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Agre Books is a small, independent publisher producing creative, non-fiction books about South West subjects. Based in Dorset and part of the public relations agency, Watershed, it covers the South West peninsula from Bristol and Bath down to the Isles of Scilly. Agre takes its name from the legend of Actaeon and Diana as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid names Actaeon's hounds and lists their attributes. 'The thicket-searcher Agre' was the hound with the keenest nose. Agre Books searches the thickets of its distinctly rural region to find interesting truths and intriguing stories. We are interested in working with other writers, artists and photographers on literary projects in the South West. For more information, please email us at agre@watershedpr.co.uk or write to Agre Books, Milton Mill, West Milton. Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3SN. DORSET WOMEN by James Crowden and George Wright Dorset Women documents the lives of 35 women who have lived and worked in the county. They speak in their own words about their lives as shepherdesses, scrap dealers, farmers’ wives, sheep shearers, market gardeners, pig farmers, cheese makers, orchard owners, ferret handlers, falconers, farriers, cidermakers, supply teachers, taxidermists, letter cutters, songwriters, musicians, hairdressers, midwives, priests, otter conservationists and undertakers. Many are deeply linked to the land and their stories mine a rich vein of anecdote and experience. Dorset Women is a companion volume to Dorset Man, which documents manual labour and rural life. Both projects were instigated by James Crowden, a poet and historian who worked on the land for twenty years as a casual agricultural labourer. For both books, Crowden collaborated with West Dorset photographer George Wright, who photographed the women on medium format black and white film. Crowden made digital recordings of the women talking and these were transcribed by Wright’s daughter Ruby. £18.95. Please contact James Crowden for copies, email mail@james-crowden.co.uk. James is the sole distributor for this title. You can also telephone orders through to James on 01460 30795. Please DO NOT telephone Agre Books direct for orders. DORSET MAN by James Crowden and George Wright. This rural arts project documents men’s working lives within the ‘Chalk and Cheese’ area of Dorset. Here you will find blacksmiths, thatchers, fishermen, shepherds, sheep shearers, foresters, hurdlemakers, bakers, butchers, cheese makers, publicans, millers, scrap dealers, charcoal burners, grave diggers, bee-keepers, rat catchers and swill men. They live and work in an area stretching from Thorncombe and Monkton Wyld in the west of the county, to Farnham, Cann Common and Melbury Abbas in the east. The project was masterminded by James Crowden, who collaborated with photographer George Wright. Together, Crowden and Wright have created an invaluable historical record of how rural life has changed since the 1900s. Crowden made digital recordings of the men talking about their lives while Wright photographed them in black and white on medium format film. The result shows a landscape rich in stories and depicts a rural way of life sure to inspire a new generation interested in local food and indigenous craft skills. Please contact James Crowden for copies, email mail@james-crowden.co.uk. James is the sole distributor for this title. You can also telephone orders through to James on 01460 30795. Please DO NOT telephone Agre Books direct for orders. SWITCH OFF THE LIGHT AND LET ME TRY ON YOUR DRESS Artist John Skinner transforms everyday objects - cars, trees, bodies - into witty, startling paintings that show us life afresh. This special edition book, produced in collaboration with writer Sara Hudston, chronicles Skinner's work in Dorset over the last decade, providing an unusual and thought-provoking insight into the creative process. With 21 full-colour reproductions. (80 pages, £9.99) Agre catalogue: THE CORNISH PASTY by Stephen Hall (£4.99, Pbk, 96 pages, 24 illustrations) Out of print. FOR LOVE OF WILLIAMINA by Ralph Rochester (£6.99, Pbk, 128 pages, 6 illustrations) Out of print. WORKING WOMEN OF SOMERSET by James Crowden and Pauline Rook (£9.99, Pbk, 96 pages, 31 b/white photos) 365 - YEAR OF THE ARTIST IN THE SOUTH WEST (£9.99, 132 pages, 90 colour and b/white photos, plus CD-rom) Out of print. ISLOMANIA by Sara Hudston (£6.50, Pbk, 96 pages, 26 illustrations) BRIDGWATER - THE PARRETT'S MOUTH Poems by James Crowden, photographs by Pauline Rook (£9.99, Pbk, 96 pages, 52 b/w photos) THE WHEAL OF HOPE - SOUTH CROFTY AND CORNISH TIN MINING Poems by James Crowden, photographs by George Wright (Pbk, 96 pages, 35 b/w photos) ALL ABOARD THE NUMPTY BUS by Martin Wildman. |
