The final book by Chichester historian Andrew Berriman has been published posthumously.
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00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to
00:06speak to Mary Berryman, and sadly about your husband's final book. Andrew died last year.
00:13He was Head of Sixth Form for Chichester Boys' High School for many years, but he was also
00:19a noted author in retirement. And the final book, which he finished just before his death,
00:25Mary, you've brought out now, haven't you? And the final book is?
00:31Title here, Forty Villages Along the Sussex Coastal Plain.
00:36And Andrew had a huge interest in Sussex, didn't he?
00:40Yes, I mean, ever since we moved here in 1982, it was an area he grew to love,
00:46but especially so in retirement, when he started leading Hartsmart walks, which led him,
00:52with his curiosity, to different villages, first in the Downs, and one of the first books he wrote
00:58was about Downs villages. And then laterally, he took more interest in the coastal villages.
01:05And this last book, which I've published posthumously, is based on these coastal villages.
01:13And sadly, he finished just before his death, but you're saying that it was an enormous amount
01:20of work to bring this to publication. But having done that, you must be so pleased that it's now
01:26available.
01:27Well, that's right. I mean, certainly sort of family and close friends feel it's a real tribute
01:34to my husband, which, I mean, how he managed to do it all since lockdown, I really don't know.
01:41But obviously, he had huge talent for writing.
01:43Well, he had the passion and the knowledge, didn't he?
01:46Which I don't have at all. As I think I mentioned previously, I'm a scientist,
01:51so I'm very sort of structured on facts, and this sort of thing wouldn't come easily to me.
01:56So it's been a steep learning curve doing the publication and the self-publishing.
02:03But no, it's been an achievement and a lasting memory.
02:08Absolutely. And he asked you to bring it to publication, obviously.
02:12Well, that's right, yes. And my children wouldn't have allowed me not to, I think.
02:15Well, congratulations on having done it. The book is available from the Novium in Chichester
02:21and Kim's Bookshop in Arundel. Mary, lovely to speak to you,
02:25and say congratulations on bringing the book out.
02:28Thank you very much, Phil.