Welsh Journals

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Cynon Valley in the Age of Iron, by Raymond Grant (Cynon Valley Borough Council, 1991, pp. 52, £ 7.95), is a useful study of local history which has clearly been a labour of love. At its core are brief descriptions of the ironworks at Hirwaun, Llwydcoed, Abernant, Gadlys and Aberaman, several with accompanying lay-out plans. There is also a short account of general living conditions mostly drawn from Thomas Rammall's 1853 Report on the Sanitary Condition of Aberdare. There are numerous clear and informative illustrations and the work has been beautifully produced by Allan Sutton, sponsored by the Borough Council, and assisted by a grant from CADW. JOHN WILLIAMS Aberystwyth A Gazeteer of the Welsh Slate Industry, by Alun John Richards (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst, 1991, £ 6.90), an attractively produced volume, is a very helpful addition to the growing literature on the past and industrial archaeology of this important Welsh industry. It is especially welcome as it attempts to cover the whole of Wales and not only the major slate-producing area of the north-west. As a gazeteer it will prove invaluable for those with a general interest who enjoy exploring Wales's industrial past, but specialists will be disappointed by the numerous errors of detail. R. MERFYN JONES Bangor A new paperback edition has been published of Kenneth O. Morgan, Wales in British Politics, 1868-1922 (University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1991, pp. 363, £ 8.95), originally published in 1963 and reviewed ante, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1964) p. 102. New paperback editions, all updated, have also appeared of Kenneth O. Morgan (ed.), The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain (Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 654, £ 12.95), originally published in 1984 and reviewed ante, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1985), p. 427; Kenneth O. Morgan, Labour People: Leaders and Lieutenants, Hardie to Kinnock (Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. x, 372, £ 7.99), originally published in 1987 and reviewed ante, Vol. 14, no. 1 (1988), p. 158; and Kenneth O. Morgan, The People's Peace: British History, 1945-1990 (Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. xii, 562, £ 8.99), originally published in 1990 and reviewed ante, Vol. 15, No. 4, p. 623. A new paperback has also appeared of Hugh Thomas, A History of Wales, 1485-1660 (University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1991, pp. 246), originally published in 1972 and reviewed ante, Vol. 6, No. 4 (December 1973), p. 482.