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This week sees the publication of a bilingual English/Welsh history of an amazing Petition that sought world peace. The Petition, started in Wales in the wake of World War I, asked American women to work alongside the women of Wales in the name of peace and held almost 400,000 signatures – a significant percentage of the female population of the day. 2023 marks the petition’s centenary, and for the first time the inspiring story is available in book form, The Appeal – The Remarkable Story of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition 1923–24 (Y Lolfa), edited by Mererid Hopwood and...
Read MoreNEW BOOK EXPLORES WHAT IT IS TO BE AN IMMIGRANT WITH A CREATIVE SOUL IN AMERICA
Ceri Shaw - @ceri-shaw
25 Sep 2023Llanelli-raised Dr Mari Morgan emigrated to the United States in 1996 to pursue a career as a classical singer. Braids of Song: Weaving Welsh Music into the American Soul (Y Lolfa) by Mari Morgan evokes the experiences of other Welsh people who have ventured across the Pond to follow their musical dreams. Mari Morgan asks: “Do you ever wonder what happens when a person moves to a new country? Do they change? Does the way they sing stay with the old or blend with the new? And if they are creative types – what happens to their artistic output?” Several voices tell their...
Read MoreTHE GREATEST SPORTING FAMILY IN HISTORY – THE BLUE AND BLACK BROTHERS
Ceri Shaw - @ceri-shaw
4 Aug 2023BUY IT HERE - The Greatest Sporting Family in History: The Blue & Black Brothers Terry Breverton , who has been translated into languages as varied as Chinese, Japanese and Turkish, recalls the almost forgotten eight brothers who all played for Cardiff Rugby Club, when it was universally acknowledged as the ‘ greatest rugby club in the world’ . For forty years to 1974, in every season at least one of the brothers was a regular first team member, and the youngest four brothers sometimes all played together. The careers of four of the brothers were halted because of World War...
Read MoreA new book published this week offers a glimpse into some special words and phrases that are unique to Wales. From well-known words such as cwtsh , hiraeth , crachach and Jac Codi Baw to lesser used words and phrases such as paneidio , ansparadigeaethus and pendramwnwgl Wales in 100 Words is an off-beat collection of words that are in some way unique, evocative and special. Some are ancient and derive from Early Welsh, and others like dim gobaith caneri draw on Wales’s rich cultural and social heritage and many like popty-ping and co bach are new-born inventive...
Read MoreA new book published by Y Lolfa aims to transform the way people think about Welsh independence. Authors Jim Wingate and Jen Llywelyn share personal experiences and practical exercises in this compact book that aims to decolonise minds. The book, 20 Radical Steps to Welsh Independence: By first decolonising our minds , is a self-help guide, giving the reader various examples and actions to transform the way the reader thinks about Wales. Jim has worked in 21 independent countries and uses that experience to show how things need to change in Wales. Jim and Jen say: “There’s...
Read MoreThe 24 th of April sees the release of a new book Charles and the Welsh Revolt: The Explosive Start to King Charles III’s Royal Career by Arwel Vittle. Charles' Investiture in 1969 marked a turning point in Welsh history. Feelings ran high about the installation of an English Prince of Wales, and there was almost open warfare between the police and young Welsh protesters. Demos and protests, dramatic stunts from the quasi-paramilitary Free Wales Army, hunger strikes, rifts in the Welsh Establishment, secret police, agents provocateurs and a well-organised bombing campaign - this...
Read MoreGêm Fwrdd sy’n ail Fyw Rhyfel Glyndŵr Dros Annibyniaeth Mae’r Lolfa newydd ryddhau gêm fwrdd newydd Gymraeg sy’n ail-fyw gwrthryfel Owain Glyndŵr rhwng 1400-1405. Mae bwrdd y gêm wedi ei seilio ar fap o Gymru’r cyfnod ac yn cynnwys lleoliadau’r cestyll a’r brwydrau. Mae’r holl ddarnau a’r cardiau wedi eu creu yn bwrpasol i roi naws ac ymdeimlad cryf o’r canol oesoedd ac i gynnig profiad i’r rhai sy'n chwarae. Dyma’r gêm Gymraeg wreiddiol gyntaf i gael ei chyhoeddi ers blynyddoedd maith Mae ar werth yn awr yn y Siopau Llyfrau Cymraeg am £25 a www.ylolfa.com am £30 yn...
Read MoreFrom the end of the First World War in November 1918 until the fall of the last Liberal-led government in October 1922, Margaret Lloyd George, wife of David Lloyd George, “the Man who Won the War”, pursued an unprecedented series of political campaigns between all compass points of England and Wales. It was unprecedented for a “First Lady” to campaign on the political hustings, except in their husband’s own constituency. By and large, it has never been repeated in this manner. The Campaigns of Margaret Lloyd George , published on 24 th October 2022 (almost a century to...
Read MoreBack in 2014 many were shocked when it was reported that the priceless religious artefact known as the Nanteos Cup had been stolen from its owner’s home in Herefordshire. The Nanteos Cup is an ancient wooden bowl which for many years was kept at the Mid Wales mansion called Nanteos, whence the vessel derived its name. It is believed to have originated from the medieval Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida. In 2015 the Cup was recovered by police and in 2016 it was given a new home in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth where it remains on permanent display. Many...
Read MoreDdydd Sadwrn yma bydd y cofiant cyntaf llawn i Dic Penderyn yn cael ei lansio. Gellir prynu Dic Penderyn: The Man and the Martyr gan Sally Roberts Jones yn www.ylolfa.com ac mewn siopau llyfrau am £9.99. Dilynwch y ddolen yma am wybodaeth lawn. This Saturday the first full biography of Dic Penderyn will be launched. Dic Penderyn: The Man and the Martyr, by Sally Roberts Jones is available in bookshops and www.ylolfa.com for £9.99. Follow this link for more details. Dic Penderyn: The Man and the Martyr will be launched at 10:30am on Saturday, 30 th July at Aberafan...
