Lakeland Book of the Year

View this email in your browser

Congratulations!

Keith Harwood's new book Fish & Fishers of the Lake District won the prestigious Bill Rollinson Prize at the Hunter Davies Lakeland Book of the Year Awards 2015.

The award ceremony was held at the Inn on the Lake Hotel, beautifully situated on the banks of Ullswater. We knew that the book had been shortlisted but it wasn't until the announcement was made on the day that we knew it had won.

The Bill Rollinson Prize for Landscape and Tradition was presented by BBC news broadcaster and fly fisher Fiona Armstrong and as she talked through the judges' views on each of the books in the shortlist, giving glowing comments for Keith's book, we began to feel hopeful. And then she announced the winner and a very happy Keith went up to receive his prize. He later took part in all the photo shoots and spoke further to Fiona.

There were six categories in the Awards and the overall prize was awarded to The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks (already proving itself something of a publishing phenomena).

We were delighted with the recognition given to Keith's book. He has written many books and this was his first award - and very much deserved it was too.

The judges for the Prize were author and columnist Hunter Davies (who founded the Prize), Fiona Armstrong, and broadcaster and writer Eric Robson. The Prize was sponsored by paper company James Cropper plc of Kendal.

Keith with his certificate, Fiona Armstrong and Jon in the grounds of the Inn on the Lake Hotel, Ullswater.

And here are the other five prize winners (Keith unassumingly at the back), with the judges - Hunter Davies, Fiona Armstrong and Eric Robson. Also in the picture are Mark Cropper of James Cropper plc (sponsor) and the Award organisers.

Hunter Davies was quoted in the Westmorland Gazette as saying:

'The 2015 awards included the best short list of entries in 31 years . . . I would like to congratulate the winners and also applaud the efforts of all who entered as they should all be congratulated for their sterling contribution to Cumbria’s rich literary landscape.'

Bill Rollinson, prior to his death in 2000, was the leading historical geographer of the Lake District whose book Life and Tradition in the Lake District became a Lakeland classic.

So congratulations again to Keith. Fish & Fishers of the Lake District was a project that we had a special interest in from the start and one that we knew Keith, with his love of the Lakes and the fishing it affords, would excel at. Keith's book is the second Medlar book to be shortlisted for the Lakeland Book of the Year. Chris Newton's Hugh Falkus - A Life on the Edge was also in the running for it a few years ago.

Fish & Fishers of the Lake District

£20 plus p&p

Forward

Medlar delivery and postage

We normally despatch every day - so you should never have to wait more than a week to receive your books, and sometimes you will receive them next day. Once the package leaves our mailing house it's in the hands of Royal Mail. Unfortunately mailing prices have been creeping up over the past few years and we have made a very minor increase to the UK and EU postage rates as a result. Our current postage rates per order, as of 25th February 2015, are:

UK: £4 EU: £7 US and Canada: £10 Rest of World: £15