'Bondagers' tells the story of a forgotten way of life in the days when farming relied on hard manual labour and the countryside was much more densely populated than it is today.
Farm labourers were hired on an annual basis and many moved from farm to farm throughout their working lives, uprooting their families and possessions from one poor cottage to another.
What made Northumberland and south east Scotland unusual was that the agricultural improvements of the early 19th century led to large labour-hungry farms in an area whose population had been relatively small, resulting in the practice of requiring hinds - the male labourers - to provide a woman to work with them.
These bondagers, as they were called, often had the worst of all worlds - the hardest work for the least return - and were poorly regarded by the hinds, who saw them as an encumbrance which had to be paid out of their own small wages.
It is small wonder that the bondage system soon came to be seen as iniquitous: protests were loud and largely carried out through the medium of the local press.
Described in detail in the book, the press coverage of bondagers displays many facets of 19th century life and attitudes, making it a fascinating social history source.
Despite the generally agreed iniquity of the system, like many others it was slow to end, surviving in modified form almost up to the Second World War.
And, as always when people are faced by hard conditions, a camaraderie grew among the bondagers which expressed itself in their own special customs and lifestyle.
Dinah first became interested in the subject when she started her teaching career in Berwickshire in 1972.
"I was living in digs in Coldingham with Bill and Daline Turnbull who had worked on the land," explained Dinah.
"They knew I had been brought up on a small family farm in Yorkshire and they told me all about their experiences which got me interested."
Her first interest was in the distinctive costumes that bondagers wore when working in the fields. In 1976, she wrote a short essay on their costume.
She and husband, Alec, moved to Doddington in 1995 and this gave new momentum to her research.
She has amassed a large collection of books, press cuttings and photographs and by talking to former bondagers, Land Army girls and farm workers in the area she has gathered an unrivalled record of their memories.
She spent hours in Berwick Records Office, where archivist Linda Bankier's help has been invaluable, while examining old newspapers on microfiche and further trips to the records office in Edinburgh provided more information.
Dinah, who is a regular speaker on the WI circuit, said: "People find it interesting because it's social history and there are still people who have relatives who were bondagers.
"I'm thrilled to bits to see the book become a reality because it's been a long time in the making. Having finished all the research and writing there was still a lot of work to do to get in into print so I'm especially grateful to Kevin Molloy, of Glendale Local History Society, who has helped arrange all this information.
"I hope everyone is pleased with the result, particularly the people I spoke to to get a record of their memories."
Bondagers is published by the Glendale Local History Society, in part thanks to a grant from the North Northumberland Leader Gold small grants scheme administered by Community Action Northumberland. It was printed by Spittal-based Martins the Printers.
Chairman, Roy Humphrey, said: "The society is delighted to have been able to help Dinah see her excellent book into print.
"The bondage system was unique to Northumberland and south east Scotland and it is particularly appropriate that the fullest account of this most fascinating subject has been written by a local author, printed to a high standard in Berwick, the archetypal Border town, and published by a local publisher.
"I believe it has every chance of becoming the standard work on the subject and that it will generate interest far beyond the immediate locality it deals with."
Bondagers, is an A4 size paperback volume of 208 pages with a colour cover, illustrated throughout and with a comprehensive bibliography, map and index to enable students and family historians to trace many of the individuals, places and references contained in the book.
It is available, priced £11.95, from T W Brand in Wooler, Geo C Grieve in Berwick, local tourist information centres or by post for £14.95 to include postage and packing from Glendale Local History Society, PO Box 100, Wooler, Northumberland, NE66 9BA (cheques payable to Glendale Local History Society).
Trade enquiries should be made to the same address or to glhs@btinternet.com.