Billiards and Snooker Bygones £3.50
Norman Clare 978 0 85263 730 2 (Album 136) 32 pp, 50 ills.

This book details the early form of the game of billiards, describing the tables and accessories, from its vague beginnings to the present day, when the more recent game of snooker has largely displaced billiards from the position it occupied for at least five hundred years as the 'Noble Game'. The various types of balls and billiard table lighting are dealt with and there is a section on unusual billiard tables of the past, some of them circular, oval or even octagonal. The author shows that this is a game with a fascinating history.

The late Norman Clare was Chairman of the E. A. Clare & Son Limited Group, the Britain's leading specialists in the manufacture of snooker tables and lawn bowls, and was regarded as the leading authority on the history of the games of billiards, snooker and pool.o

Board and Table Game Antiques £3.50
R. C. Bell 978 0 85263 538 4 (Album 60) 32 pp, 44 ills.

Amongst the collectable items to be found in antique shops and stalls ae board and table games and objects pertaining to them, which may not be easily recognised out of context. As well as the familiar chess, draughts and ludo, a variety of games has beenmanufactured commercially since the eighteenth century. Many nineteenth-century children's games had an educational slant and the stern moral attitude of the Victorians is emphasised by their preference for spinners over dice. Game boards, boxes for the accessories and card cases were often hand-crafted and beautifully decorated and the pieces might be ivory. This book illustrates many board games, as well as dice, dominoes, mahjong and playing cards, and describes some techniques of construction.

R. C. Bell is the author of a number of books including Board and Table Games from Many Civilisations, which won the Premier Award of the Doctors' Hobbies Exhibition (1959) in London. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Children’s Cars £3.50

Paul Pennell 978 0 85263 833 0 (Album 178) 32 pages, 43 b/w illustrations

Children’s cars first appeared between 1901 and 1903; by 1910 they were being made commercially in largenumbers and by the 1920s the market justified mass production, bringing prices within the range of working class families. This book outlines the history of children‘s cars in Britain from the first custom-built models, through the period of greatest popularity, to the present revival of interest, particularly in miniature replicas of famous makes of motor car.

Paul Pennell’s family collection of children’s cars is one of the finest in Great Britain, many of the models having been painstakingly restored after acquisition in a neglected state. Through his business, Mr Pennell has been involved with vintage cars and the motor trade all his life, and he collects and writes about all forms of motoring art and automobilia, with particular emphasis on children’s pedal cars.

Dinky Toys £4.50
David Cooke 978 0 7478 0427 7 (album 374) 40 pp, 60 colour and 40 b/w ills.

Dinky Toys were introduced in 1931 as 'Modelled Miniatures', and these delightful diecast metal toys instantly became bestsellers. By 1941, when production temporarily ceased because of the Second World War, over sixty sets and series had been issued, each containing up to eight separate items. More than one thousand different subjects have been modelled, mostly transport-related; they include cars, vans, lorries, buses, trains, military and farm vehicles, aircraft, ships and figures.

David Cooke's passion for Dinky Toys began when as a child in the 1940s he was given four for Christmas by his grandfather, and his collection grew throughout that and the following decade. In 1972 he founded the South West Model Club and in 1979 the East Anglian Model Club. David now appears regularly on radio and television describing toys, lectures to many organisations and writes articles for magazines. He is the Curator of the Dinky Toy collection at Bressingham Steam Museum in Norfolk.

Dolls £4.50

Caroline G. Goodfellow 978 0 7478 0381 2 (Album 368) 40 pp, 56 colour and 35 b/w illustrations.

Dolls are one of the most popular subjects for collectors. A collection does not have to consist of antique dolls or ones of great value. Dolls have a very long history and were produced in many countries. Not all were made as playthings but many of those collected today were toys. This book gives a concise history of the doll industry over the last three hundred years in Europe, the United States and the Far East. Typical examples of dolls from each area are illustrated, together with a number of rarities.

Caroline Georgina Goodfellow is a retired Curator of Dolls and Toys at the Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London. She has studied dolls for many years and is an established international guest lecturer.

