During her 65-year career, Susie Cooper introduced more than 4,500 ceramic patterns and shapes, making her one of the most prolific, versatile and influential designers the industry has ever seen. Between the 1920s and 1980s she moved from the bold hand-painting of the jazz age through delicate wash banding and aerograph techniques to sophisticated lithographic transfer printing on both earthenware and bone china. Susie not only led the charge of gifted female designers in the male-dominated Potteries but also pioneered the role of women in factory management. Alan Marshall charts her...

Contrived, colourful, and cultured, the garden of the Tudor period was a paradise on earth, given over to pleasurable pastimes. Artificiality was the fashion of the age, with clipped and twined plants vying for space between brightly painted woodwork, and patterned beds of coloured soils. Renaissance discoveries reared their head in royal gardens, as traditional _x000B_gold and green heraldic figures mingled with fantastical sundials and glittering fountains. Walls kept out the wild world beyond, whilst mounts permitted glimpses to new parklands, and provided raised platforms for the...

This is the story of the people and machines that revolutionized our lives and made personal computers an integral part of our homes. For the typical family in the 1960s and 1970s, computers were both fascinating and frightening, but largely a mystery. Developments in microelectronics in the early 1970s meant that computers at home seemed about to become commonplace: the kitchen computer would hold all of the family's recipes and keep a record of food in the larder, the study computer would manage the family finances, and the kids' computers would educate and entertain them. Engineers,...

This book tells the story of toys based on TV programs (both from the US and Britain), and how these much-loved objects evolved over the years since the 1930s, through the 'golden age' of children's TV in the 1960s and 1970s, and then onto the 1980s until now, including Pinky & Perky, Magic Roundabout, The Man from UNCLE, Batman, Thunderbirds, The A-Team, Doctor Who, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Until the middle of the last century, the dominant feature of London's social calendar was 'the Season', and central to this was the phenomenon of the debutante. As the privileged classes descended on the capital to embark on a four-month whirlwind of key social events and smart parties, the daughters of the aristocracy and the wealthy prepared to make their 'debut' into society. From the preparations and rituals involved in court presentation to the exhausting round of parties, this book will look at the details of what it meant to be a debutante; exploring a lost world that incongruously...

Air travel has always held a strong allure for many. Today, low-cost, no-frill airlines enable lots of people to fly easily and to visit different countries around the world. For much of its history, however, air travel was only available to the wealthy. This book explores the golden age of air travel from the 1930s to the 1970s when flying was the epitome of status, and the airlines offered a sumptuous service with the journey being all important. The dramatic changes in the quality of air travel are highlighted, as are the different types of aircraft employed by the air travel companies,...

The shepherd stands, lamb in one hand, crook in the other and dog at his feet. This is how many of us think of the old-time shepherd - the picture of sturdiness, dependability and independence. He was one of the most important men on the farm, responsible for the care and well-being of the flock, with which he might need to spend days and nights out in open pastures. How did he manage his charges, and his own life? What skills and equipment did he use? How did sheep farming change in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and what effect did that have on the shepherd's work. These are the...

This title reveals the history of golf, from its invention in Scotland and patronage by Stuart monarchs, through its rising popularity in Victorian and Edwardian England, to the development of famous golf clubs, open championships and international competitions, with the battle between British and Americans for golfing supremacy in the twentieth century. We see the evolution of the golf ball and club from its early feather and wooden versions to the hi-tech golf equipment of today.

The Jewish community is the oldest ethnic minority in the country. This book tells the epic story of Jews in Britain over a thousand years. Many came as wealthy traders - others as desperate refugees. Sometimes they were feared and had to lead secret lives. At other times they stood shoulder to shoulder against threats to the British way of life, including the Nazis. The impact of Jewish culture on daily life, including words and food, as well as the contribution of notable Jewish businessmen, politicians and artists, is all highlighted.

This book tells the story of the country blacksmith and his importance as the hub of village life. It describes his techniques, tools, and contribution to rural work. It includes the mythology of the blacksmith and the good fortune brought by horseshoes - and which way to hang them up Thought at one time to be a declining craft, this book highlights the recent revival in blacksmithing with many young people taking up the craft in college course.