Books in the Shire Library series

Almshouses - shelter offered by religious institutions to needy elderly people - come in a variety of architectural styles and often have interesting features, including coats of arms, clock-towers and sundials, many have chapels and gardens.

A general introduction to the vast and complex subject of glass, not only the history and technology of glassmaking but also the social background of the lives of the glassmakers.

An illustrated historical tour of London's 13 great railway termini, on a clockwise circuit from Paddington to Victoria.London's railway termini are among the most recognisable and familiar landmarks in the city. Famed for their bustling platforms and architectural innovation, they comprise a fascinating mixture of Neo-Gothic exuberance and purposeful modernity. Though each owes its existence to a long-extinct Victorian railway company, these stations continue to be central to London life, with millions of visitors passing through every year. This historical whistlestop tour takes you on a circuit of London's thirteen great railway termini, from Paddington, through King's Cross, to Victoria. Ranging from the earliest stations to the latest restorations and ongoing developments, this beautifully illustrated book examines both their legacy and their future.

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.

Of the millions of enamel advertising signs produced between 1850 and 1950, only a few thousand survived and the authors describe and illustrate over 100 samples from their own collection.

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.

A monograph on Fox Talbot, universally recognised as the father of modern photography.

Covers the history, development, use and fall from favour of many types of exotic instruments, from pocket-sized musical boxes to roll-playing pipe organs and everything else in between. This book describes pianolas, organettes, roller organs, orchestrions, nickelodeons, carillons and more.

This book describes the various processes of building with earth, examines the regional patterns and illustrates standing buildings of clay and cob in many parts of Britain.

Narrow boat cabins were bright with paint, and the 'roses and castles' decorations of the canal boats are a true English folk art along with the embroidery of the boatwomen.

This new Shire Album is primarily an introduction to narrowboats. It is illustrated by modern colour photographs of boats on the inland waterways today and will act as a guide to those who want to search out the heritage of the working canals.

In 1967 Beaulieu held the first autojumble in the United Kingdom and collectors of anything remotely connected with motoring found they had a huge market place. Now anything to do with petrol retailing is a collectable item and this book outlines some of the thousands of pre-Second World War items.

John Ruskin, one of the most prolific of nineteenth-century authors, first made a name as a writer on art with Modern Painters. His study of art and architecture in Britain and Europe led him to a consideration of the conditions of the people who lived in the same world as his art. His interests broadened to embrace social and political economy, and ideas which he propounded in such books as Unto This Last have had a profound effect on life today. William Morris, Bernard Shaw and many othe rearly socialists practised what Ruskin had preached. His Utopian Guild of St. George sought to establish a community where life was fair and the Companions found happiness and satisfaction through the work of their hands. Meanwhile in art he championed J.M.W. Turner, introduced the English to Tintoretto and other early Italian artists and helped the Pre-Raphaelites on their way. The effects of his teaching can be see today in green belts, town planning, smokeless zones, the Rent Restrictions Act and the National Trust. Ruskin was truly one of the prophets on the nineteeth century.

For over a century, no surviving marque so accurately charted the triumphs and tribulations of the British motor-manufacturing industry as Rover. This book traces the history of the company, starting with the cycle-making precursors of the Rover Company Limited.