Robert Simper’s Books

A few weeks ago I received a letter from Robert Simper, a well known local author in Suffolk.  Having lived in Woodbridge in the past and spent time sailing on the Deben, I knew of Robert’s books and even had one of them on my bookshelf.  What I wasn’t aware of was that he had been writing since 1967 and had published over 40 books in that time.

Robert is primarily a farmer who has lived in Suffolk all his life, but he also has a love of traditional boats and the Suffolk rivers, especially the Deben, which flows close by his home at Ramsholt.  He started writing when he had a back injury and was unable to work on the farm, and since 1967 has written a book every winter.  He has a talent for writing and telling stories of the rivers, the boats and the people who live and work around them.  Many of his books are about Suffolk, and especially the Deben, but he has also written about other coastal communities around the country.  In addition to writing, Robert is an excellent photographer, and many of the books contain lots of photographs he has taken over the years.

It was a pleasure to visit him a couple of weeks back and pick up some of the books he has in his store.  Many of the 41 volumes are out of print, but we have now listed 12 of the remaining titles, and he is currently working on a new book.  But, as he says, he finds it difficult now to get out and about to sell them directly to bookshops as he used to, so he has asked us to take over his distribution.

To read more of Robert’s personal story, pick up The Best Crop, and Creekside Tales. Coastal Suffolk, Coastal Essex, The Beachman’s Coast and Woodbridge to the Coast tell stories of the people and boats around the rivers and creeks, with contemporary colour photographs.  Forgotten Coast, Sunrise Coast and Thames Tideway use archive photographs to explore the history of coastal communities.

It has taken me longer than usual to list these books because every time I pick one up, I find it hard to put down!  The stories are captivating and Robert’s love and passion for the coasts and rivers comes through in every word.