The book

Not a folder of files. A book.

Every Chronicle becomes a book to keep. These are real pages from one, exactly as they go to the printer.

The front cover of a Chronicle book: deep burgundy with a thin double cream border, the title "Ferns of Ice" in cream serif type above a short rule, and the storyteller’s name, Peggy Whitfield, near the foot
The opening page of chapter 1, "Ferns of ice on the inside of the glass", set in a large serif title with a short rule, followed by the first paragraphs of the story in the storyteller’s own words
The cover and first page of Ferns of Ice, a sample book.
Inside the book

Real pages, not pictures of pages.

Every book is laid out around the storyteller’s own words and photographs, then printed and bound in the UK.

The front cover of a Chronicle book: deep burgundy with a thin double cream border, the title "Ferns of Ice" in cream serif type above a short rule, and the storyteller’s name, Peggy Whitfield, near the foot
The cover

Ferns of Ice is a sample book. Peggy is a made-up storyteller, and the photographs in her book were created or licensed for this sample.

Read the first chapter (PDF, 20 pages) →

One quick question

What would help you decide?

Just tap one – there’s nothing else to fill in.

How it gets here

The book comes last.

  1. They tell their story in guided conversations, spoken or typed, at their own pace – over weeks or months.
  2. It’s shaped into chapters in their own words, for them to read and change.
  3. The book is printed once they’ve finished. Not before – so there’s no rush, and no date to hit.

Giving it? What you give is the invitation to tell their story, not a book that has to arrive in a box – so there’s no order-by date. Order on Christmas Eve if you like.

Do this for myselfDo it for someone else

Not ready to decide?

We’ll email you the sample chapter and how it all works, to look over with whoever you’d do this with.

What we’d send you

New writing from the Journal – the pieces we publish about recording a life story – and a note when Chronicle opens to the public. Every one has an unsubscribe link that works straight away, and we never share your details with anyone.

A mock-up of the Memoir edition: the burgundy "Ferns of Ice" cover design on a casebound hardback standing on a wooden table beside an old photograph and a cup of tea
Mock-up of the Memoir edition, with Peggy’s real cover design.
In the hand

Two printed editions.

DetailMemoirHeirloom
SizeA5, 148 × 210mmA5, 148 × 210mm
Paper130gsm150gsm
InteriorFull colourFull colour
BindingCasebound hardbackSmyth Sewn hardback
CoverPrinted hardbackPrinted hardback

Life Story is the digital edition – the same book to read on screen, with the option to print it later.

MemoirCasebound hardbackPages bound to a rigid board cover with a printed wrap – the weight of a bookshop hardback.HeirloomSmyth Sewn hardbackPages sewn together with thread before the cover goes on, so it opens easily and stays open. The traditional way to bind a book meant to be handed down.

Compare the three editions and prices →