From: Brian.Randell@newcastle.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: Family History Knowledge UK 1992/3
Date: 17 Aug 92 09:35:56 GMT
X-Mailer: mail-news newcastle perl version

I have just received my copy of the 1992/3 edition of Family History
Knowledge UK, by Keith and Tracey Park. This is only the second edition of
this directory, which therefore does not feature in most guides and
textbooks, so the following facts about it might be of interest to
soc.roots/ROOTS-L readers who are researching English, Scottish, Welsh or
Irish roots.
 
The directory claims to be the world's largest genealogical directory -
though devoted entirely to tracing British and Irish ancestors. It contains
over one thousand closely printed pages, and is in the main based on
submissions from over 7000 individuals who filled in forms listing details
of the surnames they were researching. (Submissions are free, and
submitters are under no obligation to purchase the directory.) 

The first main section, nearly 150 four-column pages long, lists surname
variants. For example the entry:

RANDELL 9 RANDAL RANDALL Randel RANDLE RANDLES Randole Randoll Ranulf
RENDLE

indicates that submitters have provided 9 variants of my surname, and (by
the use of upper case letters) shows which of these variants are explicitly
listed in the next section. This next section, nearly 650 two-column pages
long, contains entries such as

1800  1900  1700  1900  158054  CMN  Kidwelly

This, one of nine entries under RANDELL, is based on one of the lines in my
submission and indicates that I have data for the period 1800-1900 and am
researching the period 1700-1900 for Randells in Kidwelly, CMN
(Carmarthenshire, Wales). The number 158054 is an index into the list of
submitters, so leads to my name and address, and the set of surnames I am
researching. Incidentally, submitters were not limited as to the number of
surnames, or the number of name variants, they could provide.

There are also various other smaller lists, such as of Special Studies
(e.g. of particular places), and of addresses and opening hours of a large
number of libraries and record offices, etc., as well as a number of
articles (some by guest authors). 

It is thus an extremely impressive directory - all the data entry and
computer processing for which has apparently been done unaided by the
husband and wife team! In fact the Parks seem to be as ambitious as they
are productive, since their next plan is to produce a British Genealogical
Database something along the lines of the LDS Ancestral File System! They
also seem to be, or have been, at odds with much of the British
genealogical establishment - their first edition contained lots of harsh
comments about the various county-based Family History Societies, and even
now it would appear that there is little cooperation between them and the
Societies.

The authors suggest that the next (1994) edition (submissions for which
must be sent in by 15 Jan 1993) may well be the last, at least in this
form. The reason is clear from the statistics. The first (1991) edition had
528 pages, covered 17,596 surnames, from 3,200+ submissions; this 1992/3
edition has 1,088 pages, and covers 35,179 surnames from 7,300+
submissions!

Finally, the present edition costs (pounds)28.95, plus 2.85 post and
packing for hardback (ISBN 1-873594-03-8), or 18.95 plus 2.85 for softback
(ISBN 1-873594-04-6). It is available from: 

The Family History Club, 
Computer Club Ltd., 
19 Penybryn, 
Mountain Ash, 
Mid-Glamorgan, 
CF45 3TJ, 
UK. 
Tel/fax: +44 443 475900 - (credit card orders accepted)

I have no connection with the publishers, other than as a satisfied
customer.

Cheers

Brian Randell

PS I am **not** offering to provide a surname look-up service from the book
to soc.roots/ROOTS-L readers. First, I fear the amount of effort that this
could involve, and second, I feel the publishers deserve to sell lots of
copies!.


Dept. of Computing Science, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU,
UK
EMAIL = Brian.Randell@newcastle.ac.uk   PHONE = +44 91 222 7923
FAX = +44 91 222 8232 
Newsgroups: soc.roots