A neat little guide book and attractive souvenir all rolled in to one, the Verdmont Historical House Guide Book, published by the Bermuda National Trust, is a welcome update of the guidebook of the past.Colour-coded like a field guide, the booklet is entitled “Verdmont: The Story of a House”, and comprises sections devoted to the house itself, its people, its contents and its land.It has been produced by the same team responsible for the Trust’s popular, parish-by-parish architectural heritage series.The slim volume of pocketbook size will fit easily into a backpack or handbag for handy reference while touring the house, and with multiple colour photographs will make a lovely souvenir of one’s visit for a very modest price (only $5 if purchased at Verdmont itself, and $10 at other Trust properties and local bookstores).More than a room-by-room list of items to notice, the guidebook tells the story of the house and its occupants, the humble as well as the prominent.Built for newlyweds John and Elizabeth Dickinson, Verdmont, perched on the hill named after one of its inhabitants, Collector of Customs John Green, is unique in design and preservation.It has changed little over the centuries, and those small changes have been noted, helping the visitor understand better the evolution of the house as a residence.Helping to bring alive the social context of the house, the guide book offers details of the occupants, bonded and free, from the first time its windows were flung open to the present carers for the property, the Bermuda National Trust, heirs of the Historic Monuments Trust which bought it from the last private owners, the Joells.The information in the new guide book is based on research by historian Ted Cart for the Trust’s Smith’s parish edition of its Architectural Heritage series, updated since then and extended with a range of full-colour photographs and descriptions of many of the pieces of antique, Bermuda-made furniture on display.Sections such as “Antique Cedar Gems”, “Changing Chair Styles” and “Porcelain: Spoils of War” encourage a greater knowledge, and therefore appreciation, of individual items to be found in the house and something of the society in which they were used.They also mean that the information is not limited to the house but is relevant to the wider Bermudian experience.Attractive, informative and easy to read, “Verdmont: The Story of a House” should appeal to visitors and locals alike.Verdmont is open on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm during the off-season or by special arrangement through Peter Frith at pfrith[AT]bnt.bm.