Millions of Words, Thousands of People, Hundreds of Books ~~ Our History! Welcome to Hobnob Press, Westcountry Publisher        

Hobnob Press

is a publisher of books chiefly about Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire, owned and run by local historian Dr John Chandler. In its present form it has been publishing since 2001, although its origins go back to 1983. On these webpages you will find details of all Hobnob titles currently available, books produced by Hobnob Press for other organisations and individuals, information for prospective authors, and an ISBN listing of all titles ever published by Hobnob Press. I do not offer an online ordering and payment facility (see the Ordering Information page of this website), but most titles, including those now out of print, can readily be obtained through retail and online booksellers, including Bookshop.org. In case of difficulty email me. Oh, and in case you are wondering, Hobnob has nothing to do with biscuits ― it took its name (in 1983, long before the biscuits) from that of the hobby horse that accompanied Salisbury’s processional giant, now in Salisbury Museum.


Still Hobnobbing . . .
Publishing has always been only one of several local history activities that I pursue, and between 2011 and 2016 most of my time was taken up in developing, as county editor, the work of the Victoria County History in Gloucestershire. For this reason my typesetting and publishing output was reduced. Now that this workload has diminished (although I am still working for the Victoria County History in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire) I am reviving Hobnob Press, and have begun to produce new editions of some of my own work as print-on-demand titles, as well as important new works of local and regional history. I also help colleagues and friends in the local history world to self-publish print-on-demand titles, and details of recent collaborations are also to be found here.  And I now serve as chair of the Publishing Committee of the British Association for Local History. Please explore this website, in which I highlight new and recent titles, and past successes. Please also follow the Hobnob Press page on facebook, which features new titles and other publishing and bookselling news.

Local history publishing, in common with all forms of information management and academic exchange, has entered new and exciting but uncharted waters, and it is very unclear how this sector will develop. My hope is that Hobnob Press will continue to play an enlightened part in that development, by serving the local history community in the west country, and by enabling them to see into print their work, which might not attract a commercial publisher. I welcome your views on my approach. Thank you for visiting this site.

John Chandler BA PhD FSA