THE reprint of a rare book on Forest of Dean law is likely to become a collector's item even before it has sold out!
Antiquarian booker dealers John Saunders of Coleford, and Phil Thredder, of Ross-on-Wye, have reproduced just 200 copies of Wood's The Laws of the Dean Forest.
An original copy of the book – first published in 1878 – would change hands for as much as £300 and is so scarce that Mr Saunders, a collector of Forest books for many years, has only ever seen three offered for sale.
Mr Thredder said the decision to republish the book was taken as a result of recent correspondence in The Review about Forest law.
Updated with a foreword by senior verderer Dr Cyril Hart, the new book, which costs £30, is likely to be eagerly sought and, like Nicholls' reprinted Forest of Dean, is almost certain to command an even greater price once it is second hand!
The original book was published by James Wood, the son of a Chepstow land agent who became a barrister, fascinated by the Forest of Dean and its history.