Cidermaking by Michael B. Quinion (Shire Books, £2.95)

Useful little guide to the cidermaking process; illustrated with many black & white photos

Real Cidermaking On A Small Scale by Michael Pooley & John Lomax (£5.95)

Publisher: Special Interest Model Books (29 April 1999)

This practical book on the craft of cidermaking explores traditional and modern approaches including a set of scaled plans for building an inexpensive robust cider press. Also included are instructions for apple pressing, step-by-step brewing and pasteurisation and cider-based food recipes.

Cider & Juice Apples edited by R. R. Williams (deleted)

Excellent book published by the University of Bristol, covering all aspects of orcharding and cidermaking. Contributors include acknowledged experts such as Liz Copas and Andrew Lea.

Farmhouse Cider & Scrumpy by Bob Bunker (£2.99)

Small book illustrated with many colour photos, concentrating on the cidermaking process, but includes a bit about history, apple cultivation, cider drinks, etc.

Making Cider by Jo Deal

Tips on making your own cider, including equipment needed and recipes - but covering much else besides: history, cooking with cider and apples, and lists of selected cidermakers and cider apple varieties. It even contains a verse of Adge Cutler's cider-drinking anthem Drink Up Thy Zider, although not ascribed to him, being simply described as an "old country song"!

Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Annie Proulx & Lew Nichols

Publisher: Storey Books; 3rd Ed edition (Nov 2003) Paperback: 224 pages

Annie Proulx, the novelist, first wrote this guide to making cider in 1980. It is a comprehensive, illustrated overview of the process and includes recipes for using the finished product in cooking. Proulx and Lew Nichols also discuss apple presses, glass bottles versus wooden barrels and storage.

review: This is an American book, but it has much of interest for readers in the UK. A very useful book, with sections on making cider, apples & orchards, making your own equipment, and covers cooking with cider, cider vinegar, etc. Highly recommended!

Cider - The Forgotten Miracle by James Crowden (£12.95)

Somerset author who has been involved with Burrow Hill Cider. The book concentrates on the history, traditions and superstitions surrounding West Country farmhouse cidermaking, and is full of fascinating anecdotes.

Cider, Hard & Sweet: History, Traditions & Making Your Own by Ben Watson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.; 2nd Revised edition edition (25 Nov 2008) Hardcover: 160 pages

A fully updated and expanded primer for anyone who wants to make cider and for those who just like to drink it. With the rise in consumer demand for local foods and local food products, and the emergence of more small craft food and beverage producers since this book was originally published in 2000, this revised edition of "Cider, Hard and Sweet" comes at the right time. Watson's expanded the section on the history of cider to chronicle lesser-known cider producers such as those in Spain and Asia; broadened the selection of North American cider varieties and European cider apple varieties; provided new cidermaking basics tailored to beginner and intermediate cidermakers with special attention to the new cidermaking equipment available; added new recipes for cooking with cider from notable chefs and bartenders; and added a new chapter about the recent popularity of perry (pear cider) available for purchase today. 50 black & white photographs.

review: Another American book, with naturally a US-perspective, but nevertheless contains much of interest to UK readers, especially those studying the differences and similarities between cider and cidermaking in the two countries.

Pomona Britannica: The Complete Plates by Uta Pellgru-Gagel (£12.00)

Taschen book (200 pages) published in 2003, based on reproductions of prints from a first edition of George Brookshaw's 1812 book. The original illustrations are supplemented by modern notes on cultivation, etc.

Success with Apples and Pears to Eat and Drink by Alan Rowe (£12.95)

A Practical Gardeners' Guide to Varieties, Husbandry, Harvesting, Storing & Making Juices, Cyder and Perry. Covers the cultivation and use of fruit including apples, pears, sorbus, hawthorn, quince, etc. to make cider and related drinks, with an East Anglian emphasis.

Making The Best Apple Cider by E. A. Proulx (£2.50)

Small booklet giving an overview of various aspects of cidermaking. Not as good as the author's larger book on Cider, but then it's a lot cheaper!

Good Cider by David Mabey (1984, 143pp, Whittet Books, deleted)

Covers several aspects of cider, including history, process, customs, selected cidermakers, cooking with cider, etc. Illustrated.

Cider's Story - Rough & Smooth by Mark Foot (1999, 144pp, £9.99)

If you like the Scrumpy & Western website then I guarantee you'll love this book! A wide-ranging and affectionate look at the history of cider, introducing the reader to a host of great rural characters, including Adge Cutler & The Wurzels and some of today's most dedicated traditional cidermakers. The book is packed with fascinating photos and has an introduction from Acker Bilk. Excellent - zider I up, librarian!

Cider's Story was available directly from the author Mark Foot, 8 Kingston Drive, Nailsea, North Somerset, BS48 4RB. However, this information has not yet been recently checked, so I would advise you to make contact with the author before sending your money!

The History & Virtues of Cyder by R. K. French (1982, 200pp, Robert Hale, deleted)

Interesting book covering many aspects of cider (or cyder, as the author spells it), including social and economic history, the cidermaking process, orcharding, cookery, folklore and more.

A Somerset Pomona - The Cider Apples of Somerset by Liz Copas (2001, 80pp, Dovecote Press £9.95)

No mere coffee-table book, this - the author is the Orcharding Advisor to the National Association of Cidermakers and therefore knows her subject inside out! This is the definitive reference on Somerset cider apples - it contains details of all apples used in the county, with drawings and colour photographs of all 80 varieties in use today. Invaluable for identification, and clearly not just of use in Somerset. But this is not just a dull old reference book - it also has introductory sections on the history of Somerset cider and cidermaking and other aspects of the county's deservedly most famous export. Contains some fascinating and beautiful black & white and full colour photos. Highly recommended.

