ThePortForum.com

I have slowly been building a collection of Port books, and of particular interest are the ones produced by Port shippers themselves (normally produced to to celebrate an anniversary of their founding). I have put a list of the ones I have managed to find so far below, and wondered if anyone has knowledge of any others that may have been produced or issued with special releases. Any help appreciated.

Simon

Cockburn's - The First Two Hundred Years 1815-2015
Croft - A Journey of Confidence 1678-1978 (Oliver Knox)
Dow's - The Story of Dow's Port 1798-1998 (Richard Mayson)
Fonseca - Fonseca Porto (©2012)
Sandeman - Port & Sherry: The Story of Two Fine Wines (2nd edition 1964)
Sandeman - The House of Sandeman: The Story of Sherry, Capa Negra Brandy and Port (4th edition 1979)
Sandeman - Two Hundred Years of Port and Sherry 1790-1990 (Ned Halley)
Sandeman - The Sandeman Story 1790-2015 (Part of the 225th Anniversary Case with 6x S00 Bottles)
Symington's - Quinta do Vesuvio (Book included in a case of Vesuvio, which I believe to be an early edition and I am not sure if this has been updated for recent releases?)
Symington's - A Life in the Port Trade by James Symington (2007)
Taylor's - A Celebration of Taylor's Port 1692-1992 (Edited by Christopher Foulkes) Part of their Tercentenary celebration box with T77, TV78 and TdF 88 bottles)
Taylors' - A Story of a Classic Port House (©2011)
Warre's - The House of Warre 1670-1970: A Three hundred Year Old Tradition (Cyril Ray)

If you click the link on Derek's posts (the little www below the picture) that takes you to his port books site, if you go to 'index' there is quite a list. I don't know what there is in terms of books about specific shippers but there may be something of interest. If you are looking to buy specific books then the usual bookfinder and Amazon seem to have most things, now and again books seem to be listed at high prices which then come down substantially a few months later. I have bought books for £50 which six months later are listed for a few pounds. Sometimes it is worth waiting, but there are a few port books which are always expensive (Mr Cobb's book springs to mind).

As Owen has kindly pointed out I have a rather immodest collection of books about wine and Port, all of which are listed and some of which are briefly reviewed on www.booksaboutport.com

If you are considering buying a book and it is listed on that site please feel free to ask me for pictures, details or advice on whether or not I think it is worth the investment

As a side issue I have tended not to buy books written about and commissioned by individual shippers. Whenever I have read books written on other subjects which have been commissioned the author seems rather too keen to win the order of the brown nose rather than give a balanced view of the subject. Have you found this the case in the books you have listed so far?