Books
Books in print can be purchased from an independent bookseller via the links below. Out of print titles can be found via AbeBooks.
Born and bred in Sussex, Geoffrey Munn, Antiques Roadshow presenter and jewellery expert, came from a traditional rural background – but only weeks after leaving a country Grammar School in 1972, he was plunged into the vortex of the London art world. It was the beginning of the career of a lifetime at the famous firm of Wartski, whose showrooms scintillated with gem-set necklaces, tiaras and three of the famous Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs.
In a colourful and witty narrative, Geoffrey relates his daunting but delightful encounters with HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, HRH Princess Margaret and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. In their wake, Geoffrey met a rich variety of luminaries, including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Elton John, Vivienne Westwood and Dame Edna Everage. This is certainly a rapid and amusing read but it is also unique study of a narrow and fast-changing society.
SOUTHWOLD: AN EARTHLY PARADISE
A glimpse into the exciting, and often tumultuous, history of a small seaside town.
The inspiration behind William Morris's Earthly Paradise, the muse for J.M.W. Turner's superlative seascapes, a home to hardy fishermen and the top holidaying spot for wealthy Victorians, as well as the scene for relentless witch-hunts and mob justice in the 17th Century, Southwold is far more than a picturesque postcard town. From the time of Saint Edmund, through plagues, fire and wars, to Damien Hirst's driftwood creations, and the future day when this town will tumble into the sea, this book collects essays that reveal slivers of Southwold's essence. Some are part-myth, some part-legend. But all make for excellent stories, especially when complemented by beautiful art.
This 2017 edition keeps its celebrated essays on some of the more well-known aspects of Southwold's past. Among the most notable of the new sections is the chapter regarding the tragic dissolution of the romantic friendship between Franklin Lushington and Edward Lear, writer of the nonsense poem The Owl and the Pussy Cat and the lesser-known (yet more autobiographical) The Daddy-Long-Legs and the Fly.
A history, a celebration and an ode merged into one, Geoffrey Munn's Southwold will take you on a trip through this famous seaside resort, as you've never seen it before.
The book is full of delightful touches and discoveries - Country Life
WARTSKI: THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
Edith Sitwell, Margot Fonteyn, Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner, Barbra Streisand and Vivienne Westwood are just a few of the luminaries who have visited Wartski's showrooms, lured by a dazzling array of gems, jewellery, goldsmiths' work and the famous Faberge collection. Geoffrey Munn, managing director of Wartski, tells the remarkable story of how the firm rose from humble beginnings in Bangor, North Wales, to become jewellers to six generations of the British Royal family and famous throughout the world. The lively text of Wartski: The First Hundred and Fifty Years will be a source of deep fascination to all enthusiasts of jewellery, European royalty, Faberge and, in particular, celebrities from every walk of life.