Somerset Cider - The Complete Story by Philippa Legg & Hilary Binding (1986, 80pp, Somerset Books £6.95)

Lavishly illustrated with many interesting photos, this book covers all aspects of cider and cidermaking in Somerset, including apple varieties, orchards, history, customs, etc. Particularly interesting are a section on old cidermaking equipment (mills, presses, etc.) and a detailed appendix of apple varieties used in the county. Much of the content will be of interest to non-Somerset scrumpophiles too!

Les Cidres & leurs Eaux-de-Vie by Francois de Beaulieu (2000, 64pp, Editions Ouest-France)

The history of French cider and eaux-de-vie, right up to the present. Beautifully illustrated with many colour photos. Includes useful information about cider museums, routes du cidre, etc. Note: text written in French.

The Apple Grower by Michael Phillips

A Guide For The Organic Orchardist. American author is an experienced orchardist, and in this books he passes on tips on orcharding generally, and in particular the use of organic methods of pest control and cultivation.

The New Book Of Apples by Joan Morgan & Alison Richards

Beautifully illustrated throughout by Elizabeth Dowle, this book covers the history of apples in the UK and indeed, the world. Also has a detailed directory of 2,000 varieties, with history and tasting notes, etc. Highly recommended!

Growing Fruit by Harry Baker (RHS Guide, £8.99)

Part of the Royal Horticultural Society's excellent series of small guides, this book covers the growing of all kinds of fruit, including of course, apples! But covers a lot more besides. Includes many helpful illustrations.

Pruning by Christopher Brickell (RHS Guide, £8.99)

Another excellent RHS guide, considered by many to be the definitive guide to pruning. As well as apple and other fruit trees, it covers roses, shrubs and much more. Highly recommended!

All About Apples by Allen Gilbert (£15.99)

Covers many aspects of apple growing, including propagation, pest control, pruning, training, growing multiple varieties on one tree, and organic cultivation.

The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto

A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Garden. Aimed at the domestic grower, this book gives a good overview of many aspects of fruit tree management - more of an introduction than one for the experienced fruit grower

The Common Ground Book Of Orchards from Common Ground (£18.95)

Community, Conservation and Culture. From the laudable Common Ground organisation, this books looks at orchards from the community angle, as havens for wildlife and local people alike.

Pears by Jim Arbury & Sally Pinhey (£19.99)

Contains lists of pear varieties with notes on cultivation and identification, based on the Pear Collections at Wisley and Brogdale. Beautifully detailed colour illustrations of several varieties by Sally Pinhey.

Apples In Scotland by John Butterworth (£6.50)

A Practical Guide To Choosing & Growing Our Favourite Fruit. Advice on which apple varieties grow best in different parts of Scotland, with photos of Scottish apple varieties to aid identification.

Perry Pears edited by L. C. Luckwill & A. Pollard (1963, 216pp, University of Bristol)

Published for the legendary Long Ashton National Fruit & Cider Institute, this is quite simply the definitive reference work on perry pears! As well as some history, the book includes (amongst a wealth of useful information) a practical guide to the identifiaction of perry pears, illustrated with copious diagrams and photos; the propagation of perry pears; and perry making. Aimed at the perry maker or the serious scrumpologist rather than the casual reader.

Whiteway's Cyder A Company History by E. V. M. Whiteway (1990, 176pp, David & Charles £14.95)

A history of the successful Whiteway's of Whimple company from its early days in the 19th century, through two world wars, the merger with Showering's and eventual takeover and closure of the Whimple works in the late 20th century. Perhaps a bit detailed for the casual reader, containing many facts and figures and appendices about the company's output, share prices, etc., but contains many fascinating reproductions of old advertising posters, photos, etc.

Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee (£3.99, paperback)

Probably the best-known book in the world with the word "Cider" in the title! Evocative autobiographical novel set in Gloucestershire's cider country where the author grew up between the wars. The subsequent books are good reads to, but fail to mention cider at all!

Of Apples & Serpents: A Herefordshire Cider Saga
by Mike Knight (£19.00)

The story of a boy who grew up in a Herefordshire village in the 1940s and 50s, set against a background of cider-making in rural Herefordshire, at a time when country life was very different from today's.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving (£4.79, paperback)

John Irving's best-selling novel (later made into a film starring Michael Caine & Charlize Theron) about a young man and his life after he is taken on as an apple picker on a cider farm.

Rough Cider
by Peter Lovesey (£6.60, paperback)

In 1944, GIs stationed in Somerset woo the village girls, to the local men's fury. Things come to a head at the dance to celebrate the cidermaking, leading to a sinister pint of scrumpy at the pub...

Cider With Roadies
by Stuart Maconie (£7.69, paperback)

That ultra-rarity, an intelligent and knowledgeable DJ, with his highly enjoyable account of his life as a pop music fan growing up in the 1970s. Not really about cider, but a good read and a clever title!

Cider With Rosie (BBC Collection Audio Book)
by Laurie Lee, £10.99 (audio cassette tape)

BBC Collection audio cassette tape of Laurie Lee's famous novel with a scrumpy background. Cover shows a picture of the famous Woolpack Inn at Slad, the author's local.

Cider With Rosie (1998) by Laurie Lee, £11.69 (VHS PAL video)

Beautiful 1998 film adaptation of Laurie Lee's famous novel with a scrumpy background. Starring Juliet Stevenson, David Troughton, Con O'Neill and Emily Mortimer.

The Cider House Rules (1999) by John Irving, £6.97 (DVD Region 2 UK)

Film adaptation of John Irving's book, set on a cider farm, and starring Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire, Kate Nelligan and Charlize Theron.