This bright birthday card designed exclusively for WHSmith to celebrate an 18th birthday has a big number 18 in red on a white background decorated with multicoloured spots. This card is blank inside for your own message & comes complete with a green envelope ready for posting. Approximate dimensions: 12.5x 17.5cm ...

This is a highly readable & fascinating look at 18th century embroidery techniques from a U.K. author. It

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In 1912 Rosa White arrived in New York almost destitute friendless & alone. She had been a passenger on the Titanic
- the largest
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Forever in the shadow of the war which followed 1913 is usually seen as little more than the antechamber to apocalypse. Our perspectives narrowed by hindsight the world of that year is reduced to its most frivolous features
- last summers in grand aristocratic residences a flurry of extravagant social engagements
- or its most destructive ones: the unresolved rivalries of the great European powers the anxieties of a period of accelerated change the social fear of revolution the violence in the Balkans. Our images of the times are too often dominated by the faded pastels of upper-class indulgence or by the unmitigated blackness of a world rushing headlong into the abyss of an inevitable war. 1913: The World before the Great War proposes a strikingly different portrait returning the world in that year to its contemporary freshness its future still undecided its outlook still open. Told through the stories of twenty-three cities
- Europe's capitals at the height of their global reach the emerging metropolises of America the imperial cities of Asia & Africa the boomtowns of Australia & the Americas
- Charles Emmerson presents a panoramic view of a world crackling with possibilities from St Petersburg to Shanghai & from Los Angeles to Jerusalem. What emerges is a rich & complex world more familiar than we expect connected as never before on the threshold of events which would change the course of global history.



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1914-1918 David Stevensons history of the First World War has been acclaimed as the definitive one
- volume account of the conflict.
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With over 1 000 colourful images Robert Opie brings to life the 1920s & captures the mood of this radical decade in Great Britain. The Twenties were a time for change & invention. The arrival of the wireless provided a new form of entertainment & The Radio Times" was launched in 1923. The popularity of the cinema continued & was changed forever with the coming of talkies & " The Jazz Singer" in 1926. While there were many notable events from the Tutankhaman discoveries to the Empire exhibition at Wembley unemployment & workers discontent pervaded everyday life culminating in the General Strike of 1926. For children however fun & amusement could be found with new cartoon characters: the antics of Felix the Cat at the pictures tales of Pooh Bear in A.A. Milnes book " Winnie-the-Pooh" & in newspapers Bonzo the Dog (" Daily Sketch") Rupert the Bear (" Daily Express") Teddy Tail (" Daily Mail") & Pip Squeak & Wilfred (" Daily Mirror"). Apart from women daring to smoke (especially Turkish cigarettes) the young flappers found freedom in the rising hemlines that revealed their legs & enabled the new energetic dances such as the Charleston & Black Bottom. It was an experimental age for hairstyles perming crimping bobbing. No wonder that this decade became known as the Roaring Twenties." ...

The 1930s house is a design icon & the first truly modern British home with over three million built. But many are now in need of 'essential repairs'. Problems like cavity wall tie failure corroded metal windows unstable bays collapsing drains & subsidence are well-known but how can you tell if your house has major defects or is just typical for its age? Forget 'makeovers': this easy-to-use manual shows where to look for danger signs what's 'normal' & what isn't & how to fix common defects. You'll also be able to talk the same language as builders & property professionals. This is the first book to cover logically all defects common to 1930s houses. ...

A brand new Agatha Christie omnibus bringing together all four st&-alone novels she wrote in the 1930s
- The Sittaford Mystery
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Filled to the brim with images this scrapbook of the 1930s overflows with nostalgia for those who remember that extraordinary era. For those who do not this wealth of imagery provides a vivid insight into a time when sliced bread had just reached the table & Butlins holiday camps had recently opened. Life in the 1930s for many was not easy; for others who had known Victorian times the pace of change was frightening & modern life led to nerve tension. Yet change brought a better standard of living & numerous new products helped the daily routine. Electrical appliances were a boon to housewives without servants affordable motor cars made access to the countryside easier new fun included Dinky Toys Monopoly & a stream of delectable confectionery (Mars bars Kit Kat Black Magic Cadburys Roses). The aluminium milk bottle top made its appearance. Design was memorable for the red telephone kiosk the Anglepoise lamp & the Underground map
- all still in evidence today. The Royal Family went through a turbulent year following the death of George V when Edward VIII decided he had to abdicate. The speeding motorist was hampered by 30 mph restrictions & pedestrian crossings were guarded by Belisha beacons. By the end of the 1930s television held exciting promise for the future but a growing tension focused on impending war. The 1930s Scrapbook has drawn together the best from the Robert Opie Collection. The images are as bright today as when they were purchased in the shops. Coronation souvenirs film & fashion magazines fireworks comics & Christmas crackers
- all survived to tell a remarkable story.

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The early Forties might have been years of make-do-&-mending & fashionable inventiveness but the latter half of the decade saw an explosion of contemporary forward-looking fashions. 1940s Fashion: the Definitive Sourcebook" is an extensive survey that brings together previously unpublished photography & beautifully drawn illustrations to provide a comprehensive overview of the period from the austerity fashion of the war years to the introduction of Dior's revolutionary " New Look" & the rise of Hollywood glamour. From haute couture to ready-to-wear this publication comprehensively documents the season-by-season fashions of the WWII era & the immediate post war period. The images feature prominent stars of the decade such as Joan Bennett Veronica Lake & Barbara Stanwyck & designers including Dior Lucien Lelong Balmain Nina Ricci & Worth. "1940s Fashion: the Definitive Sourcebook" covers every aspect of female fashions from the period from lacy evening gowns tailored skirt-suits & luxurious fur jackets to figure-sculpting undergarments satin negligees & glamorous swimwear. The introduction outlines the different themes of the period & each chapter is given an introduction. Biographies of major designers of the time are included for an in-depth look at who shaped the 1940s fashion world." ...