The National Archives' authoritative guide to its most popular set of records.

The census has long been an important resource for family, local and social historians, yielding key information about our ancestors including their names, addresses, ages, family relationships and occupations.

When the 1901 census went online in 2002 the demand from researchers was phenomenal, and the 1911 census planned for release from 2009 to 2012 - the first to feature our ancestors' own handwriting - is set to be still more popular.

This one-stop guide covers everything you need to know about the 1841-1911 censuses in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, from the days of the enumerators knocking on everyone's doors to the modern privilege of internet access.

Much of the book focuses on getting the best results from online research, given issues like competing websites and variable index and image quality. Other ways of accessing the census - from original records to microfilm and CD-ROM - are covered in full.

Complete with illustrations, photographs, screenshots and case histories, Census. The Expert Guide is essential reference for anyone seeking to tap this unique resource, whether researching an individual or a locality.

Peter Christian is author of the bestselling The Genealogist’s Internet, published by the National Archives. A Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and former editor of Computers and Genealogy, he has written widely about online genealogy and is highly regarded in the field.

David Annal, an expert on census and other family history records, has worked at the National Archives and Family Records Centre since 1998. He is author of the very successful Easy Family History, published by the National Archives.