Dorking's lanes, quarries and village registers come alive here. A richly observed local portrait. Shenton Bright's A History Of Dorking And The Neighbouring Parishes is a nineteenth century surrey study that reads like a victorian local history book refreshed for modern readers: an english parish history and a regional historical guide that pairs parish records with field notes. Chapters on literary associations, flora, fauna, geology and the everyday life of the district knit together an intimate sense of place. Bright takes the long view - recording the surrey flora and fauna you can still spot today, explaining the geology of Dorking in clear, layman-friendly terms, and tracing those literary associations England has with its small towns and country houses. The tone moves between measured scholarship and readable curiosity, making it a natural companion for rural england studies and an accessible introduction for british history enthusiasts. At the same time, the depth of archival detail makes this a genuine local historians resource rather than a superficial guide. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions. Restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure. Beyond its transactional value, the volume matters: Bright's methodical use of parish registers, maps and contemporary observation secures the work's lasting historical significance for those studying nineteenth century surrey and the wider fabric of english countryside heritage. Collectors of illustrated local history, classic-literature collectors and students of rural social history will find much to admire, while amateurs curious about the landscape's stories can read it cover to cover. This Alpha Editions release honours the original text while presenting it in an edition suited to study, shelf and sentimental pleasure - a careful republication that restores a regional voice to readers and scholars who cherish England's past.