streets to Sussex Lanes: A Country Childhood, by David Johnston, published 6 October 2008 (142 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0955900646 & ISBN-13: 9780955900648) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

A wonderfully evocative memoir of rural life in Sussex during the 1950s.
When 8-year-old David Johnston, his mother and his older brother were made homeless in London in the early 1950s they first slept rough on a Sussex beach before being taken into the East Preston workhouse. His mother then fell in with "Old Harry", a farm labourer who periodically moved about the county from one farm job to another.
The author's vivid prose relates his tough, but happy, childhood with his new stepfather and his two sons. He recaptures the sounds and smells of the old farms and cottages where he lived; his adventures down country lanes and field paths; and his delight in the wildlife and the country characters he met on the way.
It was only 60 years ago, but these tales of living in tied farm cottages in remote parts of rural Sussex evoke a way of life now gone for ever.

This is a lovely light easy read telling how a young boy, his brother and mother moved from London in the early war years to Chichester. They were then evicted to spend some nights on the beach before joining forces with a farm labourer and his boys. During the next few years they moved around farms in West and East Sussex. For a city boy he adapted well to country life and grew to love it.
A couple of chapters of throughout the book talk of going back to the farms after 40 years and his reaction to how they have changed. A nice account of Sussex farming in the war years.

The Victorian Development of the Clifton, Montpelier and Powis Estates of Brighton, by Steve Myall, published 6 October 2008 (187 pp., Lewes: Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0955900603 & ISBN-13: 9780955900600) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508918] & British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Superstitions and Curious Beliefs of Old Sussex, by W. H. Johnson, published 23 April 2009 (118 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0955900662 & ISBN-13: 9780955900662) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/509441] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Here's a fascinating world of witchcraft; of spells and counter-spells; of so-called cunning-men; of death omens; of girls conjuring the identity of their future husbands; of fishermen's precautions against ill luck; of the fairies, always uncertain of temper; and of the Devil and all his nefarious ways.
W.H. Johnson, well known for his many books on Sussex themes, here explores the mind-set of people whose lives were coloured by a richly woven tapestry of ancient beliefs that today seem outlandishly far-fetched but once gave ordinary lives their meaning.

The Sussex Year: A Country Calendar, by David Lang, published 15 June 2009 (128 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0955900654 & ISBN-13: 9780955900655) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Sussex is rich in wildlife, and few naturalists have as broad a knowledge of its birds, beasts and flowers as David Lang. The author of acclaimed books on wild orchids and hedgerow berries, and a popular lecturer on travel and natural history, he here leads us on a month-by-month safari into the countryside he loves.
His vivid photographs are complemented by captions which illuminate, with both wit and erudition, the adaptation of our diverse flora and fauna to the soil, the climate and the activities of that most powerful creature of all, homo sapiens.

Ambles along the Promenade, by Richard Sayer, published 27 June 2009 (v + 186 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 0955900670 & ISBN-13: 9780955900679) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

Here's a striking gallery of images which shows the Brighton & Hove seafront in all its moods.
Seasonal shifts, subtle changes of light, maritime flora and fauna, people at work and at play, half-hidden curiosities, piers, statues and beach huts - Richard Sayer's photographs, taken at all times of the day and at every time of the year, introduce us to a promenade by turns beautiful, quirky, human and elemental.
From the finely veined detail of a fig leaf to a little girl blissfully asleep in her carrier; from the drama of an electric storm to a swarm of starlings over the gaunt West Pier, these are compositions that will long stay in the memory.
Some of the sights will be familiar to us all, but many will surprise and delight even the most observant of Brightonians.

The Restless Miller: Scenes from rural life in bygone Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, by David Johnston, published 7 April 2010 (86 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242031 & ISBN-13: 9781907242038) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

This true story of a well-to-do miller who fell to the level of a pauper and was buried in an unmarked grave is thronged with a lost world of farmers, auctioneers, innkeepers, wine merchants and smugglers who mingled in the borderlands of Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire in the Victorian age and beyond - Chichester, Petersfield, Bedhampton, Leigh, Harting, Chiddingfold, Dunsfold, Wisborough Green, Barford, Headley, Colworth and Oving.

The Traditional Dialect of Sussex: A Historical Guide, Description, Selected Texts, Bibliography and Discography, by Richard Coates, published 23 August 2010 (349 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242090 & ISBN-13: 9781907242090) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Ever since the Rev W.D. Parish's seminal A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect, first published in 1875, there have been attempts - some more convincing than others - to replicate, codify and explain the way our forefathers spoke, but never until now has a professional linguist explored the subject with such magisterial comprehensiveness as Richard Coates has achieved in this long-awaited study.
A research professor at the University of Sussex, and professor of linguistics at the University of the West of England, Coates presents no fewer than 40 examples of the dialect for detailed analysis, from the Anglo- Saxon period to the present day.
The book also includes a description of what was special about the dialect in its various local forms, an extensive bibliography of works relevant to the Sussex dialect and a discography of recorded material with Sussex voices.

