Stephen Hawke reviews a number of histories of the seven counties of south west England, including an excellent book by Philip Payton on Cornwall. Stephen also covers the Victoria County Histories – a project, still running, that was initiated in the late 1890s in honour of Queen Victoria, and tasked with compiling histories for every parish and county in England. All books discussed are available in (or through) the GSV library, and Stephen provides a few tips for using the catalogue.