From the bookshelves 20

    Change-ringing and the art of ringing church bells full circle is something peculiar to England. The beginnings of The Exercise, as it is sometimes affectionately known, were first documented and advanced by Fabian Stedman in the seventeenth century. Ernest Morris researched and wrote the comprehensive The History and Art of Change Ringing first published in 1931. A more modern history has now been published in three volumes under the editorship of J Sanderson. Many ringers today don't leave home without a copy of Jasper Snowdon's Diagrams in their pockets. The art of change ringing has expanded beyond the Standard Methods. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR) is an excellent place to begin researching the art as it is practiced today.

    My learning to ring was slow and sure: weekly practice until I could handle a bell and ring 120 changes then I was able to become a member of the Essex Association of Change Ringers and was allowed to ring for Sunday services. Like all the arts it is better practiced than talked about.