Tom Hutchinson's book, The History of Bishop Auckland, will be launched at the Civic Society meeting in Bishop Auckland Town Hall next Tuesday - November 8 - at 7.30pm.

Tom will give a talk on the celebrated local 19th Century historian, Matthew Richley. Admission is free.

The book is the first serious history of the town since Richley's celebrated History and Characteristics of Bishop Auckland in 1872.

Signed copies will be available at the meeting, and also in the library at the Town Hall from 2pm on Tuesday.

The book is published by The People's History for £9.99.

It will be on sale at Bishop Auckland Tourist Office and local bookshops from next Wednesday.

The new Echo Memories book, A Walk in the Park: Memories of Darlington 4, will also be published next week. It tells the story of South Park and the people who created it.

To launch the book, Chris Lloyd will give an illustrated talk on the history of the park at Cockerton Library on Thursday, November 10, at 7pm for 7.30pm.

Admission is free and people can turn up, but it would useful if places were booked by calling the library on (01325) 461320.

The South Park book, published in association with Darlington Borough Council, will be available from Ottakar's, in the Cornmill Centre, in Darlington, and from The Northern Echo's Priestgate offices. It will cost £6.50, with 50p being used to create a historical information board for the park.