An indispensable guide to how the VCH was born and developed, with vital information on the counties it covers, editors, and contributors.

This commemorative publication celebrates 75 years of the association between the Victoria County History and the Institute of Historical Research. Lavishly illustrated with images from VCH volumes, the book contains information on the counties covered by the project and a list of general editors, directors, deputy editors and architectural editors past and present. It includes a piece by the current director of the VCH, Professor John Beckett, looking back at the origins of the organisation, the events that led to it being taken on by the IHR, the developments that have taken it into the 21st century, and at what the future might hold. As a complement to the General Introduction to the VCH (1970) and its supplement (1990) the book provides an update on the contents of the volumes, as well as a list of those who contributed to them. It is rounded off with a light-hearted delve into the fascinating archivesof the VCH itself, making The Little Big Red Book a must-have for anyone interested in local history.