After helping form the Wendover Arm Trust, Barry Martin served for many years as a Director. During that time Barry was busy researching and recording a history of events involving the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. By including Wendover Arm facts and events with unrelated UK and World events, he built up a comprehensive and fascinating picture of the development and operation of the Arm, later to be known as the Wendover Canal.
After Barry passed away the documents he left to the Trust formed a valuable historical source material. The Timeline puts the development of the Canal into a relatable and very readable context.
We could publish the Timeline as a quality full colour illustrated book for general sale. It is envisaged that the book would be a contender for canal-related collections for both WCT Members and non-members, and would form a suitable and attractive gift. With sufficient demand, production costs will be covered by sales income, with any excess going towards restoration funds. An appropriate sales price for such a high quality printed and bound book is £20.
The book itself will not age, except that it stretches from the Canal’s beginnings up until Barry was forced by ill-health to stop work in 2016.
At a future date, if there is a demand and a volunteer is found, the book can be brought further up to date.
An alternative way of publishing the work is for it to be featured and serialised on the Trust website, free for all to read. This will not bring an income for the Trust, nor will it be as permanent as a traditionally published book, but it will be make the Timeline more readily available.
Or a combination – ie publish the book, and promote it via extracts on the website.
As a book the Timeline will be 120+ pages, with full colour illustrations, in A5 format, professionally bound, suitably introduced and annotated.
Promotion would include an online extract on our website, with a direct link and QR code to a dedicated purchase/payment page.
So where do you come in?
This is not an appeal for pre-publication orders, nor is there any commitment from you.
Giving WCT your opinion can help us decide the best way forward.
Email sales@wendovercanal.org.uk, or use the Comments feature below to send your comments or suggestions how we should publish the Timeline.
What happened in 1824? You’ll have to download and read the attached extract to find out!
There are 4 sample pages below.
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