Böcker i Shire Library-serien

Illuminated manuscripts are among the most beautiful, precious and mysterious works of Western art. Before the printing press was invented, books were produced by hand, and their illustration using brightly colored pigments and gold embellishments was a labor of love and an act of piety in itself. The results are stunning. The works emanating from the scriptoria of monasteries were mainly religious texts, including illuminated bibles, psalters, and works for private devotion known as books of hours. Illuminated Manuscripts describes the origin and history of illumination in the Middle Ages, covering the artists and their techniques, and the patrons who commissioned them. It explains the subject matter found in medieval works, such as saints and Bible stories and the use of ornamental flourishes, and is illustrated with many fine examples of the genre including the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells.

Few cars have achieved the iconic status of Volkswagen's classic and much-loved Beetle - yet its origins are intertwined with the dark days of Nazism. This book looks at those origins, at the marque's initial post-war rescue by the British.

'Jasper' refers to the highly distinctive blue-and-white wares that have been produced by the Wedgwood company for more than two centuries. It was arguably Josiah Wedgwood's most important contribution to ceramic art and was a direct result of several thousand experiments over many years. This book explores the history and stories of this ware.

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.

An illustrated introduction to the military airfields of Britain and the essential roles they played in the Second World War.The Second World War airfields peppered around Britain are among the most visible and widespread reminders of this devastating conflict. Some are now almost forgotten or built over; others have become museums, industrial estates or parkland; and some have been adapted and remain in operation today. In this beautifully illustrated history, aviation historian Stuart Hadaway explains the crucial part airfields played between 1939 and 1945, detailing their construction and expansion; their facilities and equipment; the many functions they housed from command and control to maintenance and bomb-loading; how the airfields were used both for defense and offence; and how they changed during the war. He also explores what life was like on the airfields, as well as listing some of the remaining sites and what can be seen today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, luxury car buyers, from government ministers to captains of industry, almost invariably bought British. These were stately, dignified, and grand vehicles, with many featuring leather interiors and wood trim. Unfortunately, that market has now largely disappeared and, with it, so have the car-makers themselves. The book covers cars in the over-3-litre class from the biggest names in British luxury motoring including Alvis, Daimler, and Lagonda, and high-end models from Austin, Rover, and Jaguar. It examines the features and characteristics of these classic cars, as well as explaining why they fell from prominence in the 1970s. Replete with beautiful photography throughout, this book is a loving portrait of the British luxury car, a dearly missed saloon defeated by foreign imports.

By learning how to identify the stylistic phases that resulted from shifts in architectural fashion, it is possible to date each part of a church to within a decade or two. This book introduces key features of each succeeding style, from Anglo-Saxon and Norman through to the three great gothic styles, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.

During her sixty-five-year career, Susie Cooper introduced more than 4,500 ceramic patterns and shapes, versatile and influential designers the industry has ever seen. This title charts her progress from the creation of patterns for Gray's Pottery in the 1920s, to running her own Susie Cooper Productions from the 1930s to the 1950s.

The source of tremendous power and focus of incredible devotion, throughout history notions of beauty have been integral to social life. Each age has had its own standards: a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early eighteenth century, and the thin lips thought desirable by Victorians.

During the Second World War women proved themselves indispensable to the war effort serving in both military uniformed units abroad and in home front organisations through the darkest hours of the Blitz. This book tells the stories of these women in their own words.

The Mini, now an emblem of the Swinging Sixties, was in fact the product of an age of austerity and shortage, a simple design intended to make motoring more accessible and affordable for the average family. This title tells the Mini's story.

The history of the British home in the 1940s is dominated by the Second World War. In the first five years of the decade homes were adapted to better survive the affects of bombing. The 1930s home became the wartime home with the addition of anti-blast tape to the windows, sandbags round the door, and a Morrison shelter in the kitchen.

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.

A beautifully illustrated introduction to the NHS, which traces its history from its origins and establishment following the end of the Second World War, right up to the present day, and explores the ever-changing challenges of providing national healthcare in the modern world.1948 marked a turning point in British history, for it was the year that the National Health Service began. Inaugurated by the health minister, Aneurin ''Nye'' Bevan, the new nationwide system was established to provide countrywide free healthcare for every citizen at the point of use, and, as Bevan believed, would ''lift the shadow from millions of homes.'' No longer would people have to fear paying for their medical care and potentially being pushed into poverty. Every aspect of medical care began to change, gradually affecting the way that the profession, including doctors, nurses, district nurses, dentists, opticians, pharmacists and hospitals practiced and operated. It also created new opportunities, enabling the scope of treatments available to grow.This beautifully illustrated book traces the origins of the NHS, from Florence Nightingale, to the NHS beginnings in 1948 and the subsequent decades and introduces readers to the people who worked for the NHS and to the men, women and children who benefited from the new universal system. Viewed through the prism of social history, and using personal recollections, this story takes account of the debates surrounding the evolving system, and looks at the way that innovation and science have transformed healthcare since the NHS began.

Explores the history of this lifestyle, looking at how Gypsies have maintained their distinctive culture and how they have adapted to the twenty-first century, and focusses on a range of traditional Gypsy occupations including harvesting, horse-dealing, fortune-telling and rat-catching.

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.

