Posthumous publication for final book by Chichester historian

The final book by Chichester historian Andrew Berriman has been published posthumously.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to

00:06speak to Mary Berryman, and sadly about your husband's final book. Andrew died last year.

00:13He was Head of Sixth Form for Chichester Boys' High School for many years, but he was also

00:19a noted author in retirement. And the final book, which he finished just before his death,

00:25Mary, you've brought out now, haven't you? And the final book is?

00:31Title here, Forty Villages Along the Sussex Coastal Plain.

00:36And Andrew had a huge interest in Sussex, didn't he?

00:40Yes, I mean, ever since we moved here in 1982, it was an area he grew to love,

00:46but especially so in retirement, when he started leading Hartsmart walks, which led him,

00:52with his curiosity, to different villages, first in the Downs, and one of the first books he wrote

00:58was about Downs villages. And then laterally, he took more interest in the coastal villages.

01:05And this last book, which I've published posthumously, is based on these coastal villages.

01:13And sadly, he finished just before his death, but you're saying that it was an enormous amount

01:20of work to bring this to publication. But having done that, you must be so pleased that it's now

01:26available.

01:27Well, that's right. I mean, certainly sort of family and close friends feel it's a real tribute

01:34to my husband, which, I mean, how he managed to do it all since lockdown, I really don't know.

01:41But obviously, he had huge talent for writing.

01:43Well, he had the passion and the knowledge, didn't he?

01:46Which I don't have at all. As I think I mentioned previously, I'm a scientist,

01:51so I'm very sort of structured on facts, and this sort of thing wouldn't come easily to me.

01:56So it's been a steep learning curve doing the publication and the self-publishing.

02:03But no, it's been an achievement and a lasting memory.

02:08Absolutely. And he asked you to bring it to publication, obviously.

02:12Well, that's right, yes. And my children wouldn't have allowed me not to, I think.

02:15Well, congratulations on having done it. The book is available from the Novium in Chichester

02:21and Kim's Bookshop in Arundel. Mary, lovely to speak to you,

02:25and say congratulations on bringing the book out.

02:28Thank you very much, Phil.