There's still time to buy a new book in time for Christmas which examines Dorset’s historic past through unique photographs.

The latest book from The Dorset Echo provides a fascinating look into the way Weymouth, Dorchester and Dorset has changed over the last century.

Dorset Then & Now includes vintage pictures of the area alongside new images of the same locations – showing dramatic changes and the retained character of iconic sites.

The ‘old’ pictures in the book range from 1900 to 1993 and include busy town centres, bygone times and unspoilt village scenes, as well as other locations in bygone times. The new pictures show how drastically some areas have changed – while other parts of the county have kept their identity.

The Echo’s team of photographers went to great lengths to replicate the vantage points used by the original photographers as closely as possible, to give the reader the best possible sense of how things had changed.

Unique to this book is the use of ‘blends’ to marry old pictures with new ones, making it dramatically clear how some scenes have changed.

The 160-page hardback book features pictures from the Dorset Echo’s own archives and those of other local collections and museums.

n Dorset Then & Now is available for £14.95 from Dorset Echo offices in Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport and from: Farwells, Wareham; Swanage Bookshop; WH Smith, Weymouth and Blandford; Waterstones, Dorchester and Bridport; Dorset County Museum, Dorchester; and Chalbury Wines, Preston.

It can also be ordered for £20.25 including postage from dorsetecho.co.uk/thenand now