(Paperback)

How animals from dogs and horses to pigeons helped in the 1939--45 war effort, including saving buried blitz victims and delivering top-secret messages.

(Paperback)

A fully illustrated and nostalgic history of Matchbox Toys and the company that made them, which will appeal to the generations of people who have played with them over the decades--and also collectors.

(Paperback)

The ideal introduction to electric train sets from the Second World War to 1975.

(Paperback)

The story of Lambretta and Vespa scooters in the UK and their social history.

(Paperback)

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.

(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.

(Paperback)

This is a definitive overview of fashion in the 1970s, featuring platform heels, hotpants, punks, and New Romantics.

(Paperback)

(Paperback)

Outlines the history of London's sewers from the nineteenth century onwards, using a variety of colour illustrations, photographs and newspaper engravings to show their development from medieval spaces to the complex, citywide network, largely constructed in the 1860s, that is still in place today.

(Paperback)

Introduces the concepts and techniques of craft cider production. This title looks at the different styles of cider, and the effect of fruit variety, climate and orchard location on the finished drink, and presents a method for the home cider maker.

(Paperback)

Tartan is an enormously popular pattern in modern fashion. Beginning as Highland dress, it was originally peculiar to certain areas of Scotland, but is now generally accepted as its national costume. This title traces the early stages of that evolution, and the process by which the various tartans became icons of Scottish identity.

(Paperback)

If ever the idea of Britishness could be distilled into liquid form it would be into the quintessential cup of tea. This title guides us through the evolution of tea from its beginnings as an exclusive imported luxury found only in up market coffee houses to its firm establishment in every household of Britain.

(Paperback)

The nineteenth century saw huge changes in design and technology. This book looks at the social history of rooms in the Victorian home and at how, thanks to industrialised mass production, people were empowered to make choices about how to decorate their homes.

(Paperback)

Topiary, the art of creating sculpture in clipped plants, originated with the Romans and experienced periods of popularity during the Renaissance and Jacobean eras. This book reveals the history of topiary. Amateurs in the art can purchase 'preformed' rabbits and deer to graze suburban lawns.

(Paperback)

The Victorian age was one of the most exciting and complex periods of history, an era of rapid change and great contrasts, in which dress reflected the times with extraordinary vibrancy. This book features many previously-unpublished images and drawing on private journals. It offers original insights on this subject.

(Paperback)

Jet, a hard, black, shiny gen, closely related to coal, has been fashioned into jewellery and trinkets for generations, but during the Victorian period, when the ritual surrounding death and the long mourning of Queen Victoria made black fashionable, jet became hugely popular. This book traces the history of jet and the Whitby jet industry.

(Paperback)

An illustrated introduction to the military airfields of Britain and the essential roles they played in the Second World War.

(Paperback)

The history of Brunel's great brainchild, the ingenious but ultimately abortive 7ft 1/4in railway gauge, which formed the basis of the Great Western Railway.

(Paperback)

An essential, illustrated introduction to Britain's most prestigious car manufacturer and the vehicles it has produced.

(Paperback)

The essential primer on the role of honeybees in British history, covering biology, folklore, the history of beekeeping and the danger to bees posed by climate change.

(Paperback)

Guides us through a world of Traveller's Fare, concrete concourses and peak-capped porters, a difficult period that began with the aftershock of Beeching but ended with BR becoming the first nationalised passenger network in the world to make a profit.

(Paperback)

Explains the main differences between the various breeds and the qualities of their appearance, temperament, meat and wool, and also outlines the history of sheep farming and the way the industry works. This book is an introduction to the main breeds and their classification into upland, hill and lowland varieties.

(Paperback)

A beautifully illustrated introduction to the seventeenth-to-nineteenth-century mania for all things Chinese, from blue-and-white china tea sets to entire suites of Chinese-inspired rooms, including parts of the sumptuous Brighton Pavilion.

(Paperback)

A guide to the eccentric and rare objects, tales and legends that lie hidden behind the doors of Britain's churches.