Y Gestiana' was published in Welsh in 1892 and it gives a vivid picture of how the history of the area was understood by a cultured Welshman at the end of the nineteenth century. This original Welsh edition is rare, but there are copies in Bangor University Library and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. 'Y Gestiana' was written by Robert Isaac Jones under the pseudonym of Alltud Eifion.
Robert Isaac Jones was an pharmacist, printer and littérateur, who wrote and published a handful of books, newspapers and journals. His book is rated very highly by people who have an interest in the history of the area surrounding Porthmadog, and as a reference book it is invaluable. In 1988 Jack Kidd from Pentrefelin undertook the very demanding task of translating 'Y Gestiana' into English.
This current book is based on this translation and has some rather idiosyncratic phraseology which perhaps aimed to capture the spirit of the original Welsh. The editor, Richard Walwyn, is the author of 'A Little History of Borth-y-Gest' and editor of 'Portmadoc and Its Resources 1856'. 'The Gestiana' has 188 pages, is paperback, A5 size