Read MoreChapel and Rugby. The lodestars of Welsh cultural life in the twentieth century. One proclaiming peace and love and the promise of everlasting paradise. The other a brutal release of pent-up aggression. What happens when the two come into conflict? Last Match by debut novelist Martin Rhys answers that question in what early reviews label ‘an authentic and compelling story’. Colin Lewis looks set to become Wales’s next rugby superstar. International fame can only be a matter of time. But the time is 1939, and off the field, Colin is a different person. For a...
Read MoreMae'r Lolfa newydd ryddhau argraffiad newydd clawr meddal o Hands off Wales gan Dr Wyn Thomas. Mae'r gyfrol 450 tudalen ar werth mewn siopau llyfrau a www.ylolfa.com am £19.99 (yn cynnwys cludiant) Y Lolfa have released a new paperback edition of Hands of Wales by Dr Wyn Thomas. The 450pp book is avialable in bookshops and www.ylolfa.com for £19.99 (p&p inc). Destined to be the definitive historical analysis of the events leading up to Welsh devolution - John Jenkins An important book on an important topic in both Welsh and British history - Dr Martin Johnes...
Read More"Partly as a small curtain-raiser for my coming book The Snow Leopard of Moscow & Other Stories and partly in the context of what's happening in Ukraine, I've posted on my website some photos I took at Chekhov's house, with some thoughts thereon. The book will be out shortly, later this month, all being well. Updates on my site and on Facebook as things hopefully click into place. With best wishes, Matthew G. Rees" www.matthewgrees.com/events- contact
Read MoreAn extremely comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the castle under Wales' native rulers (c.1066-1283). Spectacular aerial photography, plans and reconstruction drawings examine the various architectural designs and layouts that created the distinctive form of the Welsh castle. 378 pages, full colour, fully illustrated. Canllaw cynhwysfawr dros ben, wedi'i ddarlunio'n llawn, i hanes ac esblygiad y castell Cymreig yng nghyfnod ei thywysogion cynhenid (c.1066-1283). Ceir ffotograffau trawiadol o'r awyr, cynlluniau ac ail-luniadau o'r adeiladau gan...
Read MoreWales is known as ‘the land of song’ and the Welsh are renowned for their love of hymns – perhaps no other nation has sung them with such fervour. This passion is celebrated in a new comprehensive history of hymn writing and singing in Wales and amongst the Welsh diaspora in North America. A Nation of Singing Birds: Sermon and Song in Wales and Among the Welsh in America by Ronald Rees looks at the time between the Protestant Revivals in the late 18 th century until the present day. Described as “Lively, entertaining, and valuable – a real gem” by the journalist, presenter...
Read MoreIn 2020 the people of Cwmbwrla came together in the face of an unprecedented health crisis to put smiles on each other’s faced and food on each other’s tables. Neighbours became friends, and together they showed Swansea at its best. We believe their stories are worth telling, and contributors including Brynhyfryd-born Mal Pope, local author David Brayley, MP Carolyn Harris and Councillor Peter Black agree. “ Circling the Square: Cwmbwrla, Coronavirus and Community” tells the stories of individuals, families and groups whose acts of kindness and quiet courage have improved...
Read MoreClick for more from Alan Bilton on AmeriCymru ... Central Russia, 1919, a sanatorium cut off by the chaos of the Russian civil war. The murder of the chief doctor sets in motion a nightmarish series of events involving mysterious experiments, the secret police, the Tsar’s double, an enigmatic ‘visitor’, giant corpses, possessed cats, sorcery, and the overwhelming madness of war, in this fantastical and wildly exuberant historical novel. BUY HERE Commendations A bold and confident n ovel...
Read MoreRead our interview with author Dave Lewis here ... This is Dave's twenty-first book and fourth novel. A gritty ‘Cymru noir’ thriller set in various locations around south Wales and the UK. The book is available as a paperback as well as an e-book and can be found on Amazon and in all good book shops… Synopsis An authentic British road trip and old-fashioned love story. A violent but compelling tale of grim landscapes and dark morality. Paul Thorne is no angel. A hard man with a troubled past, his mistake was to fall for the wrong girl. When...
Read MoreDyma ddetholiad o straeon gan unigolion sydd wedi tystio i'r twf mewn cefnogaeth i annibyniaeth, boed hynny yn sgil Ewro 2016, refferendwm Brexit neu'r penderfyniad yn nyddiau'r Coronafeirws mai annibyniaeth i Gymru yw'r unig ffordd ymlaen. . Here is a selection of stories from individuals who have witnessed the growth in support for independence whether in the weeks of Euro 2016, the Brexit referendum or the decision in the days of the Coronavirus that independence for Wales is the only way forward. . Ar gael yn www.ylolfa.com a thrwy eich siop lyfrau leol am...
Read MoreYOUNG RESEARCHER REVEALS THE SECRETS OF THE ORE INDUSTRY IN MID WALES
Ceri Shaw - @ceri-shaw
30 Jun 2020South Wales’ coal industry is world famous, and north Wales’ slate industry is recognised thanks to the Slate Museum in Llanberis as well as numerous publications celebrating its history. But what about the lost ore industry in mid Wales? Ioan Lord, author of a new bilingual book on the subject, Worn by Tools and Time: Ore from Mid Wales (Y Lolfa), hopes to bring attention to the history and the importance of the industry and its workers through his descriptive text and brand-new photographs of the underground world created centuries ago. “The fact that such a small...
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