From practical beginners’ guides to moving memoirs, brighten up your bookshelf with these books by and for family historians <\/p>
Many family historians can tell you that once you start drawing up your family tree<\/a>, you quickly become addicted to the thrill of genealogy. If you want to find out more about family history, a natural place to start is reading some books on the topic. From practical how-to guides to moving family memoirs, there are lots of great family history books out there. Here are five of the best.<\/p>\n This family history guide is a great one-stop introduction to the subject. Simon Fowler takes the reader through the practical first steps to starting your family history and (for UK family historians) the key record sets to use. The book is published by Yorkshire-based publisher Pen & Sword<\/a>, who are a great resource for family, local and military history titles and family memoirs. In particular, their Tracing Your Ancestors series of books is a crucial source for detailed family history guides. With books on topics including tracing ancestors from different regions and countries, different occupations<\/a>, different types of record and military ancestors<\/a> in various conflicts including both World Wars, they\u2019re definitely worth looking at to see which books can help you with your family history research.<\/p>\n This book is another great beginners\u2019 guide to family history, covering what family history sources are available, where to find them, how to use them, and how to understand your ancestors\u2019 lives against the background of the society where they lived. The book was published by the Family History Federation<\/a>, which represents family history societies and other family history groups in England and Wales<\/a>. Their other specialised family history books are also worth checking out.<\/p>\n Winner of the 2010 Costa Biography Award and chosen as one of the Guardian\u2019s 100 best books of the 21st century, this memoir by ceramic artist Edmund de Waal proves that family history can be the stuff of great literature. Inspired by a collection of netsuke \u2013 ornate Japanese mini sculptures \u2013 passed down to him by his great uncle, de Waal\u2019s book traces the history of his family, the Ephrussi, a Jewish family of merchants and bankers who became very wealthy in fin de si\u00e8cle Europe before losing everything in the Nazi annexation of Austria. The book is an unforgettable story and a moving reflection on the legacy we leave behind. There are many other great memoirs by family historians about their research into the story of their families, and many books by the descendants of Holocaust<\/a> victims and survivors in particular about the awful legacy of the Nazis, so it\u2019s worth reading around the subject.<\/p>\n1. Tracing Your Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians<\/em> by Simon Fowler<\/a><\/h3>\n
2. Introducing Family History 2nd Edition<\/em> by Stuart Raymond<\/a><\/h3>\n
3. The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance<\/em> by Edmund de Waal<\/a><\/h3>\n
4. The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are<\/em> by Libby Copeland<\/a><\/h3>\n