'Postcard
collecting is a
rewarding and
endlessly
fascinating
hobby. It is
enjoyed by
people of all
ages around the
world. There are
many subjects to
collect,
including
topographical
scenes, animals,
sport, cinema,
transport and
royalty to name
but a few. A
large part of
collecting is
the nostalgia
for places and
things that have
come and gone.
Postcards became
widely used at
the end of the
19th century and
people gradually
started to
collect them...'
Mr Stevens & his wonderful world of
Stephengraphs, Silk bookmarkers by Bill Jackman.
'Thomas Stevens
established his
weaving business
in Coventry in
1869 amidst mass
unemployment in
the silk mills.
This was because
economist and
statesman
Richard Cobden
had opened the
flood gates to
cheap foreign
imports nine
years earlier.
Forty five
percent of the
population if
Coventry earned
their living
from
manufacturing
silk products at
this time and
had done so for
the past 150
years...'
The history of Punch by Geoffrey Palin.
'For many people
Punch represents
a glorious
melting pot of
articles
lampooning the
establishment,
political satire
and of course
those
'cartoons'. From
its first
publication in
the July of 1841
to its
unceremonial
death in 2002,
Punch always
attracted the
best
contributors,
from literary
giants such as
P. G. Wodehouse,
Somerset Maugham
and A. A. Milne
to the
illustrative
genius of
artists such as
Pont, Fougasse,
Tenniel, H. M.
Bateman and Bill
Tidy...'
Karyn Sparks discovers a delightful children's
book - a very rare early collaboration between
Dahl and Disney.
'Check in the
juvenile fiction
section of your
public library.
Look in the
children's
section of your
local book shop.
Most probably,
you will find
multiple copies
of Roald Dahl's
books as well as
single copies of
rarer examples.
Read author
lists for kids
who like Harry
Potter, and
you'll find
Roald Dahl's
name there...'
Meet The Collector: The scary world of Hammer.
'As Halloween
approaches, it
is not just the
colder weather
that can send an
icy shiver down
the spine.
Imagine if you
will, mist
swirling around
mouldering tombs
in desolate
churchyards,
creaking doors
opening into
cobweb shrouded
rooms, and
shadowy figures
almost invisible
in the dim half
light. Feel the
hairs slowly
rise on your
neck as you spot
a lurching giant
with flattened
head and bolts
painfully
skewered through
its neck...'
