A DEFINITIVE history of a concert club still going strong 100 years after Sir Edward Elgar helped establish it is to be published by one of its members.

Michael Messenger OBE has written Elgar's Legacy: A Centennial History of the Malvern Concert Club, due to be launched yesterday (Thursday).

It charts the life and times of the club from 1903, when Sir Edward set it up as a showcase for chamber music in the town.

Ever since it started it has attracted musicians of the highest calibre, such as the Bohemian String Quartet, and since then the likes of Nigel Kennedy and John Ogden have graced its events.

Mr Messenger said the club was very unusual in having completed a whole century of staging concerts without missing a single season, even during both world wars.

He has been the club's archivist for the past 10 years, and is also chairman of the management committee at the Elgar Birthplace Museum, where the book will be launched.

He worked as a librarian throughout his career, receiving an OBE for services to them, and held the post of county librarian for Herefordshire and Worc-estershire before retirement.

That experience helped him compile the book, which contains a complete record of every concert the club has ever held except one in the 1950s.

"It has been fun doing it," he said. "I enjoy doing research anyway, so that bit has been sheer pleasure."

However, he added bringing the book up-to-date had been a challenge, with constant revisions needed over the last few months to ensure accuracy.

A pre-publication copy was presented to Kate Endersby, the club's previous archivist, who held the post for 25 years. It took place on Thursday, July 10, at the club's annual meeting.

The 405-page hardback will be available from Beacon Books priced £24.