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: Salt Yard Books)

The world has celebrated the City of London as host of the Olympic Games over the past few weeks. Yet, the Gentle Author has been doing this for nearly three years in his/her daily blog of Spitalfields. Every day, a new local character or place becomes the subject of this fascinating Blog. This chronicle of East End London life has now been published in the form of a beautifully illustrated book, ‘Spitalfields Life’.

The book is a treasure trove of social history and for those who live in Spittalfields, it seems to really capture the feel of the place. You can prepare to meet some wonderful people and hear their fascinating tales including a sixth generation umbrella-maker, a fourth generation paper-bag seller, a window cleaner who sees ghosts and even the author’s cat, Mr Pussy, who was rescued as part of a litter from an East End street.

The Gentle Author has so far managed to remain anonymous. It seems that he/she believes that people, places and events of Spitalfields are the ones who deserve to be given their share of the limelight and this seems only to add to the special nature of this work.

You can find more details on Spitalfields Life (but not on the identity of the Gentle Author!) on 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.

As we near the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, many of us may feel we know all of the details of the tragic voyage. A great number of books, films, TV dramas and documentaries have detailed the events of 15 April 1912. We are familiar with the terrible story of 1500 people, struggling to survive in the icy waters of the Atlantic, as the ‘unsinkable’ ship went down.

Yet, what of those survived that night? How were their lives affected by this terrible experience? This is the focus of Andrew Wilson’s ‘Shadow of the Titanic’ which looks at the little documented impact of this event on those who were saved that night.

Seven hundred and five people survived the sinking that night. How did going through such a traumatic experience change the course of their lives? Andrew Wilson looks at the experience of a large number of survivors from all classes. The result is a unique insight into this enduring tale from the perspective of those who made it back.

You can find further details on Shadow of the Titanic : the extraordinary stories of those who survived on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: Antique Collectors’ Club, ACC Editions)

Lost Worlds explores the most distinctive sites in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

This stunning publication represents the culmination of a three-year project by award-winning photographer Arthur Drooker. Drooker captures the magic and mystery of more than thirty ruins in sixteen countries.

His lumious images, shot in infra red format on a specially adapted digital camera, expose crumbling, overgrown walls, broken columns, and cracked arches in ways most readers will have never seen before.

These inspired photographs comprise a powerful visual meditation on the cultures, conflicts and conquests that forged the New World. He offers readers a new way of viewing the landscape as well as an enhanced vision of the collective identity of the Americas.

This extraordinary collection perfectly portrays the architectural, geographic and historical significance of ruins that are considered world wonders alongside little known gems.  It transports the reader on a journey to ancient temples, abandoned palaces and lofty citadels.

Included are

• monumental temples of Mexico’s Mayan civilization
• a Colonial era palace on the island of Haiti
• earthquake-ravaged cathedrals in Guatemala
• astonishing Incan citadels in Peru’s Sacred Valley – culminating with the breathtaking beauty of Machu Picchu.

In addition to the more than one hundred photographs, Lost Worlds features a foreword by noted writer Pico Iyer and brief text detailing the rise, fall and lasting significance of each ruin.

Evocative and enlightening, Lost Worlds will stir the imagination of those with a passion for photography, travel, history, architecture, and archaeology.

You can find further details of Lost Worlds on our catalogue.

(Photo Credit: Profile Books)

As we begin a New Year, many people will look for ways to improve or change the way in which they live. As Roman Krznaric notes, some will turn to Religion, some to the psychology of happiness through “Self-help” or perhaps to the wisdom of Philosophers to make a change in their lives. Yet, as he argues, so much can be learned from the wisdom of the past to help us to approach life differently.

In this original and intriguing book, Krznaric examines twelve areas of life including Love, Work, Travel and Death. He draws on the ideas from Ancient Greeks to the current day to look at the various ways in which these issues have been approached by people.  Among many things, we learn how to cultivate our senses with Helen Keller, be inspired in the art of travel by the Ancient Japanese Pilgrims and find out how to gain a sense of job satisfaction from the British Industrial Revolution.

Krznaric sees history as a “Wonder Box”, like the Curiosity Cabinets of the Renaissance, full of intriguing and unusual artefacts. It is by opening this “Wonderbox” of the past, Krznaric believes, that we can learn so much more about Life and how we may wish to live it.

Further details of The wonder box : curious histories of how to live can be found on our catalogue

 (Photo credit: Taschen)

Billions of photographs are taken every day, to be saved, printed off, or sent instantly around the world via the internet. Photographic images are now an accepted addition to the art found in galleries and museums, at art fairs and auctions.

The saying states that “A picture tells a thousand words”. Spread over 300 pages, 50 photo icons presents the stories behind some of history’s most extraordinary photographs.

Introduced by Hans-Michael Koetzle, the book begins with the very first permanent images (Nicéphore Niépce’s 1827 eight-hour-exposure rooftop picture and Louis Daguerre’s famous 1839 street scene) and takes the reader up to the present day, via works by such respected photographers as August Sander, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Nick Ut and Helmut Newton. 

Subjects include important historical events such as Dresden at the end of the Second World War and shocking images of Vietnam after a napalm attack, to popular icons such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe’s last ever pose with Bert Stern.

Each chapter focuses on a single image which is described and analysed in detail, in aesthetic, historical and artistic contexts making this stunning book more than just a coffee table art book. 

Further details of 50 photo icons can be found on our catalogue.

(Photo credit: Shizhao. Not featured in text. See licensing note relating to image below.)

Zhongguo li dai gu qian bi is an exciting new addition to the collections of the National Library of Scotland. It contains 15 coins issued during successive Chinese Dynasties. These coins are not replicas; they are genuine and were issued at the time each Emperor took the throne.

Ten Chinese Dynasties and the coins issued at the beginning of each Emperor’s reign make up this volume. Some of the coins included are over 2000 years old. Coins contained date from 221 BC to 1637 AD. The book additionally features a commemorative coin issued in 1912 in honour of the founding of the Republic.

Background information in Chinese and English is given on the Emperors and their achievements. The volume is beautifully presented and contains a Certificate of Authentication.

You can find forther details of Zhongguo li dai gu qian bi on our catalogue.

Photo credit: Shizhao. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Subject to disclaimers.

(Photo credit: Yale University Press)

Very little is known about the ancient Druids as they left no written accounts about themselves, and the only evidence of them are a few descriptions left by Greek and Roman authors, and stories created by later medieval Irish writers.

Historian Ronald Hutton’s captivating book encompasses 2000 years of Druid history and explores the evolution of English, Scottish and Welsh attitudes toward the ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world.

The great bulk of his book (and at over 400 pages, it is a bulky book) is taken up not – as the subtitle might suggest – with the history of the Druids, but with the history of what people have thought, imagined and claimed about them.

 Further details of Blood & Mistletoe can be found on our catalogue.

For over 100 years, the agents of M15 have defended Britain against enemy subversion. Their work has remained shrouded in secrecy – until now.

This first-ever authorised history by Christopher Andrew reveals the British Secret Service as never before. It is a fascinating account of its inner workings, its clandestine operations, its failures and its triumphs.

M15 is the first major security or intelligence service in the world to give a historian free access of its records. Professor Andrew has used this unique opportunity to present an entertaining and authoritative guide to a fascinating subject. It is a riveting read with stories far more sensationally than anything seen on screen.

Further details of The defence of the realm can be found on our catalogue.