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The London Underground

Andrew Emmerson

*New & expanded edition!* The London Underground is a pioneer and an institution. The first underground railway in the world, and incorporating the first ever deep tunnel 'tube' lines too, it is at the heart of London life, with millions of commuters and tourists using it every year and its tentacles extending into the suburbs it helped to create. Its turbulent history reflects the trials and tribulations of London itself: it provided a network of life-saving shelters in the Blitz, but has also faced many logistical challenges, with constant improvements necessary to keep the Tube fit for purpose. This book is not a recompilation of facts and photos published elsewhere, however. Taking a fresh approach, it is a history that focuses on the interesting and quirky aspects of the subject. To transport you more vividly back to the past, well over half the illustrations are in colour, including many rarely seen photographs.

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Jews in Britain

Michael Leventhal and Richard Goldstein

This book tells the epic thousand-year story of Britain’s Jewish community, the country’s oldest minority group, replete with the dark episodes of persecution and expulsion, but also with positive periods of acceptance and toleration. Some Jews came as wealthy traders, others as desperate refugees; some had to lead secret lives, and others in different times stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the nation against threats to the British way of life, which included the Nazis. The impact of Jewish culture on daily life – on language, on food, on religion, art and business – has been inestimable, and this book is a fully illustrated introduction and fitting tribute.

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The Country Blacksmith

David L. McDougall

The blacksmith was once crucial to village life, whether commissioned for the humblest repair, the most luxurious ironwork or even the odd anvil marriage. Occupying prime position in the village, the forge attracted custom from miles around and was a hive of industry and social interaction. David L. McDougall here describes the varied work blacksmiths undertook, the tools and techniques they used, and the magical and mystical qualities with which they were associated. If you want to know more about the rise and fall of the country blacksmith – and the recent revival of the craft – this colourfully illustrated book is the ideal introduction.

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Classic Candy

Darlene Lacey

Whether classics like Hershey’s, Mars and M&Ms or trend-setters like PEZ and Atomic Fireballs, candy has a special place in the hearts and memories of most Americans, who to this day consume more than 600 billion pounds of it each year. In this colorful illustrated guide, Darlene Lacey looks at candy in America from a variety of angles, examining everything from chocolate to fruity sweets and from the simply packaged basics to gaudy product tie-ins. She examines the classic brands of the late twentieth century and what they mean, guiding us on a mouth-watering, sugar-fueled trip down a memory lane filled with signposts like Bazooka, Clark, Necco and Tootsie Roll.

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Amusement Parks

Jim Hillman

From Jones’s Woods, America’s first amusement resort, to Coney Island during the golden age of the mid-1900s, and well beyond into the twenty-first century, the thrills of the amusement park have been a treasured part of childhood for Americans from coast to coast. Though many of the country’s grand amusement treasures have now vanished, and many other parks are struggling for survival, their memory and legacy are very much alive: there will be a fascination with these American classics as long as the clatter of the old coaster cars and the thumping of the carousel band organ remains. Through thoroughly researched text and historic images, Amusement Parks author and park enthusiast Jim Hillman captures the sights, smells, and continuing vitality of a grand American tradition.

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Steamboats: Icons of America’s Rivers

Sara Wright

Paddlewheel riverboat, showboat, sternwheeler: in all its myriad forms, the steamboat revolutionized American travel in the 1800s, taking millions of people inland and helping to settle and develop the vast territories beyond the original colonies. It was an era in which young boys dreamed of becoming steamboat pilots and Mark Twain immortalized the “floating palaces” that traveled up and down the Mississippi River. In this fascinating history, Sara Wright explains the factors that made the era perfect for the development of the steam engine and paddle boat, taking the reader far beyond the romantic image and revealing the steamboat as a vital and essential force in the development of the nation.

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The Modern Cyclist, 1923

A guide to all aspects of cycling and holidaying in Britain during the 1920s, including “learning to ride”, “traps for the unwary” and “laws and customs of the road”. The second section takes a tour of the roads and lodging houses of Britain and Northern France - including hints on the most scenic routes, how to avoid the “busy and rather baffling” town of Bristol, and understanding the local customs of the French.

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