Corgi Toys proved an immediate success in the 1950s and over the next 30 years hundreds of miniatures would be modelled on contemporary vehicles. This book explores the history of Corgi Toys, describing the various models and illustrating how these simple children's toys became valuable collectables.

Children of the 1950s have much to look back on with fondness: Muffin the Mule, Andy Pandy, and Dennis the Menace became part of the family for many, while for others the freedom of the riverbank or railway platform was a haven away from the watchful eyes of parents.

Almost eighty years after her death, Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) is still one of the most influential of all English garden designers. Best known for the superb use of colour schemes in her hallmark flower borders, she combined an early training in art with self-taught horticultural skills. Early influences included William Morris, John Ruskin and William Robinson, but it is her partnership with the architect Edwin Lutyens that produced some of the most distinctive of Edwardian houses and gardens. From her house (and nursery) at Munstead Wood, Surrey, Jekyll designed over 400 gardens across Britain and Europe, and some in America where her archive of designs and drawings is now held. This book explores her life, influences on her early work in art and crafts, the transfer to Munstead Wood and working relationship with Edwin Lutyens, as well as her own writings and achievements.

The name Lancelot 'Capability' Brown has become synonymous with the eighteenth-century English landscape garden: between 1751 and 1783 his consultancy handled over 170 major commissions. Ruthlessly efficient, he could stake out the 'capabilities' of a particular terrain within an hour on horseback.

The Volkswagen Transporter is one of the best-loved and most recognisable motor vehicles of all time. This book looks at the development, production and use of the class first, and second, generation Transporter. It includes many colour photographs.

With the end of the Second World War it was not long before increasing wealth, cheaper cars, and social pressures made a family car the aspiration of thousands. Ford, Hillman, Standard, Morris and Vauxhall became household names. This illustrated book looks at the British cars that were available to the post-war family.

The Land Rover has undergone a number of facelifts in its sixty-year life. This book tells the story of Land Rover, encompassing different models and dividing them according to their use. It also tells the distinguished histories of Land Rover on expedition, in agriculture, warfare, and in many other fields.

A beautifully illustrated guide to timber-framed buildings and how they have been constructed from medieval times to the nineteenth century.Timber-framed buildings are a distinctive and treasured part of Britain''s heritage. The oldest of them are medieval but their numbers peaked in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with a revival again in the nineteenth. The majority of timber-framed buildings are houses, but timber was used in all kinds of other buildings, including shops, inns, churches, town halls and farm buildings. This book outlines the history of timber-framed buildings, including their construction techniques, regional variations in style, and their social status. It also shows how the buildings have been treated in subsequent centuries and guides the reader in identifying timber-framing that is concealed behind later work. Illustrated with color photographs, it is the ideal primer for anyone interested in timber-framed buildings who wants to explore them further.

Perhaps more so than any other decade, the sixties had the broadest impact on the twentieth-century Western world. Across society, culture and the arts, youth voices rose to prominence and had a significant influence on new trends. Mature polished elegance was replaced by young liveliness as the fashionable ideal. Although only the most daring young followers of fashion wore the tiny miniskirts and borderline-unwearable plastic and metal outfits publicised in the press, stylish and smart fashion was increasingly available to all, with an emphasis on self-expression. New style icons such as Twiggy combined girl-next-door looks with trendy, aspirational and accessible outfits, and popular culture heavily influenced mainstream fashion. This beautifully illustrated book offers a concise guide to changing styles across the decade.

The broader Regency period 1795 to 1820, stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history, unlike anything that went before it. This book explores the fashion revolution and the innovation that inspired a flood of fashions taking influence from far afield.

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.

Behind the enduring popularity of beach huts lies a story of classic British eccentricity. This work offers a view of the classic British seaside holiday through the history of beach huts and bathing machines, revealing how the changing fashions in society shaped their design and development.

A brief history of the design and construction of bridges in the UK from medieval times to the modern day, including famous and notable examples such as Tower Bridge and the Forth Bridge. From the famous bascules of Tower Bridge and the august span at Westminster, through the engineering masterpieces at Ironbridge and the Forth, bridges are some of the most iconic landmarks of Britain. From the smallest arch to the largest overpass, they have a rich architectural, economic, social, and sometimes even religious history. This beautifully illustrated introduction by Richard Hayman explains how piety built and maintained bridges in the Middle Ages; how economic forces inspired a new generation of road bridges in the eighteenth century, including Iron Bridge in Shropshire and the Menai Bridge in North Wales; and how technological prowess gave us the soaring railway viaducts of the nineteenth century and road bridges of the twentieth.

A short guide to the intriguing structures and artifacts that can be found along the routes of disused railways. The drastic railway closures of the 1960s led to the slow decay and re-purposing of hundreds of miles of railway infrastructure. Though these buildings and apparatus are now ghosts of their former selves, countless clues to our railway heritage still remain in the form of embankments, cuttings, tunnels, converted or tumbledown wayside buildings, and old railway furniture such as signal posts. Many disused routes are preserved in the form of cycle tracks and footpaths. This colorfully illustrated book helps you to decipher the fascinating features that remain today and to understand their original functions, demonstrating how old routes can be traced on maps, outlining their permanent stamp on the landscape, and teaching you how to form a mental picture of a line in its heyday.