Books in the Shire Album S. series

This album traces the history of the clay pipe, looking at its myriad designs and helps to identify examples.'

Most people born before 1950 can remember visiting or working in shops that had cash carriers - cash balls that ran on wooden rails, wire systems where the carrier was catapulted along an overhead steel wire, or pneumatic tube systems where the carrier was whisked off to the cash office. This title reveals details about these devices.

This book describes how nineteenth-century decorative encaustic tiles derived from medieval church tiles, how they were made, the designers and manufacturers.

This book explains why it was important to keep pigeons and describes the wide variety of buildings that were constructed to house them over the years.

Walled kitchen gardens were found in the grounds of most large country houses in Britain and Ireland. They were designed to provide a continual supply of fruit, flowers and vegetables. The remains of these gardens can still be seen, some converted to other uses, some simply abandoned. This book examines the history of these old kitchen gardens.

This book provides a glimpse into the complex, multi-layered and evolving institution and offers an introduction to the uniforms, arms and services of the Indian Army at the height of the Raj.

British ceramics of the 1950s are highly evocative of a decade of optimism and change in British life. The austerity of war was quickly banished by a new breed of young consumer who demanded ceramics which were bright and modern. This book considers how pottery manufacturers met this challenge, producing ware which was also prized for design.

Perfume has been used in religious ceremony and also in medicine, for it was believed to have the power to ward off illness. Elaborately chased silver pomanders were carried during times of plague. This book traces the history of the scent bottle from the alabaster containers of ancient Egypt to mass-produced commercial bottles.

This book outlines the development and important events in the history of 500cc motor racing, and it is hoped that it will stimulate or revive interest in an important era in motor-racing evolution.

Tatting is the craft of making lace with a shuttle. Its charm lies in the repetition of simple motifs. This title traces the development of tatting from the eighteenth-century pastime of knotting, through its emergence as a craft in Victorian times, to modern innovations. It is illustrated with examples from museums and private collections.