Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom/13 Volumes Bound in 6 Books

Rating:
Summary: *Essential* for peerage research
Review: Begun by George E. Cokayne, the Clarenceaux King-of-Arms, this set is to the British peerage what the Oxford English Dictionary is to the English language -- absolutely the best thing of its kind. Citations to primary sources frequently fill 3/4 of the page and anecdotal text-notes put some meat on the bones. Far superior to the 19th century Burke's Peerage publications. Don't attempt serious British research without it! The numerous appendices at the ends of the volumes also are highly recommended as instructive essays.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but not current
Review: This is a reprint, printed in 2000, reducing 4-1 the pages of the orignal 13 volumes into 6 volumes. The orignal was published between 1910 and 1938, so this set does not include information more recent then 1938. Be sure to track down Vol. XIV, published in 1998, to complete the information. Otherwise this is excellent information.

Rating:
Summary: By far the most enjoyable and complete peerage resource
Review: This is by far the most complete and enjoyable peerage resource, in that it gives the full history of EVERY peerage created up to the 20th century. You cannot get more complete than this. The new edition means that people can actually buy it without going bankrupt and it will be an invaluable resource for genealogists and for people who like to look up old books just for fun as well. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHURCHILL'S FOLLY: HOW WINSTON CHURCHILL CREATED MODERN IRAQ (Carroll and Graf, 2004)

Rating:
Summary: Definitive source
Review: This is the definitive source on the British peerage up to 1938. (Vol. XIV, printed recently and sold separately, updates the saga to the late 1990's.) This 4 to 1 microprint version of the original pages still leaves reasonably legible print; having a reader's magnifier might also be useful for some. The vols are well produced and come in an embossed slipcase, and though sturdy my slipcase was significantly damaged in transit (two front-to-back edges totally broken so that the case would not hold together) with subsequent pleas for amends falling on deaf ears.