Shire Books
Encyclopedia
Shire Books are published by Shire Publications Ltd, a book publishing company based in Oxford
, England
. Shire offers low priced, concise non-fiction paperbacks on a wide range of subjects. Shire books cover antiques
and collectables, motoring and rural history, archaeology
and Egyptology
, architecture
, industrial history and many other topics.
Founded in 1962 by John Rotheroe, the company was for many years based in Princes Risborough
, Buckinghamshire
. The first book published by Shire was Discovering East Suffolk, a 24-page guide to the county through a series of five motoring routes and a gazetteer of the main towns and villages. It was given away to visitors via coach operators, local churches and tourist information points. The book was successful and when it was realized that many of the copies given away were being resold it was decided to sell the second edition, and this set the template for the future of Shire.
In 2007 the company was acquired by Oxford-based military history publisher Osprey
and now operates from their offices in Oxford.
Shire's list of forthcoming publications includes an increased number of new titles, as well as reissues of out-of-print titles, and new editions of existing titles.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Shire offers low priced, concise non-fiction paperbacks on a wide range of subjects. Shire books cover antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
and collectables, motoring and rural history, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, industrial history and many other topics.
Founded in 1962 by John Rotheroe, the company was for many years based in Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns,...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The first book published by Shire was Discovering East Suffolk, a 24-page guide to the county through a series of five motoring routes and a gazetteer of the main towns and villages. It was given away to visitors via coach operators, local churches and tourist information points. The book was successful and when it was realized that many of the copies given away were being resold it was decided to sell the second edition, and this set the template for the future of Shire.
In 2007 the company was acquired by Oxford-based military history publisher Osprey
Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing is an Oxford-based publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces over a dozen ongoing series, each focusing on a specific aspect of...
and now operates from their offices in Oxford.
2008 onwards
During 2008 Shire began a revamp of its list. Several former Shire series (including Life Lines, Shire Garden History and History in Camera) have been absorbed into a new series called Shire Library, which retains and expands on the numbering system used by the old Album series, which forms the backbone of the Shire Library. Books in the Shire Library have a new series cover design, as do reissued books in the Archaeology and Egyptology series.Shire's list of forthcoming publications includes an increased number of new titles, as well as reissues of out-of-print titles, and new editions of existing titles.