Ancestral Trails: Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History

As a fairly recent - but rapidly becoming obsessed - family historian I have either acquired or borrowed a fair number of the leading books on Family History available at the moment. However Ancestral Trails outshines them all. Whilst being very readable in its own right it gives a wealth of background information on sources and advice on how you might make progress if you hit a brick wall, and has the most comprehensive coverage I have found. This and The Genealogist's Internet by Peter Christian have become my two bibles. I run two Family History Groups and I would strongly recommend both of these books to any serious amateur family historian.

Whilst echoing all the comments already made, this phenomenal tome is and is likely to always be the definitive reference. Despite the extensive movement towards Internet sources, this book has the insight into 'why' you move through certain classes of records whereas the (also essential) Internet guides tell you where these are.

Beyond that the illustration with examples from the authors research, the many examples of why you need to double check every assumption, and the wealth of ideas for gleaning more insight into the lives of ancestors are frankly astonishing, and it astounds me that one person could both know so much, find so much and still have time to update this masterpiece.

If you haven't bought it, you're not serious about family history.

Having been involved in family history research for thirty years, and being completely self-taught by trial and error, I have sometimes been tempted to invest in expensive reference books, but found many of them cumbersome, badly organised, or rapidly outdated. Genealogy is constantly developing but even so this book, in any edition, is an absolutely invaluable longterm reference. It is written in a hugely informative way, exciting and never patronising, and the sheer quantity and quality of information in it is breathtaking. You couldn't make a better investment if you're researching your family history (especially with the superb Amazon discount!) Can't fault it! BRILLIANT!!!

This is quite simply the best reference work for United Kingdom Genealogy that I have come across. I have been waiting for publication of the second edition for some time and am not disappointed at all. Everything I can imagine I might want to know is in it. I have been interested in Genealogy for many years and wish this volume had been available sooner. It's worth twice the price!

If you're interested in genealogy - this is the book you've been waiting for. It's clear, concise and very informative, written in an easy style which makes it easy and enjoyable to read. After reading several books on Genealogy, including many older ones from the library, this made a refreshing change, particularly as it is bang up to date with information on CD Roms, computer packages and internet sites. Herber manages to level the book in a way that it doesn't matter if you're a beginner or already someway into your research - this book will definitely be of help. Excellent!!