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Across the world hundreds of botanic gardens combine scientific research, conservation and beauty with public access, with Kew Gardens alone attracting around one million visitors a year. The author explains the gardens' design and architecture, the personalities and institutions associated with them, and their role in research and conservation.

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The British industry was exhorted to 'export or die', and until well into the 1950s the majority of the British bikes were sold abroad. During this period, the industry continued to develop various exciting machines. This book tells the story of the British post-war motorcycle during this golden age of the industry.

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E-type Jaguar; Triumph Spitfire; MGA; Austin-Healey - nobody built sports cars like British manufacturers in the 1950s and '60s. This book tells the story of the British sports car in the 1950s and '60s.

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Charts the development of tea and coffee cups, providing information on the methods of decoration, influential factories and designers. This book guides readers on how to identify the dates of particular patterns, as well as listing a number of museums and auction houses where these ornamental cups can be discovered.

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Before World War II, Brooklands was the most famous motor racing venue in the world, attracting large and glamorous crowds to its banked circuit to watch races being won and records being broken. This title helps you discover the history of this sporting site, from its heyday as a motoring treasure to its wartime service in aviation production.

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Covering not just Anglican but Roman Catholic and Scottish cathedrals, this book addresses the ongoing story of daily worship, conservation, pilgrimage and the tourism industry within cathedrals.

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There are few pieces of pottery more recognisable than those designed by Clarice Cliff. Employed in The Potteries from the age of thirteen, Clarice was talented and resourceful, and in 1927 she was given her own studio at the Newport Pottery. Using colour illustrations, this title traces the story of Clarice Cliff and the pottery that she created.

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Until the middle of the last century, London's social calendar was dominated by 'the Season', a round of social events and parties during which the daughters of the upper classes made their 'debuts'. This title offers spotlight at a phenomenon that was central to the lives of generations of privileged young ladies.

(Paperback)

The earliest known dolls' house was made in Bavaria in the mid-sixteenth century. Like most of those built in the following 250 years, it was designed not to be played with, but to be a perfect representation in miniature of a princely house, and to reflect the wealth of the owner. This book outlines the history of these little buildings.

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Developments in microelectronics in the early 1970s meant that computers at home seemed about to become commonplace. This title tells about the story of first commonplace home computers - the Sinclairs, Commodores, Amstrads, and the earliest versions of Microsoft Windows - that helped to make the computer an indispensable item in the British home.

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"Early Railways: 1569-1830".

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Explains the various elements that shaped British fashion in the 1920s, including the strong influences of Paris and Hollywood and looking not only at the clothes worn by the rich and famous but also at those of the common people - and at those who chose to dress conservatively in this age of 'anything goes'.

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Reveals the impact of wartime and austerity on British fashion and tells the story of how a spirit of patriotism and make-do-and-mend unleashed a wave of new creativity among women who were starved of high fashion by shortages and rationing.

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From the etiquette of courtly dress to the evolution of the Elizabethan ruff, this title explores the sartorial world of the late-16th century, why people wore the clothes they did, and how the dizzyingly eclectic range of fashions (including ruffs, rebatos and French farthingales) transformed over time.

(Paperback)

Originating in Europe, garden gnomes made the leap across the channel in the nineteenth century, where they were welcomed warmly by wealthy Brits who saw them as the must-have garden accessory. This title provides the intriguing story of gnomes and how they have come to reside in the flowerbeds of gardens across Britain.

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"Gargoyles".

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It has been over a century since Frank Hornby invented a toy to amuse his sons and called it Meccano, coining a word which has entered the dictionary as a term in common usage and is now known all over the world. Hornby's vision of an educational toy became the basis of perhaps the most successful British toy business of the twentieth century.

(Paperback)

Well over half a century after it first appeared in 1948, the Morris Minor has become a much-loved classic car. This book traces the evolution of the Minor through the different phases of its development to its demise in the 1970s.

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Traces the development of the omnibus through the horse-drawn era to that of mechanical propulsion, when, after experiments with steam and electric battery units, the petrol engine reigned supreme until just before the Second World War.

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This book examines the rise and fall of the picture house in Britain before the advent of the dreary and unadventurous multiplex.

(Paperback)

Exploring the development of old delivery vans, this title discusses the improvements and fashions up to the 1960s, including the advances in locomotion from steam to petrol, electricity and diesel. Looking at the Ford Model T, it provides a comprehensive and illustrated introduction to the history and design of classic delivery vans.

(Paperback)

Traces the history and evolution of the gramophone, the intricacies of recording sound on discs or cylinders and the complex early development of the record industry. This book is suitable for music enthusiasts.