New to the catalogue

From the world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, to the Royal Wedding Commemorative in 2011, Chris West presents Britain’s history in a unique way: through its stamps.

West has selected 36 stamps from his own collection which highlight some of the most important times in the United Kingdom’s history. In a witty and informative style, he tells the story behind each stamp’s issue and gives us an insight into the nation’s thinking at the time.

The George V Penny Red (1916), which was used to bring the terrible news to families that their loved ones had been killed in action in the First World War, tells a particularly poignant story. Yet others, such as the Coronation Commemorative tell the tale of a more hopeful time in the United Kingdom.

As Royal Mail unveils this year’s Christmas stamps in the UK, this is the perfect time to look at some of the most interesting British stamps which have been issued over the past 132 years.

For further details of First Class : a history of Britain in 36 postage stamps please see our catalogue.

(Photo Credit: Harper Press)

After the excitement of the Olympic Cycling Road Races at the weekend, it seems appropriate to highlight an interesting new addition to our collections, ‘The Bicycle Book’.

Since the Millennium, the number of cyclists in the United Kingdom has quadrupled. Thousands of people go to work by bicycle every day and the numbers taking it up are increasing. Just what is it about cycling which appeals to so many?

Bella Bathurst examines this growing trend in her latest book and provides us with some fascinating tales about the bicycle in the process.  These range from the interesting, to the bizarre,  to the downright dangerous, such as the woman who water-cycled across the English Channel, the ‘secret life’ of Couriers and even how the bicycle has been used as a war-time weapon.

The history of the bicycle is a thrilling one and Bathhurst is a fantastic story teller.  With its host of characters, and interesting details, this book will appeal to many, not only cycling fans.

You can find further details of The Bicycle Book  on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: Oxford University Press)

In his latest work, Paul Addison writes that the Second World War was not the biggest catalyst for change in twentieth century Britain. In his opinion ‘peaceful revolutions’ in the years following the war transformed British Society far more than the experience of total war. It is persuasively argued that these changes were more powerful than those brought about by full employment during war time or the effects of the Welfare State.

The decades following the Second World War saw radical changes such as:

• Increased employment opportunities for women
• Changing attitudes towards sexual morality
• Growth of a multicultural Britain
• Free Market economics
• Nationalism in Scotland and Wales.

The author, being born in the 1940s, witnessed these changes first hand. His personal experiences enhance the book and give a view of how the Britain of his childhood is almost unrecognisable today. This book will give you a unique insight into how much the United Kingdom has benefited from these changes but also how much has been lost.

You can find details of No turning Back : the Peacetime Revolutions of Post-War Britain on our catalogue.