Interesting book 'Ekco Sounds'

[Yorkie]

I checked out the website out of curiosity and found that it's a little local publishing outfit, founded a couple of years ago by Audrey - a former newspaper journalist. Chris Poole had been an apprentice at Ekco in Southend but was made redundant in 1970. Years later in retirement he and started a website about Ekco, which grew to some 500 pages and people suggested he write a book on the subject.

Sadly, Chris passed away at the relatively young age of 66 in 2012, so didn't live to see the book published and Peter Brown - a local author - collaborated with Chris to see that the book would come to fruition. The website explains that Peter is an expert writer of local and military history and has collaborated previously on six books about local and military history as well as running websites and magazines in the same topics.

http://www.estuarypublishing.co.uk/wp-co...rofile.jpg

Most towns have small publishers and I guess that modern printing methods make it a whole lot easier and less costly than typesetting. These books, which aren't really meant to be a money spinner are often referred to as 'vanity publishing', which is perhaps a rather unkind term, but it means that the authors aren't professional and publish limited circulation books from their own interest, because there's certainly no money in it.

In 1995, the late Gordon Cullingham, Honorary archivist of the Royal Borough of Windsor, lived in the house that FJ Camm had lived in, so he set about researching F.J. Camm and published a limited edition book entitled 'F.J. Camm - the Practical Man'. The print run was only 63 books, signed by the author, and I was lucky enough to get No 3. They quickly sold out, but I think there was another print run later on.

Similarly, I recently managed to get a pristine copy of a fascinating out of print book entitled 'The Hobbies Story' published in 1998, about the history of 'Hobbies of Dereham', founded in 1887. Very well researched and illustrated. This too was written by as local historian in Dereham - Terry Davy, Chairman of the Dereham Antiquarian Society and a museum trustee, and was his sixth book on local history. That was published by a small local publisher 'Nostalgia Publications' in Dereham.

I've no idea what the print run of 'Ekco Sounds' is but I think that anyone who fancies a copy and doesn't get their order in soon will be disappointed, given that it will doubtless appeal to the many thousands of former Ekco employees and their family members, as well as the likes of us.