Sussex Remembered: Personalities and Events of the 19th and 20th Centuries, by Alexander Ayton, published 1 November 2010 (126 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242112 & ISBN-13: 9781907242113) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Alexandra Ayton's book, based on a popular magazine series, brings to life a wide range of larger-than-life Sussex characters and colourful stories from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Attractively illustrated, and written with an eye for fascinating and revealing detail, Sussex Remembered celebrates the men and women who have helped shape the county's recent history.
Her vibrant cast includes writers as diverse as Rudyard Kipling, Patience Strong, Patrick Hamilton, Enid Bagnold and G.K. Chesterton; characters such as Mad Jack Fuller and the 'Red Indian' conservationist Grey Owl; the inventors Magnus Volk and John Logie Baird; and the pioneering educationalists Canon Woodhard and Dame Grace Kimmins.
You can also read about a Sussex missionary martyred in Africa, a renowned healer who foresaw the 9/11 atrocity and the man who created the amazing flying car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Hammer and Furnace Ponds: Relics of the Wealden Iron Industry, by Helen Pearce, published 11 March 2011 (108 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242155 & ISBN-13: 9781907242151) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

They beautify the woodlands of the Kent and Sussex High Weald and adjacent parts of Surrey, but they were created to power what has been described as the country's first industrial revolution. This walker-friendly guide to the rich crop of surviving hammer and furnace ponds in the area traces the history of iron exploitation from pre-Roman times, but concentrates on the 16th and 17th centuries when the Weald throbbed to the sound of trip hammers. Fortunes were made by iron-masters such as the Fullers of Brightling, the Barhams of Wadhurst and the Streatfeildes of Chiddingstone, and several of their grand houses survive in the landscape as a testimony to their wealth. Guns for government ordnance or sale to foreign governments were the major line, but the foundries turned out a range of products, from firebacks to grave slabs. This is the first popular guide to the subject in recent years and includes a complete gazetteer of the surviving ponds with map references and access details, a list of relevant museums, a glossary of terms and ideas for further reading.

St James's Street, Brighton, and its Environs: A walk through its history from 1800-1900, by Edwin P. Miller, published 1 October 2011 (300 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242236 & ISBN-13: 9781907242236) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This is the first ever exploration of the commercial and cultural life of this busy Brighton street. Richly illustrated with photographs, maps, old advertisements and extracts from newspapers, it plots a steady course from No. 1A ('Family mourners' back in 1846) to No. 130 (which has variously housed grocers, outfitters, an employment agency, a brace of banks and, today, a charity shop).
It's an essental guide not only for local residents and businesses, but for anyone fascinated by hitherto unsung areas of Brighton's history.

Making Lewes History Model: The model-makers remember, by James Franks, published 15 March 2012 (50 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242260 & ISBN-13: 9781907242267)

Between 1984 and 1986 more than a hundred volunteers joined forces to build a scale 'sound and light' model of the historic centre of Lewes as it had been during the 1880s. Some were experienced model-makers, but others were simply brought together by chance and enthusiasm: students at Lewes Technical College, local artists and even prisoners at Lewes Gaol. The model, now known as 'The Story of Lewes Town', was recently renovated and can be enjoyed by all visitors to the castle.
James Franks's account of this remarkable project explores the logistics of its making and records the memories of many of those involved.

Mysteries of History in Sussex, by Philip Pavey, published 10 July 2012 (72 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242317 & ISBN-13: 9781907242311) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Who created the Long Man of Wilmington, and why? Do ancient ley lines connect historic religious sites in the county? Did Canute order the waves to retreat at Bosham? When did Christianity first arrive in Sussex?
These and a host of other questions are explored by Philip Pavey in a meticulously researched exploration of our Sussex history which will stimulate readers to construct their own interpretations of the past.

There are many mysteries in Sussex and this book takes a look at some of them and attempts to demystify them. I have walked around the Long Man of Wilmington many times and read some of what has been written about his origins but it was interesting to read the chapter on the Long Man which takes a look at the many theories and how they match up with the evidence. In addition Pavey looks at Devil's Dyke, Bosham and its links to both King Cnut and King Harold, the possibility of ley lines and other Sussex mysteries. A very informative and interesting read.

"You're Quite Sober for a Monday!": The Wit and Wisdom of the Brewers Arms, published 15 October 2012 (130 pp., Lewes: Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242384 & ISBN-13: 9781907242380) accessible at: British Library

Building and Saving Fitzroy Library, Lewes, by James Franks, published 1 October 2012 (132 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242325 & ISBN-13: 9781907242328)

In 1862 Hannah Fitzroy, an heiress of the fabulously wealthy Rothschild family, bought a plot of land at the foot of School Hill in Lewes on which to build a memorial to her late husband Henry, the town's MP for more than twenty years. She decided on a library, and appointed the most notable architect of the day, George Gilbert Scott.
For a hundred years Fitzroy Memorial Library served the people of the town, first as a private institution and later - a transfer timed to mark Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee - under public ownership. In the 1960s the books were housed in a new library and, with the Gothic style out of fashion, the old building fell into sorry decay, its roof beams open to the sky. At a crucial moment the Franks family stepped in to buy it and, with the help of a team of volunteer restorers, to convert it into the family home now known as Fitzroy House.

Floreat Lewys: 500 Years of Lewes Old Grammar School, by David Arscott, published 8 December 2012 (180 pp., Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242333 & ISBN-13: 9781907242335) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

In 1512, during the reign of Henry VIII, the wealthy widow Agnes Morley left money in her will for a free school at Southover, close to the majestic pile of Lewes Priory. The priory was soon to be destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries, but the school went on to survive centuries of religious, political and economic upheaval.
David Arscott's tracing of its colourful story sets the ups and downs of what is now Lewes Old Grammar School in the context both of Lewes history and the development of education as a whole throughout the country. The book's second section features the 2012 celebrations of LOGS' proud quincentenary.