Dolls’ House Furniture £4.50

Halina Pasierbska 978 0 7478 0382 9 (Album 369) 40 pp, 49 colour and 41 b/w illustrations.

An historical overview of dolls' house furniture and furnishings from the sixteenth century to the present day, set against the social and economic conditions of the period in which they were made. Rapidly changing technology combined with new materials such as plastics has resulted in the production of a large range of items for the dolls' house in the twentieth century, catering for the widely varying needs of collectors.

Halina Pasierbska is a curator at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, London.

Old Fishing Tackle £3.50
Nigel Dowden 978 0 7478 0278 5 32 pp, 79 b/w illustrations.

When Izaak Walton went fishing in the seventeenth century he was equipped with no more than a long, tapered rod with a horsehair line tied to the end and a baited hook. Hazel, hickory and other coppice woods were used for rods, and the construction, of tapering sections lashed together, was quite refined. But although reels had been invented it was not until the end of the eighteenth century that the simple ‘wynch’ became more than just an instrument for storing the fisherman’s line. This book outlines the major developments in the design and construction of rods, reels, lines and hooks that took place over the following 130 years or so, and of the main accessories the fisherman needed, from flies to gaffs. The many examples of Victorian tackle illustrated and the advice on building a broad-based collection should be of great help to collectors.

Nigel Dowden was born in 1945 at Cowes on the Isle of Wight and caught his first fish at the age of seven. He and his wife Christel now live in Brittany, where there is an abundance of river and sea fishing to be enjoyed.

Real Tennis £4.50
Kathryn McNicoll 978 0 7478 0610 3 (Album 437) 40 pp, colour and b/w illustrations.

In the two decades after the Second World War real tennis was a little-known, little-played sport. However, the last thirty years of the twentieth century saw a change in the fortunes of the game. Numbers of players worldwide began to grow and with this growth came a greater interest in the history of the game. Now the sport is flourishing in many parts of the world, along with an interest in the interrelated history of many ball games, especially those which were played and, in some cases, are still being played in Europe.
This book gives an overview of the game, looking particularly at its history, other related ball games in Europe, equipment and rules, heroes, villains and victims of real tennis and the game today in Europe, Australia and the United States.

Kathryn McNicoll comes from a sporting family. Both her brothers and three of her nephews are real tennis professionals.

Toy Steam Accessories £3.50
Marcus Rooks 978 0 7478 0313 3 (Album 324) 32 pp, 72 ills.

This album deals with a once neglected area of toy collecting, the multitude of different accessories produced for use with the vast range of stationary steam engines. These toys range from Ferris wheels to fountains and include a variety of machine tools and a large number of working men, including the intriguing sausagemaker. This book describes the principal types of accessory and covers the heyday of production between the two world wars, giving information about the major firms that manufactured them, especially the great German toymakers.

Marcus Rooks has been fascinated with all things mechanical, particularly those connected with steam engines, from an early age.

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Whistles £4.50 £1.99 *special price until 31.1.08
Martyn Gilchrist 978 0 7478 0472 7 (Album 385) 40 pp, 50 colour and 49 b/w ills.

The lives of most people have probably been touched by a whistle, whether a fine antique protected by a cabinet, or an inexpensive toy now lying half-forgotten in a drawer. Whistles are included in many areas of interest such as sport, the countryside, transport, the armed services, the police, ceramics and toys. The role of the whistle falls broadly into three categories: an alarm, as a working instrument and as a novelty item. They are enduring sound-makers still required by a demanding public. This book covers all major types and gives a general introduction to the wonderful world of whistles.

Martyn Gilchrist’s enthusiasm for whistles began in the mid 1980s when confronted with a box full whilst searching one out for his daughter at the Saturday street market in Lymington, Hampshire. His desire to know more led to a programme of original research covering Britain’s major collections and institutions. He is now probably the foremost expert in the field. He lives in the New Forest and is a crossword compiler and book indexer.