Plum Park Press
The Bandbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk and Suffolk was first published in the nineteenth century as a guidebook for tourists. The area in question - now known simply as the Norfolk Broads - was and still is an attractive area for sailors and boaters. The "broads" are shallow lakes formed by flooding worked-out peat bogs, and they are linked by a number of rivers flowing between them and many picturesque towns and villages. Tourist traffic grew rapidly after the original book was published, and the PPP edition is based on the 18th edition of the original book, dated 1892.
The Broads proved popular not only with sailors, but also with artists, who flocked to the area (and still do) to paint the scenery. Writers also flocked to the area to describe its charms. This particular book was more or less an official guide, which included rules for good behavior, and appendices of a practical nature such as railway timetables for reaching the area; these have been omitted from the miniature edition, leaving only a description of a trip through the region, and 38 wonderful paintings in an impressionistic style.
The Handbook of the Rivers and Broads consists of 280 pages, and has overall dimensions of 75 x 52 mm (3 x 2-1/16 inches). It is bound in green cloth and wrapped in a dust-jacket printed with one of the paintings from the book. The book is priced $45, plus $7 for packing and shipping.
