Böcker i Shire Library-serien

Steam, and then cumbersome motor, tractors existed in small numbers before 1914. The rivals of Ford brought in novelties such as diesel engines, pneumatic tyres, and hydraulic implement lifts. After the Second World-War, an indigenous tractor industry was led by Ferguson, David Brown, Nuffield and Ford. This book highlights these developments.

In the late 1930s, when war seemed inevitable and it was realised that aerial attack would be the greatest threat posed by any coming conflict, the government established a volunteer organisation - Air Raid Precautions or ARP - that would stand at the centre of the wartime civil defence. This book presents the history of members of the ARP.

Charts the history of motor road haulage in Britain, featuring the design and development of the vehicles, competition from the railways, and the coming of the motorway age, the services that kept the trucker going, from garage to transport cafe, and the men themselves. This title is illustrated with period photographs.

As millions of young men marched off to war, they left behind mothers, wives and sisters who were determined to contribute to the British cause. They were first enrolled as nurses to treat wounded soldiers. Later in the war they were accepted into the armed services. This book looks at the realities and myths of the women's role in the war effort.

Postcards sent by men on the front, and to them by their families, are among the most telling, and surviving artefacts of the Great War. They tell us about attitudes towards the war, and provide a great insight into men's lives, and into the thoughts and emotions of those left behind. This title features British postcards of the First World War.

The Flying Scotsman is probably one of the most famous railway locomotive in the world. From 1928 it began running non-stop, an achievement that earned it yet more attention. This book celebrates the locomotive, the train that shared its name, the route it took, and how it captured the imagination of the nation.

The evolution of beekeeping can be traced in the changing shape of the beehive and in the various structures used to house and protect it. However, these older structures gradually fell into disuse. This book discusses these forgotten beehives, and explains the important role they played in the development of beekeeping.

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.

Presents a concise history of Austin-Healey, and the marque's success on road and track. This book contains illustrations and an introduction for all lovers of this quintessentially British sports car.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, millions of British people chose to spend their annual summer break at a holiday camp, taking advantage of the all-in package that included accommodation, food, and plentiful entertainment. This title celebrates the communal and the kitsch, grandmother competitions, chalets, Redcoats and the other well-known symbols.

Green men are figures or heads that were carved in churches, abbeys and cathedrals from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. This book discusses the origins and definitions of these figures and traces their many declines and revivals throughout history. It is suitable for any church history enthusiast.

Model engineering was popularised by pioneering steam enthusiasts, and rapidly grew into an exciting world-wide hobby for amateur engineers. This book describes how model steam engines work, outlines the development of the machine tools used to build the models, and investigates the seven different categories of model engines.

The way we shop has undergone many transformations over the years - and a pioneer of one such change was the department store. This title charts the history of the department store, the innovations in retailing, advertising and technology, and the developments in fashion, design and working practices.

With the aid of stringy glue and scalpel-sliced fingers, young and old have turned display cabinets and bedrooms into mini-museums, or tiny battlefields. This book looks at the tale of Airfix, the British company which is a pioneer in the world of modelling, its products, its changing fortunes over the years, and its links with popular culture.

Tracing the footsteps of British milkman over the past one hundred years, this book investigates the many changes that have taken place over the years, from the delivery of milk through a seventeen gallon churn to the gentle electric milk float. It also includes several photographs of the milkman at work.

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.

Wrought iron has been used as a decorative element in architecture from the eleventh century to the twentieth. At first a device to strengthen and embellish doors, wrought iron was soon adopted for free-standing screens and railings, examples of which can still be seen in churches and cathedrals.

RAF Bomber Command and its crews were probably unique in the history of warfare. This title lets you discover what it was like to fly with an RAF heavy bomber crew on a typical night raid over Germany. It also helps you learn about the different kinds of specialist flying kit.

It's May 1941: over 43,000 civilians had been killed, and over a million houses destroyed following endless nights of bombing raids. Yet London, and other cities that had been targeted survived, their spirit undaunted, their people resilient. This title offers an introduction to this dark episode in British history.

The Edwardian period is often seen as something of a gilded age, war would imminently remove hundreds of thousands of men from the labour force, and instigate progress to mechanize. This book tells the story of farming in Britain in the early years of the twentieth century - an age of horse, steam and intensive labour.

George and Robert Stephenson's Rocket, is an enduring silhouette in railway history. Rocket was built to take part in The Rainhill Trials, a competition to find a locomotive design to pull trains on the world's first passenger line, the Liverpool and Manchester. The trials caught the public's imagination and its victor, Rocket, became a sensation.

In 1913 the shipyards of Britain were responsible for building half of all the world's ships; at the Clyde in Scotland at this time a new ship was launched every eighteen hours. This book looks at the subject's long history, from the Middle Ages through to the heyday of steam, providing a comprehensive guide to a transformed industry.

Shows how the role of the district nurse has moved on greatly since Queen Victoria's Jubilee, expanding and developing to provide a broad range of invaluable health care services in the community.

Prefabricated corrugated-iron buildings have been manufactured in Britain since the middle of the nineteenth century. Structures ranging from humble cottages to substantial churches, and from halls to hospitals and hotels, have since then been produced, packed and consigned to destinations at home and abroad. Though often regarded as cheap and temporary, these buildings are an expression of a progressive and vital chapter in the history of Britain's construction industry. First used in 1829, corrugated-iron has become a familiar element in vernacular architecture and construction, bringing its particular character and colour to landscapes both rural and urban. The author draws on a wide range of research to highlight the significance, in Britain and across the world, of these oft-overlooked structures.

Patchwork quilts are hugely evocative emblems of our domestic past. With no two quite the same, each example hints both at the story of the particular household in which it was produced and at a larger piece of social history. This book offers an introduction to an important aspect of British domestic history.

Narrow gauge railways, so well suited to difficult, mountainous terrain, were built in many of the UK's most scenic locations. This title offers an introduction to a corner of British railway history.

Explains the various elements that shaped British fashion in the 1920s, including the strong influences of Paris and Hollywood and looking not only at the clothes worn by the rich and famous but also at those of the common people - and at those who chose to dress conservatively in this age of 'anything goes'.

Advertising and consumer spending among the middle classes expanded rapidly in the mid-nineteenth century. One of the ways of appealing to the new shoppers was packaging, and biscuit tins were a very discreet form of this kind of promotion. They found their way into middle class households as gifts.

"Gargoyles".