To order copy/copies at £18.00 (£20.50 inc. p&p per copy) please email or phone me. Alternative email jgmullaney@aol.com

Have you ever wondered how far back we can trace the history of Reading? Do we really know why it is called Reading? What was it like when King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, decided to found a monastery, his mausoleum, in Reading? Did you know that the first time the name of Reading is mentioned was only in 871?

Using archaeological reports and the earliest written records, my aim, in this book, is to see what we can learn about this part of the Thames and its peoples.

I examine the various excavations and historical records of early Reading. I look at the area in the Bronze and Iron Ages. I then move on to the Roman era and the dominance of Calleva. Following this, I discuss how, and why, with the ‘decline and fall’ of Rome, and the arrival of the Saxons, Reading replaced the ancient Roman town. 

The book also examines the various theories generated by the study of these events. This leads to some controversial points, such as the very origins, and meaning, of the name of Reading.

As far as I am aware, this is the first time an attempt has been undertaken to draw together, and critically examine,  the various strands of evidence concerning the history of the two towns before 1121 and the founding of the monastery by Henry I.

The book has over 140 pages with more than forty maps and illustrations.

The YouTube link where I say more about the book is                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2C2bDwiTvQ

Or search A Tale of Two Towns, Mullaney