The Best Pembrokeshire Jokes by Brian John, 2000, A5 format, full colour cover, 64 pp, perfect bound, price £5.99, ISBN 0 905559 71 1. This popular book contains 25 cartoons and almost 100 jokes, including many which are previously unpublished together with “old favourites” from the earlier volumes. The standard Pembrokeshire joke book, produced mainly for the visitor market. OP as at Nov 2005

On Angel Mountain by Brian John. A Pembrokeshire Tale. ISBN 0 905559 80 0. Paperback, size A4, 326 pp, £6.99. This book is the author’s first work of fiction, set in North Pembrokeshire at the time of the “ Last Invasion of Britain”. All of the action takes place during the course of a single year, 1796-97. After two “ scene setting” chapters, the rest of the novel consists of diary extracts written by the young heroine, Martha Morgan. The novel is difficult to classify, being part historical saga, part melodrama, and part detective story. The action is fast and ultimately brutal. This book was the 2001 Christmas best-seller in West Wales. Reprinted 2002 and 2003. SORRY -- out of print. Replaced by the Corgi edition in March 2006.

Pembrokeshire Wizards and Witches by Brian John. 2001. ISBN 0 905559 79 7. Paperback, size A4, 96 pp, £7.50. This book is a companion volume to “Pembrokeshire Ghost Stories”, dealing with the traditional role of wizards and witches in the life of Pembrokeshire. There is an extended introduction in which the author examines the roots of witchcraft and wizardry and seeks to ansewr the question “Why was it that not a single witch was executed in Pembrokeshire during the witch-hunts which swept through Europe in the sixteenth century?” There are abundant illustrations from old texts, and the latter part of the book contains storis of the most famous West Wales wizards and witches..

 Pembrokeshire Ghost Stories by Brian John, 1998, ISBN 0 905559 77 0, paperback, 96 pp, £6.50. A collection of spooky tales from all parts of the county, including stories of ghosts and goblins, corpse candles and phantom funerals, strange omens, poltergeists and peculiar hauntings. Some of the tales recounted by the author are from quite recent times, but many date from the 1700’s and 1800’s. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs of some of the key haunted sites in Pembrokeshire. OP as at Nov 2002

Bluestone Country: The Carningli Walks edited by Brian John. Text by Robin Evans, Peter Harwood, Brian John and David Vaughan. 1999. ISBN 0 952407 10 8, paperback, 48 pp, £5.50 (Published by Carningli Rural Initiative. Distributed by Greencroft Books for Newport Town Council and Menter Preseli.) The revised edition of this very popular walking booklet, recently out of print but now available again thanks to financial support from Menter Preseli. This is the first booklet of a series planned as part of the “Bluestone Country” campaign. The booklet contains route information, maps and illustrations, together with information on points of interest, for seven walks in the Carningli-Newport-Nevern area of North Pembrokeshire. OP April 2006

Pembrokeshire 2000 by Brian John. Illustrations by the author and by Martin John. 1999. ISBN 0 905559 78 9. hardback, size A4 landscape, 112 pp, £7.50 (special offer price). This book is a “coffee table” celebration of the old and new county of Pembrokeshire at the end of one millennium and the beginning of another. There are 100 spectacular colour photographs, many of them specially commissioned for this book. Each photograph is accompanied by a brief explanatory text. There are three sections, covering the natural landscape, the man-made landscape, and recent changes in the landscape. Each photo is located by a full grid reference, and there is a full bibliography. OP as at Nov 2002

More Pembrokeshire Folk Tales by Brian John, 1996 ISBN 0 905559 738, hardback, 144 pp, £9.95 (Volume 4 of the Folk Tales Trilogy). The author’s “folk tales project” which started in 1991 with “Pembrokeshire Folk Tales” has turned into a substantial publishing enterprise. The first book was followed by “The Last Dragon”, and in 1993 “Fireside Tales from Pembrokeshire” completed the planned trilogy. But the stories kept on coming, and the trilogy has now ended up with 4 volumes! This volume (the only one still in print) contains almost 100 tales, many of which are previously unpublished. The style of the book is simple and easy to read, and the stories are illustrated by cartoons and Victorian engravings. OP as at Nov 2002

Up Among the Mountain Men by Brian John, 1997, ISBN 0 905559 74 6, paperback, 48 pp, £4.50 (North Pembrokeshire jokes). The jokes in this book come from the Welsh-speaking community of North Pembrokeshire. (Those who live in the north are referred to by their southern neighbours as “mountain men”.) There are 65 jokes between the covers, demonstrating a very typical Welsh sense of humour. Illustrated by many Victorian cartoons. OP as at Nov 2003

House of Angels by Brian John. 2002. ISBN 0905559 81 9. A5 paperback, 432 pp, £7.99. The second volume of the Angel Mountain Saga. This is a sweeping tale of murder, intrigue and romance in early nineteenth century Wales. It mixes grief and pathos, exhuberance and humour in equal measure. Martha Morgan is the young and passionate Mistress of Plas Ingli, a small estate on the flanks of Carningli in Pembrokeshire, and the story of two turbulent years in her life is told through her own diary entries. She has special powers which she does not fully understand. Forewarned by premonitions, she loses her beloved husband in the most banal of circumstances, and in the midst of her grief she has to come to terms with the fact that he was murdered. Her friend Joseph Harries, wizard and sleuth, uncovers evidence of the crime slowly but inexorably, and refuses to be diverted from his task. Only six weeks after her husband’s death Martha gives birth to her fourth child, and faces the bleak prospect of raising her young family alone. She vows that she will bring her husband’s murderers to justice, but discovers that these same men are obsessed with the hunt for treasure on her estate. They become increasingly aggressive and desperate, and they are joined by other treasure hunters. She defeats all of them at last with the aid of an ill-assorted group of friends, including her servants, a smuggler, a prostitute, assorted street urchins, two attorneys, several eccentric squires and a political assassin. Her triumph, in an age of brutality, is a peculiarly feminine one which involves no violence at all on the part of her “household of angels.” As the months pass she rebuilds her own self-esteem and rediscovers love. Owain, the new man in her life, is caught up in the treasure hunt and almost dies because of it; and Martha’s reputation as the most beautiful woman in Wales leads her into a number of tight corners and into a terrifying final confrontation with the last of her enemies. OP as at May 2006 -- Corgi edition coming Sept 2006