Books to Preserve the Memories

If the task of organizing and transcribing family history interviews is too daunting, you can try an easier, scripted approach with one of several memory books available in bookstores.

To ensure they actually get filled in, plan to make an afternoon or evening of it with your relatives. Here are a few to consider:

* A series of memory books from HarperCollins, including “Grandfather Remembers” and “Dad Remembers.” Includes such good topics as, “My worries about the future were. . . .”

* “From Grandma with Love: A Life Recalled for my Grandchild” (Little, Brown & Co., 1992). Includes thorough family tree and a page for family diseases.

* “My Family History” (Long Meadow Press, 1992). Includes forms to itemize family heirlooms.

* “Grandmother’s Album” (Viking Studio Books, 1992). A pretty book. Includes such topics as, “Things I never understood about teen-agers then. . . .”