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The Best Of Irish History Titles For Christmas 2010
The sheer volume of Irish History titles that come on the market in any one year makes picking even a small number of them for this preview a difficult task. However some do stand out for a variety of reasons.
The one likely to get the most attention in the press is of course Ryan Tubridy’s, JFK In Ireland: Four Days That Changed A President. HarperCollins have staked quite a bit on their two book deal with Tubridy and he himself mentions the books on a fairly regular basis. What’s more JFK is popular still in Ireland and I’d expect the attention to be reflected in good sales.
Another candidate for high sales in Gill & Macmillan published, THE IRA – A Documentary History by Brian Hanley, a frankly gorgeously illustrated work that will appeal to both dedicated history buyers and a more gift orientated buyer. Much more controversial and definitely bound to attract column inches, is Gerard Murphy’s The Year of Disappearances: Political Killings in Cork, 1920-1921, also published by Gill & Macmillan.
O’Brien Press‘ A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall: Stories Of Irishmen In world War I, by Neil Richardson is a great book touching on territory that Irish society has slowly but surely been coming to terms with over the last few years. The powerful illustrations and the striking cover are likely to attract sales over the christmas.
Brandon will publish, Dissent Into Treason: Unitarians, King-killers And The Society Of United Irishmen, by Fergus Whelan in November. The book, while maybe not having the popular appeal of some others nonetheless deals with the fascinating origins of Irish Republicanism in the days of Cromwellian repression of Ireland.
Collins Press in Cork publish, Remember When: Pictures from the Irish Examiner Archive, which will no doubt sell exceptionally well in Cork, but also nationwide. Mercier Press‘ big Christmas title may well be Raymond O’Reagan’s Hidden Belfast: Benevolence, Blackguards and Balloon Heads which is part of their Hidden series, which now has three titles in print (Dublin and Cork being the other two).
Not to be ignored either is the Royal Irish Academy‘s latest publication, The Cosgrave Party: A History of Cumann na nGaedheal by Ciara Meehan. Given the recent form of the RIA with two successful Christmas releases behind, I’d imagine this might go well, it’s also a relatively understudied part of our history.
Quite the mix for the christmas season then.
The Books
JFK In Ireland: Four Days That Changed A President | Ryan Tubridy
HB | €24.99 | Collins | 9780007317592
THE IRA – A Documentary History | Brian Hanley
HB | €24.99 | Gill & Macmillan | 9780717148134
A Coward If I Return, A Hero If I Fall: Stories Of Irishmen In world War I | Neil Richardson
PB | €19.99 | O’Brien Press | 9781847171313
Dissent Into Treason: Unitarians, King-killers And The Society Of United Irishmen | Fergus Whelan
PB | €19.99 | Brandon | 9780863224294
Remember When: Pictures from the Irish Examiner Archive
HB | €29.99 | Collins Press | 9781848890626
Hidden Belfast: Benevolence, Blackguards and Balloon Heads | Raymond O’Reagan
HB | €19.99 | Mercier Press | 9781856356831
The Cosgrave Party: A History of Cumann na nGaedheal | Ciara Meehan
HB | €30.00 | RIA | 9781904890652
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