Pen and Sword Books

The first books produced by the company were in response to public demand, following a series of articles first published weekly in the Barnsley Chronicle. Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak National Park and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the Barnsley Pals, aroused a public interest. Over the years these books have been reprinted a number of times.

Following on from the success of the Dark Peak and Barnsley Pals books, a number of local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guide books. Battleground Europe proved successful and as more titles were produced the company made the decision to launch a book publishing arm of the group.

When the Leo Cooper imprint became available the Barnsley Chronicle bought it; and the Pen and Sword publishing house was established in 1990.[3] Leo Cooper (25 March 1934 – 29 November 2013), the husband of novelist Jilly Cooper, had established a reputation for publishing military history titles. Leo Cooper later retired.[3]

Pen and Sword also covers naval and maritime history, aviation, local history, family history, collectables and antiques, nostalgia and true crime.

• Aviation Heritage Trail—stories, history and events behind famous aviation operations
• Battlegrounds—Over 100 illustrated battleground guide books from periods including 1066, Wars of the Roses, the English Civil War, Napoleonic, Zulu War, The Boer War, World War I to World War II
• Holt's Guidebooks—Overview general information books with maps, memorials, battleground descriptions and tourist-focused summaries covering varied campaigns from World War I and World War II
• Pals—narratives documenting the lives of friends, comrades and pals who joined together in the same Battalions to serve King and Country during the Great War
• Classics—books covering military operations and stories from many different periods throughout history
• Warships of the Royal Navy—stories behind famous Royal Navy ships from the Napoleonic Wars to contemporary military conflicts
• Images of War—photographs from wartime archives with detailed captions and references
• Shot in the Tower: The Story of the Spies Executed in the Tower of London During the First World War [4]

• Official website
• Barnsleychronicle.co.uk Barnsley Chronicle