Alderney : An illustrated guide

Victor Coysh

Published by The Alderney Society, softcover , illustrated

Aldemey, the most northerly of the Channel Islands, is as rich in history as it is attractive in appearance and this book tells its long and fascinating story and presents a picture (in prose and photograph) of how it looks today. It could well have been a prehistoricirietropolis, it was the haunt of privateers and smugglers and, in the last century, it was styled the "Gibraltar of the Channel".

The book describes the chain of Victorian defences standing on its shores, topether with those of the German Occupation, a dramatic chapter in the Aldemey story. Today the island is once more a cheerful, restful and beautiful place for residents and visitors, easily accessible from England and France.

The late Victor Coysh was a frequent visitor to Alderney for over forty years. He was a Guernsey journalist who worked in Aldemey from time to time and had become familiar with its people and their way of life. He witnessed its recovery from the German Occupation and was present on many important occasions during the post-war years. Some of his experiences were published in an earlier work of his: "Afoot in Alderney", as well as in the "Guernsey Evening Press". The present book is of a more comprehensive nature and remains the first standard reference work on Alderney to be published.

The author wrote as an island historian and as an admirer of what had become almost his second home. He was one of those who helped to found the Aldemey Society and was an honorary member for several years. His sentiments respecting the island are reflected in the pages of this book, the first edition of which was published in 1.974. Both the text and illustrations have been updated and this third edition of "Aldemey" will prove invaluable to all who know this charming isle.